Blue Grass Airport Landscaping Wins Two Executives a Top Industry Honor
Two Blue Grass Airport executives will receive a prestigious national award for a landscaping project that includes a mural of a horse farm.
Three of the top aviation organizations in the world selected Michael Gobb, the airport's executive director, and John Slone, its planning and development director, to receive the Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award. The two were involved in the $170,000 effort to beautify the runway safety area along Versailles Road.
The award, sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; the American Association of Airport Executives; and the Airports Consultants Council, will be presented at a professionals' symposium in Reno, Nev. on Feb. 23.
"It's one of the highest honors you can receive in our industry," Gobb said yesterday. "The sheer scope -- the size, the number of projects that are submitted -- is very large. To get the peer recognition, we're thrilled."
The award comes with $10,000 that the two will likely donate to charity. "The award is ... about making a project a part of the community, a part of the neighborhood," Gobb said.
"The award is as much about the process as it is about the final product," he said, adding that representatives from Calumet Farm, Keeneland Race Course and the Lexington Arts and Cultural Council participated in the development of the mural image and accompanying statuary to ensure a good portrayal of Kentucky countryside. Artist Eric Henn, who painted the mural, is "one of the best artists we've ever worked with," he said.
The 6,000-square-foot mural, which covers a large retaining wall, depicts Kentucky horse country with a house, barns, fences and horses. Six statues of horses, cast in fiberglass and painted in weathered bronze, and two stone fences are in front of the painted wall.
A problem with paint peeling off the mural, apparently because of wet weather, set the project back several months. But the paint manufacturer supplied new paint free, and Henn completed the mural a few months ago.
The final touch is expected to become apparent next spring when more than 2,500 daffodils bloom.
"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 retaining wall mural and landscape design is one component of a comprehensive four-phase runway safety area improvement project that began in October 2003 and is expected to be completed in 2007. Tetra Tech Inc., Central Rock Inc. and the Landplan Group also worked with the airport on the retaining wall mural project.
News stories provided by third parties are not edited by "Site Publication" staff. For suggestions and comments, please click the Contact link at the bottom of this page.