FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
A drive around Fort Eustis,Va., reveals various new buildings, some complete, and others under construction. Several of these structures are barracks buildings, representing more than $120 million the Army has invested since 2007 to provide modernized living spaces for its Soldiers.
The barracks buildings are spread across the post and across a variety of mission sets. Permanent party Soldiers, Advanced Individual Training troops, and wounded warriors recuperating in the Warrior Transition Unit all benefit from the new construction and upgrades.
"Grow the Army" barracks
In 2008, W.M. Jordan Construction began a $27 million construction project on a series of barracks buildings to accommodate 336 permanent party personnel assigned to Eustis' 7th Sustainment Brigade. Funding for the project came via the "Grow the Army" initiative, a 2007 plan to realign the Army's forces and increase troop numbers over a six-year period.
According to Randy Brown, a community planner with the 733rd Civil Engineer Division, the barracks, completed in March 2010, include modern comforts, such as private baths, walk-in closets and ample storage space.
The facility boasts activity rooms, mud rooms, visitor areas and a central restroom and vending area. Based on energy efficiency measures built into the design, the barracks earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, silver rating.
New rooms for new troops
Fort Eustis is home to AIT schools in several military occupational specialties, including aviation. The 128th Aviation Brigade, formerly the U.S. Army Aviation Logistics School, is experiencing a transformation in their training centers and in quality of life for students.
Among the improvements is a four-phase barracks construction project to replace the vintage 1950's-era housing currently in use. The project began in 2010, with Balfour Beatty Construction completing Phase I in May 2012.
The first phase included a 300-person barracks, complete with day rooms, laundry facilities, computer class rooms, supply and arms storage, and lawn maintenance storage. Outside the building, a quarter-mile track, physical training pits and fitness equipment were installed to keep Soldiers physically fit. The AIT barracks also received LEED silver certification.
Phase II of the project will include two 300-person barracks buildings, similar to those constructed in Phase I with the addition of sports courts and infrastructure upgrades. The $41 million second leg of the project will begin this month, with a projected completion date of April 2014.
Phase III is slated to begin in fiscal year 2016, with Phase IV dates remaining tentative. In total, the final complement of barracks will house 2,100 Soldiers, at an investment of nearly $200 million.
In addition to the barracks, construction is winding down on a new $19 million dining facility. The new two-story, 62,390-square-foot facility will serve 2,600 Soldiers at a time, and replaces two 1950's-era facilities and a Vietnam War-era mess hall, effectively combining all student dining in a centralized facility.
"The facility is equipped with a serving area on each floor and provides all the amenities to meet the requirements of the Army to feed today's 21st century Army student," said Brown
Brown also said the contractor, Mortenson Construction, expects to complete construction in December, and equipment and furniture installation should occur by February 2013.
Wounded warriors receive comfortable campus
Fort Eustis is expanding its capability to accommodate and rehabilitate the Army's wounded warriors at its Warrior Transition Unit. A new Warrior-in-Transition campus is under construction, including a state-of-the-art, 80-person barracks building, a new Soldier and Family Assistance Center, and company headquarters facility.
The barracks project, which was awarded to Purcell-Lawman in July 2011, is certified LEED platinum status, the highest certification available - the first Army owned and Corps of Engineers-constructed platinum facility. Construction is scheduled for completion in December 2012.
The 733rd CED's Pandora Howell said the building will include a grey water recycling and reuse system, water heaters supplemented by a solar hot water system which provides at least 30 percent of the facility's hot water demand. In addition, ground-coupled geothermal heat exchanger systems will be used for heating and cooling, and all traditional lighting will be replaced with ultra-efficient light-emitting diode, or LED, fixtures.
Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization
In many cases, preexisting facilities need only upgrades and repair work to bring them up to standard. Since 2007, Sustainment, Restoration, and Modernization funding has contributed nearly $15 million in upgrades, with more planned. Such maintenance projects include new carpeting, paint, bathroom renovations, storm drainage repairs, heating and air conditioning upgrades, foundation repairs and new roofing.
However, new and upgraded barracks merely scratch the surface of the quality of life improvements at Fort Eustis. According to David Morrow, the 733rd Mission Support Group deputy commander, change is happening across the post at an unprecedented rate.
Initiatives as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act, or BRAC, "Grow the Army," and Warrior-in-Transition projects supplied funding to drive improvements.
"Fort Eustis hasn't seen this level of construction in years," he said. "We've seen $500 million in the past five years. BRAC brought an unprecedented amount of construction to upgrade or add new facilities, primarily focused on new mission partners."
With improvements scheduled to the Exchange, Commissary, and Morale, Welfare and Readiness facilities, Morrow said the installation will continue to evolve.
"There's a tremendous influx of capital that is dramatically improving the quality of life for our Soldiers, family members, and civilians that live, work and, serve here," said Morrow. "These projects have made Fort Eustis an amazing place."