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JBSA News
NEWS | June 16, 2011

Base's oldest gym slates upgrade

By Patrick Desmond 502nd Air Base Wing OL-A Public Affairs

From hangar to gym, the Warhawk Fitness Center has seen its share of facelifts.

The latest retool will bring it up to speed with the demands of the Air Force's revised fitness program.

Beginning last month, numerous renovations and construction projects with an estimated budget of $1.5 million got underway toward this goal.

Inertia for the plan came from senior leadership, said Warhawk Fitness Center manager Brett Cannon. There was a gap between the harder physical fitness test and the resources available to meet the new benchmarks.

"The idea was 'if we are going to make Airmen work out and get in shape, then we need to house the best facility possible,'" Cannon said.

Foremost among the plans, the PT testing staff, fitness assessment cell, will receive its own facility to be constructed at the rear of the building.

The 3,000 square-foot addition will have access points from the Warhawk as well as the track feet away. Once complete, FAC staff members can then check-in test-takers, perform the measurement component and outprocess.

Two exercise pads complete with sunshades are also being constructed. One covers 625 feet, while the other covers a 2,500-foot area adjacent to Warhawk Field and will feature a suspension workout system.

Current renovations include repairing the building's roof and locker room areas and showers, raising a section of the weight room's ceiling, adding an extra 16-18 pieces of workout equipment, putting up an awning over the entrance, and laying down a sidewalk leading to the center's track.

Planning for the projects began in January, Cannon said, and has been a process of "give and take."

Tackling an upgrade of this magnitude means confronting obstacles along the way and finding solutions.

"For example, a new communication box needed to be added to the FAC building," Cannon said. "That additional expense had to be budgeted out from other areas."

The construction projects are expected to continue all year according to the plan, Cannon said.

The idea that every enlisted member goes through Lackland and probably visits the Warhawk at least once in the forefront of his mind, Cannon recognizes the weight of this particular upgrade.

"The Warhawk is the oldest center on base, but it's still our center piece," he said. "It's going to take a lot of work."

A fourth lane and lights will also be added to the track, beginning in the fall.