Construction plan
targets quality of life, mission
Released: 25 Aug 1999
by Tech. Sgt. R.R. Getsy
Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON -- The Air Force's fiscal 2000
military construction plan lays a foundation for
quality-of-life initiatives and projects geared toward mission
enhancement.
President Clinton signed the Defense
Department's $8 billion military construction bill last week
with the Air Force receiving nearly $1.1 billion, excluding
medical, family housing construction, and special defense-wide
accounts. The Air Force portion encompasses active duty,
Reserve and the Air National Guard, with about a third of the
funds representing projects added by Congress.
"This amount is the most we've ever
received since 1994 for construction," Lt. Col. John
Medeiros, chief of the Air Force's program development for
military construction, said.
"Our plan combines new mission
programs, such as facility construction for the C-17 and F-22,
with a large portion of funds for quality-of-life
initiatives," Medeiros said.
Among the projects included in the Air
Force's fiscal 2000 plan:
-- Child development centers at Dyess Air
Force Base, Texas; and Schreiver AFB, Colo.
-- More than $90 million in dormitory
construction at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska; Eglin AFB, Fla.;
Keesler AFB, Miss.; Offutt AFB, Neb.; Tinker AFB, Okla.; Osan
Air Base, Korea; Langley AFB, Va.; Lackland AFB, Texas;
Malmstrom AFB, Mont., and Maxwell AFB, Ala.
-- B-2 low observable restoration facility
at Whiteman AFB, Mo.
-- Dining facilities at Eglin; Keesler;
Fresno Air National Guard Base; and Dannelly Field, Ala.
-- Control towers at Randolph AFB, Texas;
Cannon AFB, N.M., and Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.
-- C-17 squadron operations facility at
McChord AFB, Wash.
-- F-22 facilities and maintenance hangar at
Nellis AFB, Nev.
-- C-17 corrosion control facility at
Charleston AFB, S.C.
In addition, Medeiros said the Air Force has
emphasized its commitment to health and fitness by
establishing a fitness center master plan, similar to the Air
Force's dormitory master plan.
"This is the first year that we've used
the master plan concept to paint a roadmap for how we're going
to take care of fitness centers in the Air Force," the
colonel said.
"We need to fund the programs that
support the priorities of the Air Force and, like dormitories,
fitness centers are a high-payback initiative.
There are six fitness centers projected to
be built or renovated, the colonel said, at Schreiver;
Whiteman; Osan; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; Travis AFB,
Calif.; and MacDill AFB, Fla.
"Our priorities are people and
new-mission requirements," he said. "These projects
will have a huge impact on the day-to-day working environment
for our people."
The colonel said the service is committed to
executing its FY00 construction plan in a timely fashion.
"In FY98, we executed 99.8 percent of our funded program
that same year," he said. "We're on target to award
100 percent of our FY99 program by the end of September.
"We aim to do the same for the new
fiscal year," the colonel said. "Our goal is once
money is awarded, it's money that's going to be well
spent."
RELATED SITES
* B-2
Spirit
* C-17
Globemaster III
* The
F-22 Raptor
* Air National Guard
* Air Force Reserve
Command
* Department of
Defense
* President
Clinton
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