Ground broken for new dorm

From left, participants in the groundbreaking ceremony Dec. 18 are Jared Christman, Mickey Anderson, John Drace and Steve Bryant, Anderson Drace Joint Venture; Win Ellington, Sen. Thad Cochran's office; Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Roy; Airman 1st Class Mark Landry, 81st Aerospace Medicine Squadron, representing Keesler's current permanent party dorm residents; Brig. Gen. Ian Dickinson, 81st Training Wing commander; Lt. Cmdr. Mark Powell, Keesler's resident officer in charge of construction for Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast; Chief Master Sgt. Linus Jordan, 2nd Air Force command chief; and Chief Master Sgt. Lonnie Slater, 81st TRW command chief. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Ground broken for new dorm

Published Jan. 6, 2010
By Angela Cutrer
Keesler News staff

KEESLER AFB, Ms. -- Dec. 18, Keesler broke ground on a $14.9 million permanent party personnel dormitory.

The structure, set for completion in June 2011, is the first new permanent party to be built in 50 years.

The new lodging, the first of up to four new permanent party dorms, is being built at the site of the former North Pinehaven housing development. The new dorm is just east of the new commissary and across from where the new post office is being built, making it an easy jaunt for single Airmen living on base.

The project, which falls under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act set-aside of 100 percent for small business, includes the construction of a 57,000-square-foot, 144-room main building, an expandable central heating, ventilating and air conditioning plant and the demolition of two existing dormitories. This project, with contractor Anderson Drace Joint Venture and architect-engineer Eley Guild Hardy Architect at the helm, achieves LEED Silver certification, a national benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

Mike McAdams, engineering branch manager for CSC, said the dorm will consist of four three-story wings to house 144 personnel in four-room modules.

"Each module will provide a private bedroom and bathroom along with a common kitchen, living space and laundry facility for the occupants," Mr. McAdams noted. "There will also be a single-story commons building, central chiller plant and recreational spaces located in an outdoor courtyard."