The Brown County Board created the Park Commission November 21, 1928 under provisions of Section 27.02 Wisconsin Statutes 1927. The Commission reported to the Board regularly and had responsibility for the creation and maintenance of parks in the county, especially Pamperin Park. A.T. Pamperin, a prominent local businessman, donated 120 acres of land west of the City of Green Bay to be turned into a public park. The land was developed in the mid-1930's as a WPA project. In addition the Commission undertook a study of the problems and opportunities offered to Brown County by the growth of air transportation. The only airport in Brown County in 1929, Blesch Field, was privately owned by Brown County Airport Inc. When that company could no longer afford to operate the field, the Commission took over the field's management. Also in 1929 the Commission began preparing plans for a newer, more modern airport, but did not select a site until the winter of 1940-1941 when it chose a spot in the town of Preble near County Trunk V. The County Board created the Special Airport Committee in November, 1943. It consisted of the same people who served on the Park Commission. The policy of joint membership continued until 1956.
When the County sold Blesch Field in 1948, construction on the new field had already begun. It was funded partly by federal aid from the Civil Aeronautics Board and partly by bond issues. In 1949 the airport (named Austin Straubel Field after a Brown County war hero) was dedicated. In the next few years the Airport Committee became involved in several disputes with the Civil Aeronautics Board. Especially important were those over how much federal aid the Civil Aeronautics Board had promised Brown County and whether Wisconsin Central Airlines, a major passenger carrier for Green Bay and several small cities in Wisconsin and Michigan, should have its certificate renewed.
