Cherokee County Councilman Bailey Humphries likes to think big.

Humphries, who has spearheaded efforts to build a county general aviation airport, said he wants county leaders to develop a long-range economic strategic development plan in coordination with a potential new airport.

“The airport would be the cornerstone to all of this,” he said.

Humphries said the development plan would like target industries with a presence in the region, such as those involved in aerospace and energy.

“We want to target our efforts to recruit these industries,” he said. “(Airplane maker) Boeing

has a presence in South Carolina and General

Electric is the largest supplier of wind turbines in the world.”

Humphries’ remarks follow council’s approval last week to hire a firm to appraise the potential airport site. Once the appraisal is complete, Humphries said the next step would be to acquire the property.

Estimates put the cost to acquire the land, located off I-85 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,” he said.