The historic Hacienda lodge on the U.S. Army Reserve-funded installation, Fort Hunter Liggett in Monterey, CA, will receive a $9.6 million upgrade to its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and domestic hot water (DHW) system. The much-needed upgrades will enhance the indoor air quality of the facility while enhancing the historic aesthetics and guest experience.
“The upgrades will include a new geothermal system to condition the lodge – eliminating the need for unsightly and outdated visible infrastructure while increasing efficiencies and long-term savings compared to traditional heat pumps,” explained Jarrod Ross, who provides contract support as Fort Hunter Liggett’s Resource Efficiency Manager. “The new Geothermal based HVAC system will not only provide a new, more efficient and safer heating source for the lodging rooms, but it will also provide centralized cooling to the facility. The system works by utilizing the earth's stable underground temperature to efficiently heat and cool buildings, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional HVAC systems. Coupled with a new modern DHW system, the Hacienda will be integrated into the base-wide Installation Control Center for remote management and oversight.”
The Army Reserve Installation Management Directorate (ARIMD) was instrumental in securing funding for the upgrades. “The Hacienda is an important space for conducting a wide variety of meetings and functions, as well as housing visitors to the installation,” explained Tim Harper, Army Reserve Energy Program Lead, ARIMD. “To ensure the mechanical upkeep and continued use of this unique space, we were able to secure dollars from the Army’s REFoRM (Resilient Energy Funding for Readiness and Modernization) program, which are validated energy cost savings from other projects, to add to additional Army Energy and Utility Program funding.”
The Hacienda HVAC and DHW project is one of many energy and water resilience projects to be implemented over the past decade at Fort Hunter Liggett and its sub-installation, Parks Reserve Forces Training Area in Dublin, CA. The Garrison’s Directorate of Public Works has implemented energy microgrid projects at both locations consisting of solar arrays and battery energy storage systems, as well as other efficiency projects such as a geothermal heat pumps for base housing. In January, Fort Hunter Liggett announced an estimated $165 million project to modernize its 50-year-old water system that is prone to repairs and replacements to avoid another catastrophic waterline break like the one experienced in 2022.
The HVAC and DHW project contract was awarded to McKenzie Construction for design and build. In January, designers and architectural support personnel began a review of the facility to expand on the initial 20 percent design concept provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville has been instrumental in getting the project off the ground,” added Ross. “Paul McCarty helped the design to come to life. Now that the complete design is underway with McKenzie Construction, it is truly exciting to see that the Hacienda will be getting much needed facility enhancements while returning elements of the lodge to its original form and finish.”
The Hacienda was completed in 1930 by William Randolph Hearst. It was designed by renowned architect Julia Morgan and replaced and expanded upon an earlier wooden structure known as the Milpitas Ranch House. Hearst sold the structure and its surrounding property to the United States Army in 1940 for use as a training facility. The Army still owns the facility and operates it as a public hotel within the military base. The lodge includes a lounge, cantina, offices, public assembly rooms, and guest rooms.
“It’s only fitting that the HVAC and DHW upgrades are slated for completion in four years as Fort Hunter Liggett will celebrate the Hacienda’s 100th anniversary in 2030,” said Colonel Jason McKenzie, Fort Hunter Liggett Garrison Commander. “It’s a stunning facility that we want to maintain what the experience was like for patrons when it was originally built, but with the added care and comfort of efficient and modern building systems that do not detract from the historic property. These enhancements will enable the lodge to operate and perform into the next 100 years.”
The Hacienda is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a hotel open to the public. Learn more: https://hunterliggett.armymwr.com/programs/historic-hacienda.
(Released by LTC Xeriqua Garfinkel)