Post getting major upgrades
Site preparation has been completed for the construction of a central communications building at Fort Gordon.
Photo by Charmain Z. Brackett
Construction on a $9 million, 40,000-square-foot communications building at Fort Gordon is on schedule.
"It should be finished around November to December," said Carlton Shuford, the installation's master planner.
When completed, the new building will consolidate a work force now scattered at three locations. The equipment in the facility will be state of the art, with fiber-optic cables that will carry digital information.
The land preparation has been completed, Mr. Shuford said, and the vault that will house the sensitive communications equipment is being constructed.
Another building project is the vehicle maintenance facility for the 93rd Signal Brigade.
"We're getting ready to start with drainage and grading," said Mr. Shuford.
Officials broke ground on the motor pool in December.
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Mr. Shuford said the final design on the motor pool has not been approved, but he expects the approval to be complete in March.
One important feature that designers have had to consider with the motor pool is the stormwater collection system. Mr. Shuford said stormwater that comes off the asphalt at the motor pool will be directed to a basin so that it can be dispersed into the ground rather than run into streams or other bodies of water.
The motor pool will be used for the vehicles of the 63rd Signal Battalion, the 67th Signal Battalion and the 252nd Signal Company, which is part of the 56th Signal Battalion, currently headquartered in Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico. There are about 100 members of the 252nd at Fort Gordon with another 40 civilians and military expected to transfer to the post by the summer.
Other construction on base includes traffic control gates that are being installed at all of Fort Gordon's entrances. Currently, large, water-filled barriers are used as traffic barricades.
"We're putting in permanent gates," said Terry Smith, deputy garrison commander. "Not only will the gate look more professional, it should improve traffic as well."
The gate posts have been placed in the ground and the gates should be installed in the next few weeks, said Staff Sgt. John Pribyl with the public safety office at Fort Gordon.
The orange barricades require members of the Fort Gordon fire department to come out and fill them with water daily after they've been moved into place, causing traffic delays at the gates. Not only will wait time be saved, Mr. Smith said, but in the event the post must completely shut down, the gates can be activated much quicker than the orange barricades.