TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Tyndall Air Force Base recently added more military construction (MILCON) project awards to the rebuild roster and got a sneak peek at what simultaneous construction activities will look like at the base.
Between June and Sept. 1, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) awarded four new MILCON acquisitions, totaling over $446.4 million to deliver seven new facilities.
- July 12 – Weapons Evaluation Group (WEG) Complex
- July 21 – Civil Engineer/USACE Headquarters and Logistics Readiness Squadron (LRS) facilities
- July 8 – Fire Station #4
- Aug. 18 – Chapel and Community Commons facilities
At the helm of each of these new awards is a project manager with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Natural Disaster Recovery (NDR) division. The NDR team is in place at Tyndall to support the 325th Fighter Wing and lead the large-scale construction work needed to recover and rebuild the base.
The WEG complex project will include a consolidated 53rd Weapons Evaluations Group Headquarters, aircraft parking apron and 12 hangar bays to support long-term development of fighter aircraft.
The LRS facility and combined Civil Engineer/USACE Headquarters complex, which will also include base contracting, supports multiple functions in close proximity and increases mission efficiency.
Fire Station #4, the second award for Tyndall’s Silver Flag training site, will house one company of Tyndall’s fire department, fire protection and equipment. The two-satellite structural firefighting station will meet required response times to the Silver Flag training area and the Air Force Civil Engineer Research and Testing Center.
“The Chapel and Community Commons award is an important program execution milestone for multiple reasons,” said Brig. Gen. Mark Slominski, AFCEC’s Built Infrastructure executive director and Facility Engineering Directorate chief. “It consists of the final two projects starting construction where Tyndall's mission support and community services reside. That locks in all construction projects as multiple contractors rebuild the south side of Tyndall. Constructing new facilities to house these missions is extremely important for Tyndall Airmen's well-being."
The Community Commons project will construct two buildings: a single-story building that provides a bowling center, U.S. Postal Service and future restaurants and a two-story building with an atrium, library, arts and crafts area and recreation center.
The new chapel will include multiple worship areas and a religious education center with space for classrooms, activities and more.
There are four MILCON awards still to come for the Tyndall rebuild that will help support the missions at the Installation of the Future.
With most of the contracts already awarded, the NDR is shifting focus to construction management.
For example, the NDR recently held a Rehearsal of Concepts (ROC) Drill for the Air Force’s largest MILCON project to date, the Zone 1 F-35 facilities. The purpose of the drill was to review logistics, identify coordination efforts with other projects and determine additional security needs and mitigation efforts required.
“The lessoned learned from the ROC drill will provide a common operating picture of construction activities and requirements to minimize conflicts and impacts of construction,” said Lt. Colleen Kuykendall, NDR Zone 1 project management support.
One takeaway from the ROC drill was the need for more attention on potential traffic and congestion issues, said Kuykendall, so the rebuild team established a Traffic/Labor Force Working Group to address those issues.
“We have numerous active construction sites and more starting soon,” said Judy Biddle NDR Execution Branch chief. “For example, the groundbreaking for the 11 facilities included in Zone 1 was held on Sept. 13. The construction efforts will require a lot of oversight and coordination to avoid disrupting critical missions.”
The 325th FW Headquarters facility that was awarded in July 2021, is already taking shape with visible vertical construction in progress. The facility is on pace to reach construction completion in February 2024.
Close by, the new child development center looks like a shiny new building on the outside, as it is nearing its construction completion by the end of 2022.
“Once construction and inspections are complete, we can start adding equipment, furnishings and other final details to get it ready for occupancy in the spring of 2023,” said Milea Franklin-Webb, NDR project manager.
For ongoing updates on the Tyndall rebuild visit https://www.tyndall.af.mil/Rebuild/