New fitness center opens

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Nora Anton
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  The new Eielson fitness center addition opened its doors Aug. 13, 2008, to an anxious crowd and words from top base officials.

"The entire [fitness center] staff has worked hard to do this," said Brig. Gen. Mark Graper, 354th Fighter Wing commander. "Moving into the new building is a once-in-a-career opportunity for our fitness center staff and they've done great work."

The new facility addition is connected to the existing Baker Field House and contains a one-eighth mile track, an 80-yard floor space for indoor group sports such as flag football or indoor soccer during the winter months. It also features lifting equipment rooms and new Health and Wellness Center classrooms.

"The benefits of having an indoor track is that we won't have to minimize our [physical training] testing period from April to August like we've been doing, and we won't have to go down to the University of Alaska and actually pay to use their facility and test there during the winter," said Master Sgt. Susan Trejo, 354th Force Support Squadron fitness center director. "We'll be able to test year-round in here, which will help out with people changing stations, and writing enlisted and officer performance reports."

She said another benefit is the group sports area, "People will be able to exercise better and more efficiently."

New strength-training and cardio equipment were also purchased to fill the new addition, along with many other new and very-much improved amenities.

"We use the term 'world-class' to describe the fitness center upgrades and that is not just a figure of speech," said General Graper. "Several aspects of the facility are literally world-class."

Mondo Corporation installed the indoor playing field and the upper-level track; it is also the same corporation that has built and installed more than 800 football and soccer fields for the National Football League, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the International Federation of Association Football (better known as FIFA).

"The same turf the professional teams play on will be what the Icemen and our Guard partners play on also," he said.

Another, more environmentally-friendly aspect of the new fitness center addition is that it is made of materials that are designed to insulate the rooms and bring in more light, especially during winter months, so it will be more energy-efficient.

The new addition was built in a year and a half, with the help of the 354th Civil Engineer Squadron, Army Corps of Engineers, Alcan General Inc., Mondo Corporation, and the 354th Force Support Squadron.

The fitness center annex is one of three quality-of-life construction projects at Eielson and the first to be completed. The other projects, the new chapel and base exchange--are still undergoing construction and are scheduled to be finished by winter.