Sheppard receives $10 million to improve facilities

  • Published
  • By John Ingle
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Three different agencies awarded Sheppard Air Force Base more than $10 million to improve facilities and quality of life on base.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense, Army-Air Force Exchange Service and Air Education and Training Command each provided funding for specific projects at Sheppard.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense "provided $34.6 (million) to accomplish selected Fitness (Operations and Maintenance) projects at installations throughout the Air Force," according to a Dec. 17, 2010, memorandum. Sheppard's portion of the funding covers a $700,000 traditional 1/4-mile track and $300,000 ParCourse, also called a fitness trail.

Jim Vose, 82nd Force Support Squadron deputy director, said these projects will provide new resources to improve the physical fitness of Airmen and others who use base facilities. The trail will be located between Avenues C and D and the track will be located at the corner of Eighth Street and E Avenue.

"The Life Nature Trail System is an integrated approach that encourages all the body muscles to work together," he said. "The ParCourse will have different exercise workout stations and park benches placed along the trail for a complete workout."

Air Education and Training Command funded projects that will hit home for Sheppard's dormitory residents, both permanent party Airmen and Airmen in Training. Mark McBurnett, base civil engineer, said more than $634,000 has been secured to renovate the permanent party dormitory in Bldg. 527. Work is scheduled to begin sometime this summer.

The command has also provided $300,000 to design a renovation project for Bldgs. 791, 792 and 793, three of Sheppard's Airman in Training dormitories most in need of updating. Typically, the design amount is funded at 10 percent of the estimated final project cost; depending on the design process and the overall budget situation, Sheppard could receive up to $3 million to complete the project by next fiscal year.

Mr. McBurnett said the renovations in these three dormitories would include new fan coil units and associated piping for all rooms, paint, carpet, lighting and ventilation.

The final project is an $8.4 million renovation of the interior of the current Base Exchange. Funded by AAFES, it includes additional food court options, a coffee shop and a push to rebrand the facility as simply "The Exchange."

Sheppard re-established an advisory group to address Base Exchange and Commissary issues that began its work last fall. Lt. Col. Brad McDonald, the 82d Mission Support Group deputy commander and chairman of the council, said "The growing partnership and senior leader involvement at Sheppard and AAFES has been key in seeing a renovated Base Exchange materialize."

The group meets quarterly and communicates directly with AAFES and DeCA on current services and how it can be improved for the customers. It includes representatives from both Sheppard wings, various base agencies as well as spouse and retiree groups.

The project is still in the early design phase, so no estimated completion date has been established yet.