ARMY 7TH SPECIAL FORCES BASE TAKES SHAPE AND CONSTRUCTIONS CREWS ARE ARRIVING

I recommend we continue to not only follow folks coming with the Army to our areq, but the folks with Hensel Phelps and the a number of other area contractors who are bringing a large number of construction folks, who should be here to stay for quite some time. It is my opinion, if you were to be an informed consumer and as some have said, we use our two ears and one mouth, and we listen twice as much as with speak, we will find a lot more prosperity on the horizon, which will require us to act NOW.


Special Forces complex taking shape (with aerial photo gallery)
John Parrott
2009-12-04 12:27:31
From State Road 85, there is little indication a massive construction project is underway to build the future home of the U.S. Army 7th Special Forces group coming to Crestview.
Scrub oak and pine are interspersed west of State Road 85 and south of Shoal River, much as it has been for the past 30 years.
The only visible clue that something is afoot is a new asphalt road west of the traffic light at Duke Field.
Visitors who drive a little more than four miles down that road, however, are confronted with a square mile of heavy construction that includes everything from two 200-foot-tall, quarter-million-gallon water tanks, to a 150,000-square-foot administration building which, when finished, will become headquarters for the 7th Special Forces.
That building is flanked by four massive 200,000-square-foot buildings, which will serve as battalion headquarters for support personnel. A phalanx of smaller buildings is peppered all around the vast construction site.
Plans include four 96-bed dormitories for unmarried soldiers, along with amenities such as a mini mall, outlying shops, a dining facility, chapel and a small medical clinic.
There is a lot to be done and little time to do it, said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Manger John Krishack.
“We understand the timeline that we are under,” Krishack said. “And it is for that reason we want things ready for the first boots to hit the ground sometime around April 2011 because the first guys here will have to be the communications types who will have to set up post communications.”
Nearly 500 men and machines are working to convert 500 acres of former woodland into a modern concrete and steel military cantonment that will have a little of everything.
Gulf Power is building an adjacent substation that will provide power for the facility, and two deep wells will provide an independent water supply for the post.
A sewer line is being laid to the west and then south to connect to the new transfer station in Shalimar.
“We will have the entire infrastructure up and running by the time the first wave arrives,” Krishack said.
Although four out of five of the members of the 7th Special Forces are married, plans do not include family housing. That decision was made early on with the knowledge there is more than adequate family housing available in Crestview, officials said.
That’s good news for the local real estate market, which is not nearly as flat in other areas around the state, local Remax realtor Brett House said.
“We’ve already closed on one house that is directly tied to the 7th Special Forces move and we anticipate a lot more in the very near future,” House said.
The arrival of the Army unit could also help offset an anticipated drop in customers at the Crestview Walmart when the chain opens a store in Niceville in 2011.
“We’ve enjoyed a good solid relationship from our Niceville customers and the 7th Special Forces guys and their families may help pick up those expected losses,” said Crestview Walmart Manager Pat Riley said.
Crestview Mayor David Cadle was even more optimistic about the arrival of 2,800 army troops and their families.
“We’ve been looking for that moment for a long time,” Cadle said. “Our entire team, the chamber of commerce, business and civic leaders have worked tirelessly toward making them feel at home, and that’s what we intend to do.”
The project has not been without controversy. Critics have questioned why no local contractors were hired to help build the massive cantonment just outside Crestview’s city limits.
“Basically it is such a large and complicated construction job, it requires the acumen and financial backing of contractors who could assume the enormous financial risks,” Krishack said. “For that reason, small construction companies were excluded. They simply could not meet the statutory financial requirements.”
There are strict guidelines that govern the contract selection and bid-award process. Bidding companies must prove they have available resources to assume the job, and must further prove they are in a financial position that eliminates the possibility of bankruptcy or default, Krishack said.
Very few small construction companies have the expertise or workforce to manage those kinds of resources, Krishack said, adding that it is extremely difficult for small companies to compete on large-dollar contracts simply because the risks are so great.
Hensel–Phelps Construction Company was awarded the $300-million contract. The company has consistently been rated among the top 10 general contractors in the United States for the past 25 years.
Local contractors will be able to hire on as subcontractors during phase two of the project, which is reserved for small businesses, Krishack said.
Roughly 1,200 local contract personnel will be offered jobs during the second phase of construction, which is expected to wrap up in April or May of 2011, Krishack said.