GREEN BAY, Wis. — Airport Director Marty Piette pointed out several projects as he drove the perimeter of Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport.
One construction crew was working on a taxiway improvement while another was installing automated gates at the end of the airfield.
On one of the airport’s two main runways, large machines and workers armed with hand tools were replacing a large section of concrete.
“These are critical projects,” Piette said. “The one on the runway is probably more critical than the others with the Dutchman Creek Culvert. That culvert is rather old and starting to fail. We need to make sure we keep that runway safe and operational. As far as the taxiway work, it’s really just replacing some old pavement. Old pavement can create FOD or foreign object damage and debris. We want to make sure the airfield remains safe and rehabilitating some older pavements.”
These projects have been planned for several years, but they’re part of what will keep the facility in good operating order when the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around.
“I think from a capital standpoint, from an infrastructure standpoint, we’re in a really good position already,” Piette said. “We’re used to having Packers home games, other NFL games, major soccer matches, things like that. From an infrastructure standpoint, I think we’re pretty well situated, but we do have to think about an operational plan and how we accommodate this influx of aircraft we anticipate. We see that with home games and especially with home playoff games, so this will just be exponentially larger.”
Organizers estimate the draft could bring as many as 250,000 people to the event along with an estimated $97 million impact on the state.
That impact will include places like Appleton, Oshkosh and Neenah.
“We expect it will be a huge deal, just like a home Packers game, probably even more so,” said Pam Seidl, executive director of the Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Between EAA and home Packers games, we’re experienced at this, we know how to do this, so we’re very excited.”
Seidl said the area has a track record of moving people to and from Green Bay.
“We’ve tentatively discussed, do we look at shuttles back and forth and make it easy for people to move back and forth? Easier, safer, more convenient,” she said. “We’ll look at some of those things as we get closer and a little more serious. And maybe, how do we connect all our hotels with shuttle service up to Green Bay? It’s very similar to what some of our local establishments already do during a home Packers game.”
Piette said he is acutely aware of the role the airport will play in the draft.
“We’re the front door to the community. We’re the first and last thing you see when you fly in on an aircraft,” he said. “We just want to make sure we project that positive image for the community and that we’re a safe and reliable piece of infrastructure and part of the economy here.”