FSS updates key facilities

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Deana Heitzman
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  In efforts to provide a more welcoming environment for customers, members from the 31st Force Support Squadron Community Service Flight came together to give an interior update to some of Aviano's key activity centers.

The Community Center, Outdoor Recreation, Deja Brew and the Aviano Lanes Bowling Center all underwent interior renovations, which began this past summer and are now complete.

"We understand that our buildings are aging on the outside," said Bonnie Masapollo, 31st FSS Community Services Flight chief. "Inside the buildings, we wanted to make it more enticing for the customer and give it an 'I want to be here' feel to it."

The first location on the list was the Community Center. Masapollo explains how the majority of customers at the center are military members and their families in transit, or are just arriving to Aviano, which inspired the overall theme implemented in the centers renovations.

"Our team created a train station theme inside to capture the in-transit customers they see daily," said Masapollo. "Also, our employees now dress as train conductors to carry the theme across the facility."

Aviano Lanes was another location that was high on the redecorating list, receiving a new black-light, retro theme. Members of the entire 31st FSS, including the commander, came out to help remove cooking equipment to deep clean and paint the area.

Next door to the bowling center, the Deja Brew also received an update, to include Armed Forces Network capabilities and a more café-style paint scheme and environment.

"The next building we did was Outdoor Rec.," said Masapollo. "We decided to give it an outdoors and camping theme with log cabin wallpaper and a mural of the Dolomites. We also added a children's play area so parents can relax and see what trips they want to do, while their children stay busy."

While updating the inside of the buildings, Masapollo said she asked all the employees from all the locations to come together as one and challenge them to be more creative and have a say of how their location should look.

"Externally, this has invited our customers and internally, engaged our staff," said Masapollo. "They were there, hands on, creating the environment and now they can talk about the idea they have created and came up with."

Masapollo says with these locations back open and rocking a new style, the 31st FSS team looks to reinvent the Aviano Alpine Golf Course next and hopes to have the same impact.