Stimulus reaches Eielson

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rachelle Coleman
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Eielson has 28 construction projects lined up to spend approximately $18 million which will boost the economy and provide jobs to the local community.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed by President Barack Obama Feb. 17, provides $787 billion to stimulate the economy and help the nation and world recover from the global economic crisis.

While most of the money is going to civilian agencies, the $7.4 billion Defense Department portion is aimed at projects that could be accelerated or started at once. The department can allocate stimulus funds for military construction projects through the end of fiscal year 2013, and the rest through fiscal year 2010.

"Overall, stimulus money is providing a lot of maintenance and repairs the base has needed for some time," said 1st Lt. Jordan Omstead, 354th Contracting Squadron contracting officer. "It's also providing jobs for local contractors."

The 354th Contracting Squadron Construction flight works hard researching, planning and executing contracts to make sure the Air Force gets the best deal.

"The stimulus bill presents both unique challenges and opportunities," said 1st Lt. Preston Johnson, 354th Contracting Squadron contract administrator. "Everyone from our newest troops to the well seasoned Airmen have a workload that hasn't been seen in recent years. Between the shortage of personnel and the doubling of the CONS workload, troops are working harder and longer hours to complete the mission."

"Because of the workload, the younger Airmen are taking a larger workload and have increased responsibility, and in turn, become very experienced relatively quickly," Lieutenant Johnson added.

The majority of the projects are slated to be finished by the end of next summer, including part of the waste water treatment plant renovation, rebuild power generators in the power plant, and redoing the entire heating system in the Civil Engineering Headquarters building --which is more than 50 years old.

One of the most noticeable projects to Icemen will be the construction to repair the Wabash Ave. and North St. intersection. The project is scheduled to be finished by the end of next summer.

"All these projects are critical to the operation and life-span of base infrastructure," said Lieutenant Johnson. "A lot of the projects may not be noticed, but they are critical for the safe operation of the base. Nobody notices new fire sprinklers, new insulation, or energy efficient windows. Aside from driving by and seeing contractors working on a building, the average person wouldn't think twice about it."

Other projects funded by the stimulus include six roofing projects, several paving projects, multiple fire suppression system updates and replacement of a couple of smaller HVAC systems. 

"Everything, from the roads we drive on to the flightline where aircraft are parked, will be affected," said Lieutenant Omstead. "Stimulus has nearly doubled the amount of construction Eielson AFB is able to undertake this year."