|
Date Published: October 23, 2004
$7M approved for Shaw projects
By KRISTA PIERCE
Item Staff Writer
kristap@theitem.com
Shaw Air Force Base will soon receive more than $7
million for the construction of a new library and a sewage outfall
line, and will soon see the construction of 940 new housing
units.
U.S. Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., announced Friday that
$7 million of his $12 million request for projects at Shaw has been
approved by Congress and is included in the Military Construction
Appropriations Act for 2005.
“The budget this year is
tight,” Spratt stated in a written release. “I am pleased that we
succeeded in funding these two projects for Shaw.”
The new
$3.7 million, nearly 19,000-square-foot library will be state of the
art and will replace an existing 51-year-old library.
“The
new building will mean 70 percent more space and vastly better
educational tools for Shaw personnel and their families,” Spratt
said.
The Shaw-Wateree River sewer line project calls for
the construction of a five-mile discharge line from Shaw to the
Wateree River, which will bring the base in compliance with the new
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System.
|
SPRATT |
| “This is not only a
necessity,” Spratt said, “but it corrects one small negative in
Shaw’s profile for base closure review.”
In addition to the
$7 million, Spratt and other leaders worked to lift the spending cap
on the military privatization initiative, which will allow for the
construction of new housing for almost 50,000 military families,
including 941 homes at Shaw. The program calls on private
contractors to build and maintain military family housing on or near
military bases.
“We’re very pleased that these projects are
now on track for Shaw Air Force Base,” said Col. Philip Ruhlman,
20th Fighter Wing Commander. “Creating and sustaining a high quality
of life for our airmen and their families is an incredibly high
priority for us, whether we are building a state-of-the-art library
or improving the environment.”
“By eliminating the spending
cap, 941 new housing units can be built at Shaw starting next year,”
Spratt said. “New housing will be an improvement for the base and a
benefit for military families. At a time when we are asking so much
of our military families, quality of life has never been more
important, and that quality begins with the homes where military
families live.”
Currently, Shaw has 1,700 military family
housing units, which were constructed in four phases beginning in
the 1950s and continuing into the 1970s.
Shaw officials said
the exact amount of funding dedicated for the construction of new
homes has not been determined. Spratt also requested $5 million to
equip the 12,500-acre Poinsett Electronic Combat Range with the
Joint Threat Emitter, an advanced mobile and rapidly programmable
threat simulator capable of generating all known ground-based
electronic warfare threats. The request was approved by the House,
but wasn’t fully funded by the Senate.
Instead, $2.5 million
was set aside for the project and Spratt spokesman Chuck Fant said
the congressman is hopeful he will secure the remainder of the
funding needed to install the equipment next year.
Over the
last four years, Spratt has helped secure funds for several Shaw
projects, including a new dining hall, education center, flight-line
maintenance facility and a new deployment center.
“Each
counts as a plus for Shaw as we head into the next round of military
base closings,” Spratt said.
Contact Staff Writer Krista
Pierce at kristap@theitem.com or
803-774-1272.
E-mail
to a friend Previous
Page |
October 25, 2004 
