LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
The new Langley Inn, located on Nealy Avenue across from the shoppette, is prepared to open its doors Aug.31.
The new facility has a total of 210 units to meet the increased demands of visitors. Currently lodging consistently stays full and additional guests must stay in hotels off base.
"The old Temporary Lodging Facility was demolished and there has been an influx of units coming in," said Paul Petersen, 633rd Civil Engineer Squadron project manager. "The requirement went up for additional billeting space since a lot of [Air National Guard] are coming in on the weekend to train."
All of the rooms will have queen-size beds, LCD TVs, safes, microwave ovens, refrigerators, coffee makers and free Wi-Fi. The new visitor quarters will also have new technology to help save on energy costs.
"There are occupancy sensors for the air conditioning and heating system in each room," said Kim Wilhelm, contracting officer representative for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "They will be able to recognize when someone is in the room.
The sensors will automatically revert to a baseline temperature and shut off lights left on when an individual leaves the room. Once entry is detected, everything will go back to the way it was before the occupant left.
In the common areas, there will be a cyber café with internet and common access card access. The Rickenbacker Café will offer coffee and light snacks, and a small shop will carry toiletries. There will also be a laundry room on each floor using high-efficiency, energy-star rated washers and dryers.
The use of energy-saving devices and recycled products has earned a silver rating in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design from the U.S. Green Building Council. This certifies that by using less energy, the new construction will save money for taxpayers and contribute to a healthier environment for the residents and workers.
The new building will bring the total number of billeting rooms at Langley to 577. That number will drop when the older facilities are emptied and turned over to 633rd CES in October.
"The new facility is a nice addition to what we have already," said Robin Urban, assistant manager at Langley Inn. "A lot of thought went into the design and architecture of the building."
Although the new inn will not be ready for guests until the end of August, the buildings first occupants arrived in September 2010. A pair of barn owls, protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, built a nest in the unfinished building. The contractors had to work around the birds until they finished their nesting period.