Fort Stewart's Building 633, a 46-year-old Volunteer Army barracks at the base in Savannah, Ga., is undergoing extensive internal renovations, and the old doors, cabinets and other hardware items that were removed are being repurposed at various locations on the installation and throughout Georgia.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) said in a news release May 30 that the military construction project will replace all failing systems currently within the building, convert the four-soldier living units into two-soldier spaces, bring the building into compliance with current Life Safety and Accessibility Codes, and as closely as possible within current Army Standards for Permanent Party Soldiers and Unaccompanied Enlisted Personnel Housing compliance.
"Two soldiers will share a living space that includes a kitchen, laundry and dining area," said USACE, Savannah District, Project Engineer Susan Smith. "Each soldier will have their own bedroom suite, with bathroom, desk space and a walk-in closet."
As part of the construction process, the Department of Public Works (DPW) lets USACE know what is needed, and the Corps oversees the project from the beginning to completion.
"As the project engineer, I work onsite during the construction," Smith explained. "The DPW lets us know what they want, and we develop a scope of work that is ultimately put out for bid. Once the bid is awarded by us [USACE], we manage the project through design and then construction. We hand it over to the DPW, once it's complete."
The barracks renovations are set to be completed in October 2024 at a cost of $17.5 million.
Contractor Donated Items to Habitat for Humanity
As part of every Army Corps' military construction project, contractors must divert usable building supplies taken from an old structure.
"Over the years I've been a part of many construction projects," she said. "[But] this is the first time I've seen the contractor reach out to donate to a local charity."
The building firm, Bristol Construction Co., headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, made the effort to contribute usable doors, cabinets and other like items to a local charity, as well as the Fort Stewart Home Builders Institute, and base fire department.
Richard Tyler, Bristol's project superintendent, also repurposed doors into a conference table for the construction office and made other wood signs for the building site.
"The [contract] specifications require that we have five waste diversion streams," said Tyler. "Concrete, metal and cardboard are the simplest ones to meet, but taking care of the last two can be challenging. I started reaching out to the different ReStore locations in a 100-mi. radius to see what we might be able to repurpose and found that the Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity Inc. could [use] the items."
"These donations will mean the world to each affiliate and will quickly be put to good use," explained Zerik Samples, CEO of Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity. "If appropriate, we will see if these items can be placed in our current build projects; if not, we will sell them in our ReStores across our four-county service area, resulting in development funds to purchase supplies and equipment for new construction."
Fort Stewart Renovation Project Is SRM Funded
"Since we are not building a new [structure at Fort Stewart, but] renovating the interior and all electrical and mechanical systems, this is actually a sustainment, restoration and modernization [SRM] funded project," noted Alykhan "Anakin" Gangji, the Georgia Execution Team project manager for USACE, Savannah District.
He added that because it is a large SRM construction and renovation effort, it requires approval from the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Housing and Partnerships, in addition to funding approval from the Army's Installation Management Command (IMCOM).
"Each installation sends up their list of priorities to IMCOM and those are further prioritized for funding," Gangji explained.
Bristol Construction's Tyler said that when working with the USACE, "the expectations are high, but we rise to the challenge."
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