Photo by Jim Labre New roads lead away from the Main Gate as one of many site improvements.

July 27, 2009 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin - The person who was charged with implementing the myriad site changes in phase one is Steve Taylor. We asked him a few questions about the project.

Why were these changes made?
We wanted to improve the overall operations of the site. Comments on surveys we received helped us decide what changes were most important to our members and visitors.

What did you think when you found out the first phase of site changes had to be done by AirVenture 2009?
There’s a short “good weather window” when building in Wisconsin, so that was definitely in the back of my mind, but I took it as a challenge.

What was the most significant change in your mind?
The road infrastructure. Before, it took a 3/4 mile walk to get to the Warbirds area from the Main Gate. Now, it takes 1/4 mile.

What is your favorite change?
All the changes were instrumental to the event. Finally seeing it come together was my favorite part. I have never been so happy to see grass growing.

What kind of reactions have you been receiving?
The first people to see the site were the volunteers. Some were nervous at first when they heard about the changes, but once they were able to see the changes in person, they loved the new site. Volunteers were a great help getting things done before the convention started.

How has AirVenture gone “green” through this process?
Because we are on an airport, the water storage has to be underground versus a retention pond due to waterfowl. We have porous asphalt that funnels the water to our reserve to reuse on grounds as needed. We also didn’t cut any trees down during construction. They were all transplanted to other locations on the grounds.

What’s in store for next year?
This year included the most significant changes of the plan. You can go to the EAA Welcome Center and watch my future blogs at http://AirVenturesiteupdate.blogspot.com for planned changes in 2010.