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Basic training campus nears completion

  • Published
  • By Mike Joseph
  • Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland Public Affairs
Lackland AFB, TX --  The first of the new Air Force Basic Military Training housing campus projects are scheduled to be completed this summer, said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials.

Daniel Olivas, the resident engineer for the corps, which is the project administrator, said Airman Training Complex No. 1 and Dining-Classroom Facility No. 1 are about two-thirds complete.

"We've had some challenges," said Olivas about the $900 million project.

Construction on ATC No. 1 began in October 2009, followed by DCF No. 1 several months later. ATC No. 2, which was started in 2010, is currently scheduled for a late summer to early fall finish.

"It's been a juggling act," Olivas said. "We have a different contractor for each project plus a small business contractor for the weapons cleaning pavilions, the drill pads and running tracks at each ATC.

"The shortage of real estate within the campus has been a challenge and will continue to be, as is parking for the construction workers," he said. "We have to make work areas available to everyone, so we all have to play well in the sand box together."

The two ATCs and DCF make up one half of the new east housing campus for the Air Force's basic military training. Ground was broken recently on ATC No. 3 and DCF No. 2, and the contract to construct ATc No. 4 is expected to be awarded later this year.

The four ATCs and two DCFs will replace eight Recruit Housing and Training buildings built in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which are scattered around Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Each new ATC will house up to 1,200 trainees.

The east campus is the first phase to consolidate BMT into a centralized area. A new BMT processing and reception center was approved for funding last year. The center will be located just south of ATC No. 1, adjacent to 737th Training Group headquarters.

Plans have also been designed for a BMT west campus with a projected completion date in 2018. It would duplicate the east campus with four ATCs and two DCFs. The two campuses would be connected by an overhead troop walk but separated a road.