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The Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Ark., is getting a much-needed facelift necessitated by an ever-evolving purpose.
In March, the 188th Fighter Wing dedicated a new two-story, 18,000-sq.-ft. Operation and Training Facility and this past summer completed the renovation of its old headquarters and dining hall. The total cost for the projects was $7 million.
And more is planned in the future as additional new facilities are built and the base takes on new aircraft.
Jack Helms Construction of Van Buren, Ark., began the project by first razing the base's existing Civil Engineering Complex and three adjacent facilities, which totaled nearly 20,000 sq. ft. Some of the pre-engineered metal from the demolition was saved and used in the new headquarters.
Workers also re-routed utility lines to make way for the new facilities.
The base acquired an additional 25 acres from the neighboring Fort Smith Regional Airport, land that was added to the base's existing lease, and "the airport had its own separate utilities and we had our own separate utilities," said Capt. Joe Harrison, base civil engineer for the 188th Fighter Wing. "We had to combine both of those. The challenge was making it one continuous electrical loop and getting all the water (lines) tied in together."
The electric lines were overhead and construction plans called for them to be underground, a process that took nearly three months to complete.
At the same time, contractors performed a 4- to 6-ft. undercut across the site to remove poor soil. Between 4,000 to 6,000 cu. yds. of shell was then hauled to the site to build up the soil, Harrison said.
The contractor then drilled and poured 20 concrete piers about 2.5 ft. in diameter and 12 to 18 ft. deep. Concrete beams were laid on top of the piers for support.
"We then erected the steel," Harrison said. Once the roof and walls were in place, a brick and metal façade was added.
The designer of the building, Kevin Kuehn of The Benham Cos. of Lowell, Ark., said he wanted the building to look like a fighter jet, with the administrative office overlooking what would be the flight line.
"The imagery is integrating the historic brick of Fort Smith along with the technology and materials of the future (by using metal siding)," Kuehn said.
The building also has an atrium, which allowed the use of a lot of natural light.
After the new administration complex was completed, contractors renovated the old headquarters and it was renamed the Support Group Complex for the base's security forces, Harrison said.
The renovation called for the reconstruction and enlargement of the bathrooms to include locker rooms and showers. Also, storage space and training classrooms were added.
"It is sort of a hub for all the security operations on the base," Harrison said. The base's dining hall was another renovation project.
"We had not had a major renovation since the early 1980s," he added. The renovation called for adding 3,000 sq. ft. for a new entryway, restrooms, class rooms and office space.
"It also included a complete gut of the dining facility itself."
Old drywall was torn out along with the floor and ceiling. While the dining room's square footage wasn't increased, the demolition allowed it to support between 150 and 200 people. Windows were also added for the first time.
One challenge for the contractor was working on the base under tight security. Workers weren't allowed to wander around the base and their vehicles were searched regularly.
"With work on the base, all the contractors had to be checked out," Harrison said. "Depending on the threat level to the base, that can impact their construction."
Harrison said more construction will begin at the 140-acre base when it awards a contract this fall for a 27,000-sq.-ft. vehicle maintenance and support complex.
"It's going to replace some of the original facilities on the base that were constructed back in the 1950s," Harrison said. "As you can imagine, the vehicles are substantially larger now." The project could cost between $4 million and $6 million.
Other projects will help the base accommodate new A-10 aircraft.
"We're going to renovate and expand our hangers by 16,000 sq. ft. to accommodate A-10s," Harrison said. "We'll design it this year and construct it in fiscal year 2007."
Plans also call for the construction of a 20,200-sq.-ft. facility for fuel cell maintenance and weapons loading training for A-10s. Three other buildings - an 1,800-sq.-ft. simulator facility, 1,800-sq.-ft. building for 30-millimeter ammunitions storage and 1,200-sq.-ft. trailer maintenance facility - are also scheduled for design.
The projects could cost between $12 million and $18 million, Harrison said.
Changes at the base are mandated by a new master plan developed in 2002. At the time, Congress provided funding to build a new headquarters.
"And when that occurred, we kind of revamped the whole base," Harrison said. "After Sept. 11 a lot of things changed as far as access to the base. You have to have what we call setback distances, where you can only park so close to the facilities. We incorporated a lot of that into our master plan on the base."
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