Dorm renovations bring improved quality of life to Osan

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Michael Battles
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  In an attempt to improve the quality of life for Airmen, members of 51st Civil Engineer Squadron have been working alongside Korean contractors to renovate dormitories here since September 2011.

The main focus of the renovations is to give the dormitories a modern upgrade by replacing electrical systems, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning. These upgrades are not only meant to improve quality of life, but to bring the dormitories to Air Force standards.

"It's great to renovate the facilities and bring them to a higher standard, but the long term goal is getting these dormitories rebuilt," said Chief Master Sgt. Brooke McLean, Pacific Air Forces command chief.

After nearly 20 years of use, dorms 1365 and 1366 are close to unusable due to either fire damage or normal wear and tear, but the renovations will extend the usability of the dormitories by approximately 10 years.

Dorm 1365 has been unoccupied for two years due to fire damage and will be able to house roughly 115 unaccompanied Airmen upon its renovation and modernization completion in early 2013. Dorm 1366 will also be completed in summer 2013.

"Since building completely new dorms would be an incredibly expensive project, we're trying to extend the life of these ones as much as possible," said Senior Airman Zachary Moen, 51st CES construction inspector. "We've been doing a pretty good job so far."

Not all dormitories scheduled for renovation will be completely re-done, but the buildings will receive modern upgrades to improve livability.

"We are mostly just cleaning and replacing (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, doing some window work and other things like that to make the rooms more energy efficient," Moen said. "The renovations will also make the dorms a little quieter and livable for everybody."

Nine dormitories on Osan are under renovation or funded for renovation with 16 more dorms that are in the renovation planning stage.