Town hall meeting informs Spangdahlem community Published June 28, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Dillon Davis 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The town hall meeting here drew more than 40 local community and Spangdahlem members at the base theater June 23. Attendees discussed concerns and opinions about local topics with Col. Christopher Weggeman, 52nd Fighter Wing commander, other wing leadership, and customer service organization representatives. Meeting topics ranged from medical services to the Bitburg relocation plan. The opening explained the in-depth spending plan for Spangdahlem Air Base's Installation Excellence Award money. Some of the plan's big-ticket items consisted of renovation of the base theater and of the women's locker room in the Skelton Memorial Fitness Center. Next on the agenda was creating awareness of the Women Infant and Children Overseas program that recently moved to Spangdahlem Air Base from the Bitburg Annex. Then, leadership discussed the new construction and expansion projects. Examples included the ground breaking for the new fitness center within the next 30 days, building a traffic circle near the shopette, producing biking and hiking trails along perimeter road, and most importantly, the expansion projects that is scheduled during the next few years. Discussion then turned toward one of the base's largest summer events, the Spangdahlem Open House scheduled for July 30-31. Aircraft from over 8 countries will be on display and visitors from across the world are expected to attend. After main topic discussions ended, attendees addressed Colonel Weggeman and staff leaders with open-floor questions. Base members asked how they could get involved in more community events to help familiarize themselves with the local area and help build a stronger partnership with the German community. According to wing leadership, although there are many published and online resources to find events in the local area, another good solution is to make connections with the local community. Whether it is starting a conversation with friendly neighbors or asking for information from your local supermarket, nobody knows more about community events than the community itself.