LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Renovation of one of the largest buildings in San Antonio, Bldg. 171 at Port San Antonio, is on time as the first permanent tenants prepare to move into their new surroundings in mid-October.
"Everything is running on schedule," said Heath Drader, Bldg. 171 program manager and chief of Air Education and Training Command's Base Realignment and Closure program management office. "The contractor has done a superior job although we've thrown him a few curves as we've gone along."
The renovated building, more than 450,000 square feet, is a single-story structure that stretches one-quarter mile.
When complete, Mr. Drader said it would be one of the largest single-level administrative buildings in the Department of Defense. A former shipping depot and logistics center before BRAC 1995 closed Kelly Air Force Base, Bldg. 171 was divided into eight bays after Port San Antonio took control of the facility. Each bay runs between 40,000 and 50,000 square feet.
Port San Antonio was unable to find enough occupants to fill the building, and an agreement was worked out following BRAC 2005 that now will allow the Air Force to take back the building through a series of fair market value land and building exchanges between the two parties.
BRAC 2005 provided the Air Force with money to move and consolidate agencies. With some additional program dollars, Bldg. 171 became a viable housing option for these new agencies.
"When you crunch all the numbers (and do) a cost benefit analysis, it makes perfect sense to do it all in this building versus new buildings at Lackland," Mr. Drader said.
Mr. Drader said as much as possible was salvaged but basically, each bay had to be renovated. Still, renovating Bldg. 171 was more cost effective for the Air Force than erecting new facilities.
"Nobody can afford to build anything," said George DeCoux, 37th Mission Support Group deputy commander. "Everyone wants to renovate existing buildings if possible."
According to Rumel Bohannon-Bey, Lackland BRAC/Joint Basing program manager, over the next year, several units from Brooks City-Base will move into Bldg. 171 as bays are completed.
"But those BRAC agencies weren't going to fill up the building, so several other agencies that needed to regionalize are moving here that aren't tied to BRAC," said Mr. Bohannon-Bey.
One of the agencies relocated into Bldg. 171 before October 2010 is the Air Force Services Agency.
Consolidating the services agency operations and moving to Bldg. 171 will save the Air Force about $2.5 million a year in leases.
Barring any unforeseen problems, Mr. Drader said bays 1, 3 and 4 should be completely occupied by mid-November.
Bay 2, which is being used as swing space now, and bays 5, 6, 7 and 8 will be finished and occupied in multiple phases during 2010.
When the $70 million project is complete, about 2,900 workers will call Bldg. 171 their new office home.
Although the BRAC programming office is managing the massive renovation project, the building will be turned over to the 37th Mission Support Group upon completion in late 2010.
Recently, Lackland, Port San Antonio and the City of San Antonio entered into an agreement to fund a growth management study to provide traffic and infrastructure recommendations at Port San Antonio.
The increased traffic flow, Mr. DeCoux said, should not affect Lackland as a minimum of two gated entries are planned for Bldg. 171.
"It's like having another wing to support," said Mr. Bohannon-Bey.