Photo By Lt.j.g. Drew Verbis | Builder 3rd Class (SCW) Benjamin Floyd sweeps a float on a wet concrete surface using...... read more read more
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GRANBY, Colo. (NNS) – Members of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3 from Port Hueneme, California, traveled to the YMCA’s Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado, to participate in building projects under the Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program Aug. 8 through Sept. 25.
“We have alternating groups arriving to complete the horizontal construction of a Yurt bathhouse,” said Steelworker Chief (SCW) Samuel Ruby. “This includes all of the foundation, utilities in place, parking lot and roadway. Currently we’ve placed over 10,000 tons of fill at the site.”
IRT is a government program that partners military units with community projects. It also provides training at the unit level to improve operational readiness.
“We’re improving skills out here that can be applied to projects we work on during deployments,” said Builder 3rd Class (SCW) Benjamin Floyd. “The fact that we’re also helping the community and building relationships is a great feeling.”
The ranch is over 5,000 acres with almost 150 buildings. This presents a tremendous need for construction resources. Kevin Kemp, the owner’s representative for the YMCA IRT, said the YMCA of the Colorado Rockies operates on a tight budget.
“Because we’re a charity organization, a facility like this is run on a shoe-string budget,” said Kemp. “Low-cost operation means that we cannot expect to complete projects on the camp without the Seabees.”
According to Kemp, there is only one paved road (which is the highest paved road in North America) and the rugged mountain location has an extreme ecosystem which can present many challenges.
“We’re facing difficulties with the weather and adjusting to the extreme altitude,” Ruby said. “The weather patterns create short construction windows. We’re experiencing a location that delivers serious storms with little warning; this is causing unscheduled work stoppage.”
Floyd added that Seabees are accustomed to handling challenges; it’s a part of their can-do attitude.
“There are construction standards that we have to follow but sometimes working in difficult elements (like 9,000 feet elevation), challenges us to be flexible problem solvers,” Floyd said.
Learn more about Snow Mountain Ranch at http://snowmountainranch.org, NMCB 3 at https://www.facebook.com/NMCB3, Seabees at http://www.seabee.navy.mil, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West at http://www.navy.mil/local/nrpacensd/ or visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy or www.twitter.com/usnavy.
| Date Taken: | 09.23.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 09.23.2014 17:54 |
| Story ID: | 143056 |
| Location: | GRANBY, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 160 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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