Construction projects add security to Moody facilities

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jessica Lawson
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  The 23rd Civil Engineering Squadron will soon begin a project to move eight major parking lots farther away from their respective buildings. 

The project, which begins in January 2008, is being done as a security precaution, said William Bryan, 23rd CES chief engineer. 

"This project is predominately a force protection project to move roads and parking areas farther away from occupied buildings, particularly buildings where people sleep and large meetings are held," said Mr. Bryan. 

The project, which is being conducted as a result of guidance from the Unified Facilities Criteria, includes moving parking lots 25 meters away from several base buildings, including the bowling alley, billeting, the Moody Field Club, the clinic and all base dormitories. 

"The Unified Facilities Criteria is what we base all our standoff and building construction requirements off of in the anti-terrorism world," said Gary Weis, 23rd Wing anti-terrorism officer. "The 25-meter move is what architects state is a safe distance in the case of an explosion. Distance is our friend when it comes to an explosion." 

The construction for the project will be phased and scheduled for each area because of its enormity. Parking during the construction project will be an issue, said Mr. Bryan. 

"There are a lot of parking spaces around these buildings, but they may be a block away," said Mr. Bryan. "This may cause some hardship for people." 

Along with moving the parking lots, Hickam Street will be repaved from the flight line to the new Wing Headquarters building, said Mr. Bryan. There will also be landscaping, curb, guttering and lighting added all around these areas, specifically the dormitory areas. 

While actual construction should only take a few months, the project performance time is slotted for a year to accommodate weather issues, he said. Residents and workers will be notified as soon as possible when construction on their building will begin. 

The 23rd CES hopes to make the areas not only safer, but also more aesthetically pleasing to the workers and residents of these particular facilities, said Mr. Bryan. 

"With this project comes the significant gain of security to the people who live on base and improvements to the way things look," he said. 

But even with the changes, Airmen should always stay astute to their surroundings, said Mr. Weis. 

"We need every Airman to be a sensor and report suspicious vehicles so we can come check it out," he said.