Fort McCoy's East Barracks Project approaches 50 percent complete as progress builds in June 2025

Photo By Scott Sturkol | Contractors work on a new $27.3 million transient training troops barracks project, known as the Fort McCoy East Barracks Project, on June 17, 2025, at Fort McCoy, Wis. Contractors began in May 2024 getting the site set up for the fourth transient training troops barracks project at Fort McCoy, which was awarded in February 2024 to L.S. Black Constructors, LLC, for approximately $27.3 million. L.S. Black Constructors is a familiar name in the barracks construction history at Fort McCoy, having built the first two of the 60,000-square-foot transient training troops barracks on post. They also recently built the new brigade headquarters building located in the same block as the barracks buildings. The exact contract amount for the project was $27,287,735. In the award announcement, it states it was “for the construction of the barracks, which will provide housing for enlisted service members undergoing training at the installation.” The building will be able to house up to 400 people and will be more than 60,000 square feet. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol/Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office)  

FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES

06.17.2025

Story by Scott Sturkol                                                                                                      

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

Fort McCoy's East Barracks Project was reported approaching 50 percent complete as of mid-June, said Nathan Butts with the Resident Office of the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort McCoy.

In his June 13 update, Butts said the contractors with L.S. Black Constructors were steadily making progress on the project.

Butts wrote in the update, “Drywall installation continues. Air barrier spray continued. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in continues.

“Brick ledge installation continues. Door fame installation on all floors continues. ... Interior spray foam insulation continues in the bays,” Butts wrote.

Since just over a year ago in May 2024, construction of this barracks have been nonstop by the contractor who was awarded the project in February 2024. The exact contract amount for the project when it was awarded was $27,287,735.

As the workers with L.S. Black Constructors work on this project, they can look over at two other barracks they constructed in the same block. They are a familiar name in the construction history at Fort McCoy, having not only built the first two of the 60,000-square-foot transient training troops barracks, but they also built the new brigade headquarters building located in the same block as the barracks buildings.

The contract duration is scheduled for completion in 780 calendar days, Army Corps of Engineer contract documents show. “Current contract completion date is April 24, 2026,” Butts also wrote in the May 30 update.

From the building description, when complete, the building will be able to house up to 400 people like the other completed barracks in the same block. According to the scope of work, it’s going to be “made of permanent construction with reinforced concrete foundations; concrete floor slabs; structural steel frames; steel stud infill; masonry veneer walls; prefinished standing seam metal roofing; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning capabilities; plumbing; mechanical systems; and electrical systems. Supporting facilities include land clearing, concrete sidewalk paving, general site improvements, and utility connections.”

Work also continues in 2025 by contractors to prepare a large swath of the 1600 block on Fort McCoy’s cantonment area to construct the fiscal year 2024-funded $55.75 million Collective Training Officers Quarters Project by contractor BlindermanPower (Construction).

Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works planning officials said all the construction is done with projects on this part of Fort McCoy, it will demonstrate a major transformation of the block and hold lots of barracks space for troops training at the installation.

This project and others like it also have in economic impact on local economies.

For the past six years, and even before that, millions of dollars in construction dollars have been counted by the Fort McCoy Plans, Analysis, and Integration Office as a key factor and contributor to the installation’s annual economic impact each fiscal year.

Since fiscal year (FY) 2019, more than $310 million has been calculated in new construction of buildings and ranges alone, reports show. Over that same time, more than $1.47 billion has also been applied to operating costs that included utilities, physical plant maintenance, repair and improvements, other new construction projects, purchases of supplies and services, and salaries for civilian contract personnel working at Fort McCoy.

Projects at Fort McCoy like the current $27.3 million East Barracks Project, $28.08 million South Barracks Project, and the $55.75 million Collective Training Officers Quarters Project, are among those projects adding to the economic impact currently.

These projects are on top of recently completed projects like the $20.6 million and $18.8 million barracks projects as well as the $11.96 million brigade headquarters building that was fully completed in 2024.

See more news about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by visiting https://www.usace.army.mil/Media/News.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”

• Date Taken: 06.17.2025
• Date Posted: 06.17.2025 23:51
• Story ID: 500923
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US