Blue Grass Airport Executives to Receive National Award

Lexington, KY -- The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board is pleased to announce that Michael Gobb, Executive Director at Blue Grass Airport, and John Slone, Director of Planning and Development at Blue Grass Airport, have been selected as the recipients of the 2006 Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award.  

This national award is co-sponsored by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), the Airports Consultants Council (ACC) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.  The award is presented to the person or persons judged to have contributed most outstandingly towards achieving compatible relations between the airport and its adjacent landscape. 

Gobb and Slone are being recognized for their major involvement in the mural and landscape development project along Versailles Road in Lexington, Kentucky.  This signature landscape art and mural project mitigates necessary airport runway safety area improvements along the historic Versailles corridor and honors the beauty of the Bluegrass region. 

"It is through the insight, dedication and leadership of Michael Gobb and John Slone that such a project was created," said Dr. Ray Garman, chairman of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board."

The efforts of these gentlemen, who worked considerably with community partners such as preservation advocates, horse farm owners, local businesses and art organizations, culminated in this prestigious national honor." 

The airport's one-of-a-kind mural wall and landscape design is one component of a comprehensive four-phase Runway Safety Area improvement project that began under Gobb's and Slone's leadership in October 2003.  Scheduled to be completed in 2007, this project provides 600 feet of safety area for each end of the airport's primary commercial service runway.  The mural design and retaining wall was the result of the combined efforts of Tetra Tech, Inc., Central Rock, Inc., the Landplan Group and Blue Grass Airport.  The mural and surrounding landscape's three-dimensional approach includes a compilation of features from many of Kentucky's horse farms and the regional area.

"What a great idea to take a retaining wall, normally seen as a scar to the landscape, and to use it to reflect the beauty of the surroundings," said Susan Schalk, president of Aerofinity, Inc., an Indianapolis-based airport consulting firm.  "It took vision, lots of time at meetings, a commitment to aesthetics and hard work to make this concept a reality."

The award will be presented on February 23, 2006 during the AAAE/ACC 2006 Airport Planning, Design and Construction Symposium at the Reno Hilton in Reno, Nevada.

"Michael Gobb and John Slone's 43 years of combined industry experience is an invaluable asset to Blue Grass Airport and the community they serve," said Garman.  "The Board is very proud of them." 

About the Award Recipients

Michael Gobb was appointed Executive Director of Blue Grass Airport in September 1998, and during his tenure Blue Grass Airport has become a model among the nation's airports for aviation security technology, air service development and community outreach.  Previously, Gobb held executive level management positions at airports in Hartford, Connecticut, Grand Rapids, Michigan and Alpena, Michigan.  He is a native of Wyandotte, Michigan, and a graduate of Western Michigan University.

John Slone has been the Director of Planning and Development at Blue Grass Airport since 1999 and prior to this served as Airport Engineer.  Previously, Slone held project management positions with R. W. Armstrong & Associates in Indianapolis, Indiana and with HMB Engineering in Frankfort, Kentucky.  He is a native of Carrollton, Kentucky and a graduate of the University of Kentucky.

About the Award Co-Sponsors

The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) is the largest professional organization for airport executives in the world, representing thousands of airport management personnel at public use airports nationwide.  They assist airport executives in fulfilling their responsibilities to the airports and communities they serve.

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world's largest professional society devoted to the progress of engineering and science in aviation, space and defense.  For more than 70 years, AIAA has been the principal society of the aerospace engineer and scientist. 

Airport Consultants Council (ACC) is the international trade association that represents consulting firms that are involved in the development of airports and related facilities and services.

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