CONSTRUCTION ON NEW HEADQUARTERS ON FORT BRAGG MAKING PROGRESS - WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR US

What does this mean for us? Well let me tell you. I have been trying to explain to the local folks in government, media, and more, this is a connect the dots kind of thing. One of the issues I have heard was, "The newly assigned 7th Special Forces Group might have trouble selling their homes before they move here. NOT. As you will read, there is going to be as many, if not more coming to Fort Bragg during the same time period. WHY? Reorganization and preparing for more troops stationed outside the United States to come stateside. Warfare is different today than it was yesterday. Rapid Deployment and high tech weapontry and other things make bringing back troops to the US possible, now more than ever. In conclusion, we are sitting pretty good for many years to come in the Panhandle of Florida and the reason why, "Our National Defense requires it", period.

The five-story future home of the Army's largest command - and the symbol of Fort Bragg's BRAC growth - is progressing on schedule.

Looming above the Main Post Polo Field is the centerpiece of southeastern North Carolina's hopes for an economic boost from military growth because of base realignment.

Ground was broken in December 2008, and there is less than a year until the building is supposed to be finished.

Construction is about 70 percent complete on the headquarters building for Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command at Knox and Randolph streets.

Plans call for the $297 million, 631,000-square-foot building to be ready for occupation June 21, said Dan Davis, resident engineer for the Savannah District of the Army Corps of Engineers.

The 2005 BRAC law directs that the two commands relocate to Fort Bragg from Fort McPherson in south Atlanta no later than Sept. 15, 2011.

That leaves little more than a year to move the four-star command that oversees the readiness of most of the Army's combat troops based in the United States and the three-star headquarters in charge of the Army Reserve.

The building
Because of its nearness to Fort Bragg's main post historic district, the building's colors had to comply with requirements from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office.

"Our roof has to match the existing roofs from the 1930s, 1940s construction," said Ted Kientz, the Forscom liaison officer team leader. "The facades are all brick to match it. It has to visually look similar."

The exterior is concrete precast panels with a thin brick veneer manufactured in Oxford, Kientz said.

"We got a much better quality product doing it this way," he said.

Three temporary external elevators, known as "material lifts," help move the ducts, wire, paint, carpet and dry wall up the five floors.

Inside, there's the sound of banging and backup alarms and the whir of screwguns. The air conditioning has been going for two months.

In fact, walls are going up so quickly that a person walking through the building might have to learn new ways to navigate every few days, he said.

Generals and senior civilians will park and come in through the two-story-high entrances on the Knox Street side. This will be the entrance for VIPs, too. The Forces Command entrance is on the south, or Randolph Street side, near Bowley Elementary School. The U.S. Army Reserve Command entrance is on the north, or Scott Street side, near the warehouses.

Most of the 2,773 employees will enter on the other side of the building, where there will be a ceremonial courtyard. As is the case with buildings on Fort Bragg nowadays, access will be tightly controlled.

The building will not have a cafeteria or restaurant, which is standard for four-star headquarters, Kientz said. There will be vending machines and microwave ovens.

The building has more than 800 windows and 1,000 doors.

The floors are raised, with power and communication lines and cables underneath.

"The entire building is designed to be as flexible as possible for future reorganizations within the space of the building," Davis said.

The builders
The contractor is Hensel Phelps, which also is building the 7th Special Forces Group complex at Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach, Fla. The 2005 BRAC law also mandates that the 7th Group move from Fort Bragg to Florida.

"The majority of the subcontractors on site are local subcontractors," Davis said. "Those that aren't are hiring local labor."

About 375 people per day are working on the project, Davis said. In three or four months, that number will peak at about 500.

No work days had been lost to accidents through July after more than 819,000 manhours on the Forscom project, Davis said.

An all-veteran security guard force is protecting the building.

View from the top
The fifth-floor terrace overlooks the polo field to the west.

The 18th Airborne Corps helipad for visiting dignitaries is on the far side of the polo field. It's also where the fireworks are set off on the Fourth of July.

"On the Fourth of July, it will be the best place to watch the fireworks," Kientz said.

In the distance, Womack Army Medical Center and the Soldier Support Center, the former Womack, are visible.

The roofing material is recycled plastic, "another one of the green aspects of the building," Davis said.

The white roof reflects heat.

"We have lower requirements for insulation," Davis said. "We also have lower requirements for cooling and heating." On a bright, sunny day, the glare is like a snowfield.

As an energy-saving measure, lights come on and go off when people enter and leave.

Longleaf pines and associated smaller plants are being incorporated into the landscaping to help restore some of the native trees that have been removed in recent years for construction projects.