Gray skies and rainy conditions couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the Paulding County Regional Airport’s grand opening Friday.

The airport, Paulding County Airport Authority Director Blake Swafford said, is one of the biggest additions to ever come to Paulding County.

“To be able to do something of this magnitude, to say its onerous is an extreme understatement and it just doesn’t happen that often,”he said. “The last time Georgia opened a new airport was 33 years ago and I won’t be surprised if it’s twice that long before another is opened, if another one is opened.”

Though the airshow and some of the other celebratory events were cancelled, a healthy crowd and several guest speakers still made their way to the site.

Georgia House Speaker and Paulding native Glenn Richardson said no one should underestimate the importance of the airport to the county and state.

“It’s a great day in Paulding County and this maybe the single greatest thing to ever happen to this county,” he said. “I tried to help along the way and a lot of people in the state and in the Nation worked to make this a reality and we are excited for the county.”

U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss reflected on the early stages of the airport site with Commission Chairman Jerry Shearin.

“I remember we stuck the shovel in the ground and Jerry said you won’t believe what this is going to look like one of these days and wow, what a great result of a project here and it’s due to the leadership in this county,” he said.

The airport is the centerpiece of a 10,000 acre pod system designed to enhance commerce and industry.

“It was a very long time coming and the business community in the county has worked very hard to make this a reality,” Shearin said. “It is a massive gift to the citizens of this county. It is paid for and is going to make money from the day it opens and it doesn’t get any better than that.”

Chairman-elect, David Austin said the county is already speaking with some companies and working toward the future economic development of the area.

Swafford also expressed his appreciation to the authority for pushing forward on the project.

“The individuals of the Paulding County Airport Authority have given quite literally hundreds of hours of their time to this effort and over the past six years, they have not once received a nickel for their efforts, not once asked for recognition and they have, in my mind, the finest airport in the state of Georgia,” he said.