Base residents sneak a peek at new digs

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. James Stewart
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  In the coming months new housing will open on Eielson and families will start moving into brand new homes.

Before that happens, the Base Housing Office gave Airmen a sneak peek at their new government quarters. The open house unveiled many new amenities available in the homes.

"You'll find extra space upstairs and in the bedrooms; you'll have the bonus room that you find at Eielson that you don't find at other places," said Ms. Julene Abrams, 354th Civil Engineer Squadron base development chief. "You'll find the laundry room is upstairs in the new homes, front loading washers and dryers with pedestals, and nice big kitchens."

"In the main living area we've done a 'great room' concept so it's kind of like three rooms in one and the residents can choose to place their furniture as they see fit," said Ms. Abrams.

These new homes bring Eielson one step closer to privatized base housing.

"Eielson is one of the last bases that is to go privatized; and one of the things that had to happen
according to initial studies was that older homes had to be renovated or demolished and replaced
with new housing," said Ms. Abrams. "This new housing is that first step of exploring who and how we go to privatization."

Eielson anticipates to complete construction and renovation of nearly 400 homes by 2013.
Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, was the first military installation to privatize a portion of its housing. The first phase of this project provided 420 homes for military families in fall 2001.

The Air Force housing privatization program is an important tool for meeting the goal of eliminating inadequate Air Force housing and providing safe, quality and affordable homes to Airmen and their families.