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NEWS | Oct. 15, 2021

Congressional staff receive update on CDC repairs during JBSA-Fort Sam Houston tour

By David DeKunder 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

Lt. Col. Brian Strickland, 502nd Civil Engineer Group deputy commander, provided an update on repairs being made to the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston Child Development Center, or CDC, during a VIP tour Oct. 12.

The tour group, staff members from the office of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, took a windshield tour of JBSA-Fort Sam Houston starting with a briefing from Brig. Gen. Caroline M. Miller, 502nd Air Base Wing and JBSA commander, at the Wing headquarters.  

During the presentation on the CDC, Strickland said roof repairs are being made to the 30-year-old JBSA-Fort Sam Houston CDC building to stop it from leaking. The building’s roof has leaked during rainstorms and had significant problems during Winter Storm Uri in February. 

The roof repairs are part of a multimillion-dollar repair and replacement project for the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston CDC facility, which includes a new roof and HVAC system and replacing fire alarms, sprinklers and the mass notification system.

Immediate repairs to the roof are temporary to prevent further damage to the building, and work on a replacement roof is expected to start in March 2022, Strickland said.

After the immediate repairs are completed, Strickland said the 502nd Civil Engineer Group will go out for bid and award a contract for the replacement roof and new HVAC system in December, with work on the HVAC system scheduled at the same time as the replacement roof.

Strickland said the replacement roof to be placed on the building will have a new look to it.

“We’re switching the style of the roof from clay tile to a standing seam metal roof,” Strickland said. “It (standing seam metal roof) lasts a little bit longer and we have fewer issues with standing seam metal roofs compared to clay tile roofs; it’s less maintenance.”

Repairs to the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston CDC started in September and required the temporary closure of the facility for 18 to 24 months during the repair project.

Families of children affected by this closure have been provided alternate childcare options utilizing other Child and Youth Services facilities on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston or JBSA-Randolph or in the community, including the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston CDC Annex.

In addition, the 68 staff members who worked at the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston CDC are continuing to provide child care at the alternate Child and Youth Services locations on JBSA-Fort Sam Houston or other programs across JBSA.

So far, Strickland said the repair and replacement project is still on track to be completed during its planned 18-to-24-month timeline.

While the temporary closure of the JBSA-Fort Sam Houston CDC is an inconvenience for children and families, the outcome of the improvement project will be worth it in the long run, Strickland said.

"This repair project will help us continue to provide the best childcare for our military-connected families. We are using temporary facilities to provide childcare on JBSA-FSH as we do the repairs, and we deeply appreciate the support we've received from the CDC staff and the parents and guardians in this endeavor,” he said. “The critical repair work we're doing at the main JBSA-FSH building will help us provide a much better environment for the military-connected children in our care in a facility that has adequate climate control and humidity control.”