Present the final draft of the economic study. Begin acquiring property.

That's the scenario Cherokee County Councilman Bailey Humphries envisions after W.K. Dickson Co. delivers its final version of the Cherokee County general aviation airport economic impact study Monday, Sept. 21, to Cherokee County Council.

The county airport commission signed off on the report at its meeting earlier this month.

As previously reported by The Ledger, Bailey Humphries confirmed the cost to build the airport has fallen from a preliminary draft estimate of $45.8 million to slightly over $36 million in the final draft.

Less-than-expected costs to excavate and remove the rock from the proposed site is one reason for the price drop, according to Humphries.

The report also will show that 150 jobs need to be created to make the airport self-supporting. That number will grow to 300 over the next 20 years, he said.

When council accepts the final draft version, Humphries said he wants council members to pass a motion to start the land acquisition phase of the project. Estimates put the cost to acquire the land, known as the Milliken site in Blacksburg, at $5 million. But Humphries said the county will recoup as much as 90 percent of that figure in federal tax dollars.

Humphries said he considers the construction of an airport vital to the county's long-term economic health.

"If we don't position ourselves for the global economy, we'll miss out," Humphries said.

W.K. Dickson Co. and Wilbur Smith Associates were paid $50,000 by the county to develop a conceptual plan, including site selection, layout, quantifying the costs and benefits and identifying the developmental impact on job creation. The remainder of the study cost was picked up by the state.