Photo By Sgt. Marcie Wright | Lt. Col. Vernon Lightner, commander of the 93rd Military Police Battalion, addresses...... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT BLISS, Texas - The Directorate of Emergency Services’ senior-ranking staffers plunged four shovels into the ground at an Oct. 26 groundbreaking ceremony that symbolized the beginning of construction on their new facility at the corner of Sergeant Major Boulevard and Anzio Way at East Fort Bliss.
The projected $16.5 million, 52,400-square-foot structure will house all DES entities, merging the Fort Bliss Fire Department and emergency services, Police Department and Security into one central location.
“Consolidating fire, police and security under one roof will help us to serve the customers much better than we can now, spread out all over the place,” said Lt. Col. Vernon Lightner, commander of the 93rd Military Police Battalion. “For example, if a person comes in and wants to know how to access a certain control point, the person will have to go to security for one part of it, and then go to the police. Now, [when the construction is complete], the same customer can come in and get a one-stop-shop answer to that question. That’s just one example of many.”
Not only is the new building meant to be customer-convenient, it is also planned to be environmentally friendly, analogous with Fort Bliss Commanding General Maj. Gen. Dana J. H. Pittard’s goal of reducing the installation’s carbon footprint.
Designed for construction in accordance with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Certification, the new edifice will have a silver rating for energy efficiency.
This is another step for the Army and Fort Bliss in supporting America’s efforts to be more “green.” In order to obtain the silver rating, the building must promote efficient use of water, heating and recycling, according to project manager Phil Barrick of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District.
LEED, under the United States Green Building Council, promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality, according to the U.S. Green Building Council website.
Plans for this building have been in the works since the announcement of BRAC in 2005. Now coming to life, the project is slated for completion in June.
| Date Taken: | 10.26.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 11.05.2010 12:12 |
| Story ID: | 59506 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, DES breaks ground on consolidated facility, by SGT Marcie Wright, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
