124th Civil Engineers build more than just relationships with the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind

Photo By Staff Sgt. Skyla Child | Staff Sgt. Jack Simonds, a firefighter assigned to the 124th Civil Engineer Squadron, Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho, assists with the pouring of a concrete stem wall at the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, Romney, W. Va., July 31, 2018. Airmen from the 124th CES traveled to the school for an Innovative Readiness Training that benefits the school and provides training for service members. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Skyla D. Child)  

GOWEN FIELD, ID, UNITED STATES

08.15.2018

Story by Staff Sgt. Skyla Child 

124th Fighter Wing

The IRT program is a unique opportunity that provides essential training to service members while also benefitting the community through various projects.
The 124th CES and other military units assisted the WVSDB to complete key projects on their school grounds, spanning over 79 acres of land with 16 major buildings. The projects included the construction of stairs and wheelchair ramps, bathroom remodels, a commercial kitchen installation, demolition of a condemned building, a new parking lot and more.
The Air National Guard played the lead service role during these projects, with additional help from the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force personnel who rotate through during the IRT, said Master Sgt. Mitch Sisco, IRT construction manager from the 138th CES, 138th Fighter Wing, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
With multiple units involved and a significant number of projects to complete in a short amount of time, planning was the key to a successful IRT.
“The planning process for the IRT project here in Romney at the WVSDB began a little over a year ago,” said Sisco. “Once the project site was selected, we began making trips out here, working with the community partner to make sure that all of the plans, materials, and necessary permits and licensing were in place by the time it came for project execution.”
The help of the military during this IRT was particularly important to the WVSDB due to the aging facilities on their campus. The WVSDV was established in 1870 and now has many older, historic buildings that include a building once used as a Civil War hospital.
“Our oldest structures here on campus date back to the 1840s,” said Mark Gandolfi, superintendent of administration for the WVSDB.
With many aged buildings, an important project the school had for the IRT program was to demolish a condemned building on the school grounds known as “the bakery”.
“The part that is being demolished was an original structure that was constructed around 1928,” said Gandolfi.
Demolitions, rebuilds and the improvements being made through the IRT program are beneficial to students and the military members alike.
“We’ve got great training for over 160 engineers as well as improved quality of life for the dozens of students that reside here and for the hundreds of students that will use this in future generations,” said Sisco. “I think the greatest success here is the joint partnership between the military and our civilian partner, the WVSDB.”

• Date Taken: 08.15.2018
• Date Posted: 08.15.2018 14:08
• Story ID: 288916
• Location: GOWEN FIELD, ID, US