Fixing the Academy

The sun shines over a construction site for a 6-MW solar array at the Air Force Academy Jan. 11, 2011. The $18.3-million project is funded by the American Recovery and Restoration Act of 2009 and is projected to save the Academy $1 million per year over the array's 25-year lifespan. It is scheduled to be complete in July. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

Fixing the Academy

Cadet 4th Class Cassandra Dunn and two other cadets walk along a covered walkway near the McDermott Library at the Air Force Academy Jan. 12, 2011. A $4.3-million construction project to repair the roof of the library and other sections of Fairchild Hall is estimated to be finished in October. Ongoing construction at the Academy is valued at $143.3 million. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Kaplan)

Fixing the Academy

Published Jan. 14, 2011
By Staff Sgt. Don Branum
U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The 10th Air Base Wing continues to improve the Academy's image -- and its infrastructure -- through $143.3 million of construction projects on base.

Among the ongoing projects are:

VANDENBERG HALL: Two phases of renovation are currently underway, with estimated completion dates of June and December. The total cost for both phases of renovation is $35.1 million.

HOLADAY ATHLETIC CENTER: The USAFA Endowment raised $15.4 million in donations, including a $5-million donation from 1965 graduate Bart Holaday and his late wife, Lynn, to build a new indoor training facility for the Academy's cadet athletes. Construction is scheduled to finish in June.

GUARD BOOTHS: New booths for sentries at the Academy's north and south gates will offer 10th Security Forces Squadron and Chenega Security personnel some shelter from Colorado's sometimes-brutal elements. Construction is projected to finish in January for the North Gate and in February for the South Gate, at a total cost of $2.2 million.

FAIRCHILD HALL: Repairs to the roof of Fairchild Hall, including the McDermott Library, will cost $4.3 million and should be complete in October.

SOLAR ARRAY: The 6-MW solar array, under construction along Interstate 25 between the Academy Boulevard and Interquest Parkway exits, will save the Academy $1 million per year in electricity costs once construction is finished in July. The $18.3 million required to build the array came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The array is designed with a 25-year lifetime.

To see some of the ongoing construction projects, view the slideshow link under "Related Links."