97th CES to supply needed base facilities

  • Published
  • By 97th Civil Engineer Squadron
ALTUS AFB -- --  An old dilapidated county road, a maintenance building to cut composite sheet metal and a new open bay coin operated car wash. What do these three things have in common? The Defense Access Road, the Composite Sheet Metal Shop and the new 97th Services Car Wash are all projects the 97th Civil Engineer Squadron is working on to make life easier for base personnel, both on and off the job.
The first of these projects uses a unique funding source to save 97th Logistics Readiness Squadron personnel both time and money. In mid 2006, the Air Force was able to finalize purchase of an additional half section of land by the Sooner Drop Zone, to assist in the training of the new Dual Row Airdrop System. After a C-17 Globemaster drops its cargo into the Sooner Drop Zone during training , members of the 97th LRS travel down the worn out McQueen Road to retrieve the cargo and return to Altus.
This road was initially constructed in the 1930s and has been maintained by Harmon County. But since this road is the only entry to the Sooner Drop Zone, the increased Air Force traffic caused it to fall into disrepair. In 2003, the 97th CES received a call from the Federal Highway Commission asking if Altus had any projects that would fit into their Defense Access Road program. Tom Williams, the base pavements engineer, replied "Yes, I have the perfect one." According to Mr. Williams, the $1.3 million project will repair approximately eight miles of McQueen Road, leading to the Sooner Drop Zone, 23 miles south southwest of Altus.
This is a vital project which will allow members of the 97th LRS access to the drop zone without the increasing maintenance problems they've experienced due to the road's poor condition. The project started this year and is expected to be completed by August 2008.
In addition to roads, 97th CES is constructing a new facility to help expand the C-17 mission. Aircraft maintenance is crucial to keep the aircraft fleet flying. This is especially true for the C-17 which incorporates more composite pieces than any previous heavy airframe. Right now, Altus' C-17 fleet consists of 15 airframes, up from 12 airframes just a short time ago. To sustain this increase, the 97th Maintenance Directorate will require more area to fabricate parts to keep them flying. The current composite shop is about 4,300 square feet too small and contains environmental controls and ventilation systems that are at the end of their useful life. This year the 97th CES is expecting funding for the new $2 million C-17 Sheet Metal Composite Shop as part of Altus' C-17 beddown. This shop will house areas for both composite and sheet metal as well as areas for lay-up, preparation, repair, curing and decontamination. According to Mr. Dennis Whardo, 97th MX, the larger working area will allow Altus to cut the repair times which will increase the mission capable rate and cut labor cost. This new shop will provide a better product while keeping maintenance personnel safer and more efficient. Completion of the new shop is expected some time late next year.
The 97th CES also has something in store for the maintenance of personal vehicles. If everything goes as planned, next year people on base may be able to enjoy an automated car wash. The 97th Services Squadron and 97th CES are finalizing plans on a two-bay coin operated personal vehicle car wash, complete with an automated washer bay, a self-service bay and a vacuum island. The design of the facility will align closely with the new Air Force standard and will be located next to Outdoor Recreation. Like all SVS functions, Altus can use the funds created by the car wash to support its Morale Welfare and Recreation fund; so money spent there will be used to benefit the base. These three projects are just a sample of the diversity the 97th CES deals with everyday. For more information on any of these projects, contact Altus' project programmer, Mr. Jim Eschrich at 481-7338.