Wing breaks ground for new communications building

The 139th Airlift Wing, Missouri Air National Guard, held a ground breaking ceremony on Oct. 9, 2019 to mark the start of construction of a new communications complex.

The complex is expected to be fully constructed by October 2020 and will be comprised of 14,786 square feet of space, the majority of which will be used for communications operations. The facility will house 15 full-time Airmen from the 139th Communications Flight. During drill weekends, about 30 Airmen will operate there.

“The new facility will include space for offices and equipment, as well as rooms for training, conference meetings and other uses,” said Maj. Matthew Neil, base civil engineer with the 139th Civil Engineer Squadron. “It will increase mission effectiveness through improved space efficiency and will ensure the safety of our members by complying with all anti-terrorism and force protection standards.”

A contract for $5.87 million for construction of the building has been granted to Lee Grover Construction.

“The construction of the communications complex is a big step forward in our move to the north side of the base,” Neil said. “This project helps to shift the infrastructure of our base to the new location.”

In addition to the building itself, the project includes construction of a storm water basin and storm water culvert that will serve the entire base. Two contracts totaling $2.81 million were granted to Missouri American Water in St. Joseph and M CON Construction in Kansas to complete this work as part of the Military Construction Cooperative Agreement.

About 4,600 square feet of space will be set aside for use by the force support squadron for general training support, dedicated space for the fatality search and recovery team and storage space for the base honor guard’s uniforms and equipment.