LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
New construction or federal guidelines have 40 buildings on Lackland targeted for demolition during the 2010 fiscal year.
A major relocation project continues on the basic military training side with construction beginning on the first of eight new Airmen Training Complexes, a nearly $900 million project.
Units housed in buildings on the demolition list are relocated to other base facilities.
While some on the demolition list make room for new construction, others are razed to meet federal guidelines or an Air Force initiative.
The guidelines come from Executive Order 13423 issued in 2007 for energy conservation and efficiency.
President Obama signed an extension and expansion of that order last year with Executive Order 13514.
"The Air Force has tasked all commands down to their bases to follow the 20/20 by 2020 initiative," said Dave Rairdan, 802nd Civil Engineer Squadron, space optimization manager.
"It requires a reduction in facility footprint by 20 percent and utility and sustainment costs by 20 percent by 2020."
To help implement that initiative, comply with the energy conservation executive orders and meet federal guidelines that allocate about 120 square feet per person, older buildings are being torn down, he said.
"New construction has to meet energy conservation and efficiency standards," Mr. Rairdan said. "Some buildings can be brought up close to those standards, and those that can't go on the demolition list."
Meeting requirements and accommodating units make relocations necessary. In some cases, units may be temporarily housed in buildings marked for demolition as they await construction of a new building or interior renovation on an existing building is complete.
"We're playing the shell game," said Mr. Rairdan. "In some cases, up to five different units will be in the same building temporarily.
"It's painful but the building, moving and relocating will be going on for a couple of years."
He said units have been notified of upcoming relocations, emphasizing the unit's responsibility for complete removal of contents if a building is to be demolished.
The demolition process is delayed when tenants have not followed those guidelines.
"Trash as well as the furniture needs to be removed to allow the contractor complete access to the floor to sample floor tiles for asbestos abatement," said Mr. Rairdan. "Anything left on the floor hampers this process and will delay the demolition."
CE will not accept a demo building unless it is completely empty.
Mr. Rairdan also said safety issues have been encountered. Once a building has been vacated, people are not allowed back in.
He said there have been cases where vacated buildings have been used for storage, and other instances when people have violated a contractor's safety zone in an attempt to retrieve items.
"The entire base is being affected (by construction and demolition)," said Mr. Rairdan. "These are big, massive improvements. And because we have room for expansion, we're picking up other missions and more people.
"We're going to have more construction until we run out of space. It shouldn't be a shock or surprise when you're asked to move."
For questions about a building's status, contact the Real Property office at 671-4952 or 671-4959.