Construction to update McConnell, minimize waste Published April 22, 2009 By Lt. Col. Aaron Young 22nd Civil Engineer Squadron MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- Spring construction is about to begin at McConnell. Thanks to an aggressive construction program and strong advocacy by wing leadership, McConnell received more than $20 million for maintenance and repair projects during the end of fiscal year 2008. Additionally, the base received another $7 million for a military construction project in support of Maintenance Group's AFSO21 initiative, streamlining operations with Reserve servicemembers. In addition to the $43 million of ongoing construction, base engineers are procuring $6 million for construction requirements and preparing for another $14 million as part of the economic stimulus funding. Several projects have started construction, while others will kick off in the near future. One project is the underground electrical distribution along Kansas Street. This project hardens McConnell's electrical system and protects power supplies from ice storms, animals and aging. The contractor is burying the conduits and encasing them in concrete. Soon the lines will be pulled, then energized. The contractors will eliminate the deteriorated power poles and will install new street lights similar to the ones on the north portion of Kansas St. There will be short interruptions in electrical service. The engineering flight will notify affected building occupants of outages as techs hook their facilities to the new system. Several worn roads which will be milled, patched and overlayed with asphalt on Spicer in housing, Emporia, Coffeyville, parts of Winfield and Manhattan while more substantial repairs, to include storm drainage improvements for Manhattan, Abilene, and Madison. The parking lots for buildings 732, 750 and 795 are scheduled to receive new asphalt overlay. The Abilene project also resolves antiterrorism and force protection and traffic safety issues near building 750. Civil engineers will post road closures and any other construction impacts. The base's sanitary sewer system to receive two miles of new sewer main. The repairs are needed because the existing system failed 11 times in a 15-month period and this is the sole pipeline used to transport McConnell's sewage off base. Team McConnell members will also notice road construction starting near the Salina/Kansas intersection as a short artery will connect Kansas Street to Wichita Street in support of the Kansas Air National Guard's STAMP/STRAPP mission. The new connection will divert heavy truck traffic from the core areas of McConnell. As a step in minimizing energy waste through energy cost, a Direct Digital Control system has been installed to manage the HVAC units on base. The DDC system allows the base to avoid high utility rates. Other energy projects include installation of ground source heat pumps, high efficiency hangar lighting, and an electrical power factor correction capacitor. The power factor correction project alone will save $70K per year in cost of electricity. During the next several months there will be an increase of traffic, detours and construction activity as improvements. Patience with the many projects to improve McConnell Air Force Base is highly encouraged and greatly appreciated. For More Information Mr. Jim Miller 22nd CES engineering flight chief 316-759-3921.