On a bright and steamy Louisiana morning, members of the Fort Johnson garrison, along with leaders of the 46th Engineer Battalion, SGS Construction and staff from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District eastern area office, gathered to celebrate the completions of the renovations during a ribbon cutting ceremony, May 22.
“It is an absolute honor for me to be with you to celebrate this significant accomplishment in the renovation of the Tactical Equipment Maintenance Facilities,” said Fort Worth District commander, Col. Paul Culberson.
Located on the recently redesignated Fort Johnson, the renovations at maintenance buildings 3824 and 3830, or TEMFs, came in at a cost of over $12 million.
Renovations to the facilities include roof replacement, exterior wall panel replacement, exterior and interior renovations and improvements. Additionally, improvements were made to the petroleum, oil and lubricant delivery systems, and to the joint sealing for the hardstand area. With all the renovations and modifications, the life cycle of the buildings has been extended by 20 years.
Getting this project to the finish line was the Fort Worth District’s senior construction representative for the Fort Johnson Resident Office, Christopher Woolley.
“Thank you to the Fort Polk Leadership, 46th Engineers, and SGS Construction team for working together with the USACE team to deliver these modernized facilities for our Soldiers,” said Woolley.
The Soldiers of the 46th Engineers were particularly helpful with this project. They were called upon to assist with moving equipment during and after the renovation process and as the team prepared for the ribbon cutting ceremony. While in the maintenance facility, Soldiers were instrumental in validating one of the environmental features of the project.
“Soldiers liked the filtered, bottled water dispensers that were part of the design, and many commented on the fact they like the quality of the water,” said Woolley.
There is a tracking feature on the system that gives an estimate of how many plastics bottles are saved by refilling rather than purchasing several single bottles of water. The system is like those found at many airports and provides an environmentally friendly alternative.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a common green building rating system used all over the world. LEED provides a framework for healthy, efficient, and cost-saving green buildings and provides an option for many new or renovated building structures.
“Although these buildings are not LEED-certified facilities, the TEMFs do feature low-flow faucets, flush valves, and a utility monitoring and control system to help curb energy consumption,” Woolley said.
These maintenance facility updates will assist the warfighter in the operation and maintenance of high-tech equipment, allowing Soldiers to effectively shoot, move and communicate in a non-linear battlefield.