FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
The 733rd Logistics Readiness Division opened a newly-constructed dining facility May 1, providing a convenient and much-needed update to benefit Fort Eustis' Advanced Individual Training Soldiers.
Joint Base Langley-Eustis leadership, including commanders and senior enlisted leaders from the 633rd Air Base Wing, 733rd Mission Support Group and 128th Aviation Brigade, ceremonially cut the ribbon to officially open the "Warrior's Cafe" on Taylor Avenue.
Beginning in April 2011, the Army Corps of Engineers worked alongside contractors to construct the two-story, 62,390-square-foot facility at a cost of $19.2 million. The new DFAC replaces three 1950's and 1960's-era facilities that had exceeded their service expectancy.
Delsa Green, the installation food program manager, said the DFAC will primarily serve AIT students from the 128th Avn. Bde., and E Co., 244th Quartermaster Battalion.
The facility employs 90 workers operating on a 24-hour schedule to accommodate the brigade's around-the-clock operations, and can serve up to 2,600 Soldiers simultaneously. The high capacity will help meet the demands of projected increases in the student body at the 128th Avn. Bde. in the coming years.
According to Randy Brown, 733rd Civil Engineer Division community planner, the facility was designed and built to meet U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, Silver specifications. The building features 60 solar panels on the roof that will provide a primary heating source for 30 percent of the facility's domestic water usage.
In accordance with Army policies governing sustainment for AIT personnel, the DFAC will serve healthier food options, and will not serve any fried offerings.
Inside the DFAC, Soldiers can take advantage of convenient hand-washing stations in the entrance lobbies, and can enjoy meals in dining areas featuring abundant natural lighting, flat-panel televisions and contemporary aesthetics.
"One of the things [Col. Thomas Wetherington, 733rd MSG commander] mentioned when he toured the building was how he thought younger Soldiers would enjoy the paint scheme in here," Brown said. "He likened it to colors used in popular restaurants, and thinks it will be a hit."
The DFAC is part of phase one of a four-phase project to consolidate the 128th Avn. Bde. administration, student barracks and fitness areas into a centralized area adjacent to the maintenance school campus.
U.S. Army Col. Dean Heitkamp, the 128th Avn. Bde. commander, said the DFAC is "a significant improvement, both in terms of quality of facility and proximity to the campus."
"The new building allows us to seat a lot more students at one time and feed them a lot faster. Because of that, Soldiers will be able to eat closer to hours they are accustomed to. It's right there at the end of the street," Heitkamp said. "The majority of Soldiers who come to school here at main campus had to walk 10 minutes to the old dining facilities and 10 minutes back to their classroom. Now, it's a one- or two-minute walk across the street into a nice facility."
"This project was a long time coming, and we're glad to finally be able to offer it to our AIT Soldiers," Brown said. "They deserve it."