ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 54th Air Refueling Squadron held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the unveiling of their building renovations, Oct. 1, 2020.
During the renovations, the 54th ARS continued student training by utilizing other facilities until the complete overhaul was accomplished.
“It is great to be back. This building has a lot of history and it’s freeing to have our place again,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Micah Vanderveen, the 54th ARS commander. “Through the combined efforts of CE [97th Civil Engineer Squadron], contracting [97th Contracting Flight], and several other members of the wing, we have received a fantastic building and it feels good to be all together again.”
Construction started in late 2018 and was finalized in mid-September 2020. Throughout the renovations, routine meetings were held to ensure proper completion of the updated facility.
“Aside from being an instructor pilot, I was the resource advisor on the renovation project,” said Maj. Chad Halverstadt, an executive officer assigned to the 54th ARS. “During construction, we ran through weekly meetings, status updates, finishes, and conflicts to address in order to ensure the final product’s completion.”
According to Halverstadt, the entire building was redone to better improve the functionality of the squadron. From chairs to desks and from the floor to the ceiling, every inch of the building was improved for the betterment of student training.
“The layout is designed to separate the building for the permanent party members that don’t have much interaction with the students,” he added on. “The goal of facilitating the building flow for the students has worked out. It was rough having the squadron separated, but it’s good to have this cohesiveness that we set up and back as a team.”