Throughout the winter of 2019-20, several construction projects have continued throughout Fort McCoy.
Overall, through early February, winter weather on the installation has also been fairly mild and has helped contractors continue work on projects that include five battle simulations buildings, housing units, a shipping and receiving facility, and dining facilities.
New housing
Contractor Relyant Global LLC of Maryville, Tenn., continues work on a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-led project to build seven new military family housing units at the South Post Housing area at Fort McCoy.
A contract of $6.6 million was awarded to Relyant Global in May 2019, and the notice to proceed with work was acknowledged in June 2019, said Ken Green with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Resident Office at Fort McCoy. A project completion date for the housing should be sometime this summer, Green said.
The construction includes building three four-bedroom and four three-bedroom houses, Green said. Work includes site preparation work, utilities and pavement construction, and electrical and natural-gas systems installation.
As of Jan. 31, work was approximately 36 percent complete with basement work and building framing completed.
In 2017, Fort McCoy accepted the completion of 56 new homes, which brought the total in the housing area to 113. This project will increase the housing area’s total to 120 homes when completed.
Shipping, receiving, mail freight facility
Work continues steadily to build a new $7.03 million shipping and receiving/mail freight facility near the new Gate 20 at Fort McCoy. This project is also managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Contractor Relyant Global LLC was also awarded this contract to design and build the facility, Green said.
The contract calls for the construction of a pre-engineered metal building that will have 19,500 square feet of space, Green said. This work includes all necessary infrastructure and related building needs.
As of Jan. 31, the facility was approximately 46 percent complete, Green said. Work included roofing construction; interior wall, electrical, and masonry work; and more.
A project completion date for the shipping and receiving facility should be sometime this summer, Green said.
Battle simulations buildings
Work on five new battle simulations buildings in the 200 block at Fort McCoy also have continued through winter. Contractor MDM Construction Supply of Rockford, Ill., is constructing the new buildings and related infrastructure.
The projected completion date is September 2020, and as of Feb. 7, several buildings are already built with roofs added and some interior work already started. The Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works (DPW) is overseeing the work completion.
The new simulations buildings will be managed by the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Mobility, Training and Security.
Dining facilities
Work on two new dining facilities in 1800 and 2400 blocks of Fort McCoy will continue into the spring. As of Feb. 7, both were listed by the Army Corps of Engineers as 99 percent complete.
Construction in the 1800 block for the new $13.5 million, 1,428-person annual training/mobilization dining facility began in May 2018, said Nathan Butts, a contract oversight representative with the Fort McCoy Project Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The construction of the facility in the 2400 block, also a new 1,428-person annual training/mobilization dining facility, began in July 2018. The Louisville, Ky., office of USACE awarded a $12.3 million contract in May 2018 for the construction of that facility, Butts said.
Both dining facilities were constructed by contractor L.S. Black Constructors of St. Paul, Minn. According to Fort McCoy DPW, additional work will also be done to finish parking areas and other exterior areas once warmer weather returns in the spring.
According to the contract scope of work for each facility, the new facilities are built with food preparation and cooking areas; an entrance/control area; and serving, dining, dishwashing, administration, and locker areas.
The facilities also have a state-of-the-art waste-disposal system, a receiving and loading dock, cold and dry storage, and more.
Once completed, these dining facilities will be the fifth and sixth brick-and-mortar dining facilities on post.
Construction projects like all of these align with Fort McCoy’s long-range strategic planning objectives, including to “sustain and modernize Fort McCoy’s cantonment, range complex, strategic mobility, physical security, quality of life, and information technology infrastructure.”
Throughout the past decade, Fort McCoy has experienced unprecedented facility modernization, according to the 2019 Fort McCoy Executive Summary, which is produced by the Fort McCoy Garrison.
The improvement effort also has included training-area development and expansion, increased training and customer-support capacity, and improved quality-of-life opportunities.
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services each year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”