Members of the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony on Camp Losano Oct. 14 in celebration of the build-up of the wing's new headquarters compound.
"The new headquarters symbolizes the growth and expansion of the U.S. Air Force and our partnership between the U.S., coalition nations and the citizens of Afghanistan," said narrator 1st Lt. Zaqueo Salazar from the 451st Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron.
The build-up, which consists of 11 separate projects, will include fourteen two-story billeting facilities housing 500 to 700 Airmen. Three hardened facilities with a total of 18,000 square feet of space for administrators will become the new 451st Air Expeditionary Wing, 451st Expeditionary Operations Group and 451st Expeditionary Mission Support Group headquarters. The new medical clinic will also relocate there.
Completion of these projects is scheduled for spring of 2010. Total costs amount to approximately $7 million.
A.N. Smythe
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Manas enhances mission with new CE facilities
11/10/2009 - TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan -- The 376th Civil Engineer Squadron personnel completed the construction of three new facilities during a ribbon cutting ceremony held at the Transit Center at Manas' new fire station Nov. 9, 2009.
The facilities, worth an estimated $2 million dollars in construction projects, include the fire station, maintenance warehouse and the explosive ordnance disposal team emergency management buildings.
"We were previously living in tents," said Anthony Hernandez, fire chief for the 376th ECES fire emergency service. "The new fire station will allow us to work in a more conducive environment."
Unlike the former fire station, the new fire station has several individual offices and bunk rooms for shift workers.
"We have separate offices now so that we can conduct our own business individually," the fire chief said. "It also provides more privacy and better accommodations for our personnel. It's a more commendable place."
This move to the new facility is more beneficial in terms of camaraderie because a lot of different squadron members come together to make this move a big success, he added.
Lt. Col. Mike Mendoza, 376th ECES commander, also echoed the fire chief's comment.
The new facilities, which replaced the old tent, are larger and can accommodate enhanced operations to improve our support for the wing's mission, Colonel Mendoza said.
"The new fire station, for example, cost about half a million and helps us to consolidate the operations of our fire stations, which used to be in two separate tents, into one complete usable facility," he explained.
"This really enhances our operations," said Colonel Mendoza.
With the new facilities, the 376th ECES members can now get, store and maintain their equipment better. Another advantage of the new facilities is that personnel have a bigger, better weather-tolerant facility to work out of.
"Obviously (with the new facilities) our personnel are well taken care of," said the colonel. "In general, the working environment in all these facilities is improved."
Colonel Mendoza thanked all the units that helped support the facilities' construction and facilitated the move.
"It's a huge team effort that went into these buildings," Colonel Mendoza said. "There were a lot of people involved, and in the end, we have a good product. Basically, this project is a labor of love. All the hard work, teamwork and labor have paid off; we have something that we can be very proud of. In the end, it reflects well on our team and our abilities here at the Transit Center."
Olufemi Owolabi
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