market: 75% of air force personnel currently live off base and that number is expected to increase over the next decade. So the current project will give business to our friends in construction at a time when they can really use the business, and for the foreseeable future the constant rotation of military families transferred in and out will keep Charleston real estate lively with little dependence on other market variables."The Charleston Air Force Base has embarked on an array of construction projects that will not only spruce up the base and housing areas but also pump money into the local economy.
The largest of the projects is the Repair Family Housing Project Phase IV, estimated at $16.9 million.
'This is a once-in-a-long-time type of project,' said William Dean, 437th Civil Engineer Squadron engineering flight chief. 'We’ve had several phases accomplished over the last few years, things like roofing or painting projects for several hundred thousand dollars. But this is several times larger than what we’d normally do.'
Dean said much of the work is 'end of life' renovations, with repairs and replacements coming when they’d be expected because of the buildings’ age.
The largest of the projects is the Repair Family Housing Project Phase IV, estimated at $16.9 million.
'This is a once-in-a-long-time type of project,' said William Dean, 437th Civil Engineer Squadron engineering flight chief. 'We’ve had several phases accomplished over the last few years, things like roofing or painting projects for several hundred thousand dollars. But this is several times larger than what we’d normally do.'
Dean said much of the work is 'end of life' renovations, with repairs and replacements coming when they’d be expected because of the buildings’ age.
The housing project, which was awarded in February 2006, included the construction of 10 new homes in the officer quarters.
'These homes are going to set the standard for officer housing,' said Steve Campbell, a civil engineer with the squadron and the senior manager of the project. 'These are really high-quality, state-of-the-art homes. Plus we put in a large playground and have done a lot with green space, putting the homes on larger lots and backing them up to the golf course.'
The housing project is about 85% complete. Campbell said the master plan calls for about 250 of the 716 housing units on the base to be demolished in 2015. The homes will not be rebuilt; rather, families will be directed to other housing available in the area.
'By that time, the useful life of those units will be about to expire, and it won’t be worth putting more construction dollars into them,' he said. 'We don’t feel that there will be any impact on service personnel in the area. The housing market in the tri-county area already supports about 75 percent of our airmen. The Charleston housing market is a very strong market, and we expect it to remain that way for many years.'
Other construction projects include the demolition of dormitories, a steam plant and several temporary living facilities to improve base appearance. The cost of that work is about $1
million."
'These homes are going to set the standard for officer housing,' said Steve Campbell, a civil engineer with the squadron and the senior manager of the project. 'These are really high-quality, state-of-the-art homes. Plus we put in a large playground and have done a lot with green space, putting the homes on larger lots and backing them up to the golf course.'
The housing project is about 85% complete. Campbell said the master plan calls for about 250 of the 716 housing units on the base to be demolished in 2015. The homes will not be rebuilt; rather, families will be directed to other housing available in the area.
'By that time, the useful life of those units will be about to expire, and it won’t be worth putting more construction dollars into them,' he said. 'We don’t feel that there will be any impact on service personnel in the area. The housing market in the tri-county area already supports about 75 percent of our airmen. The Charleston housing market is a very strong market, and we expect it to remain that way for many years.'
Other construction projects include the demolition of dormitories, a steam plant and several temporary living facilities to improve base appearance. The cost of that work is about $1
million."
For the full Charleston Regional Business Journal article: http://www.charlestonbusiness.com/pub/13_23/news/10767-1.html
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