JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
The Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Bowling Center, which
was chosen the Air Force’s best bowling center in 2010, is nearing the end of
an improvement program that is raising it to yet another level.
Starting last April, the bowling center’s interior was
upgraded with new wood-look vinyl-plank flooring and furniture in the concourse
and bowler settee areas, new ceiling fans, new sheetrock and new ceiling tiles
over the center’s 24 lanes.
Last week, work crews installed 38 10-foot-tall panels on
the north and south walls of the bowling center to create two murals that
feature photographs of JBSA-Randolph’s most recognizable landmarks: the Taj
Mahal, the Missing Man Monument and the main chapel. The murals complement the
artwork on the west wall that depicts JBSA-Randolph’s training aircraft.
Also last week, the bowling center’s old lockers were
replaced with new ones.
“Our bowlers seem very pleased with the changes we’ve made,”
said Steve Barinque, bowling center manager. “They love the new graphics on the
walls. We’ve reinvested the money our customers have paid to create a
state-of-the-art facility.”
As a nonappropriated fund, or NAF, facility, the bowling
center’s funds are self-generated through revenue from bowling fees, the snack
bar and the pro shop, he said.
The bowling center will truly achieve state-of-the-art
status in the coming weeks with the installation of an interactive bowler
entertainment system, Barinque said.
“It will change the whole dynamic of open bowling,” he said,
referring to the part of the customer base that is not involved in league
bowling. “It will offer more family entertainment and provide a different
concept of bowling.”
The system will feature 55-inch light-emitting-diode
monitors and advanced consoles to replace the bowling center’s 42-inch monitors
and provide interactive bowling games, scoring animations, themed birthday
parties and high-definition signature grids.
“The new system makes our center a more advanced facility
than you’d find in most places,” Barinque said. “We get the best of both worlds.
It gives league bowlers a better scoring environment and will be more
entertaining for open bowlers. It will also help with team-building in the
JBSA-Randolph community.”
Installation of the system is tentatively planned for March,
he said.
The bowling center’s last major upgrade occurred in 2008,
when cutting-edge automatic pinsetters and a scoring system with the 42-inch
monitors, 15-inch touch screens and advanced graphics were installed, Barinque
said.
Another upgrade took place in 2010, when the ball returns
were replaced, he said.
The bowling center, which is located on H Street West, is
home to a robust competitive program that includes many leagues. Active-duty
members and civilians who work at JBSA-Randolph, retirees and teens from local
high schools also use the facility.