Wing headquarters building gets a historic makeover Published Jan. 18, 2007 By Senior Airman Christie Putz 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The 92nd Air Refueling Wing headquarters building is in Phase I of a construction plan to professionalize workspaces as well as restore a historic feeling to the building. "We're modernizing the interior to provide our Airmen a more professional place to work, but are also bringing back some historical features to represent our heritage," said Col. Scott Hanson, 92nd ARW commander. The project started in November 2006 and is slated for completion by mid-August. Included in the plan is a complete makeover of the downstairs suites with new paint, carpet and ceiling tiles, said Micah Shuler, 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron project manager. The hallways upstairs and the commander's suite, to include the executive officers' offices and the wing conference room, will receive the same treatment as the downstairs offices. The interiors of the remaining offices upstairs will stay the same, he said. An updated fire detection system will be added to the entire building. There is also a proposal for a new security system. Upon completion, the ground floor will be occupied by the 92nd Mission Support Group in the east side of the building, and the 92nd Operations Group in the west side. This will be the third time in the building's history that the operations group will occupy that space. From 1971 to 1987, the deputy commander for operations, the equivalent of today's operations group commander, was in that area. When the wing commander and his staff moved into their current area, the DCO moved upstairs. In 1992, when the wing came under Air Combat Command, the tankers were assigned to Air Mobility Command, but stayed here. The 453rd OG, a geographically separated unit, managed those tankers. The commander's office was downstairs where the group is now moving to. The 453rd OG went away when the base became an air refueling wing under AMC in 1994. The 92nd Operations Group commander is scheduled to move back into this space with the beginning of Phase II. The wing staff agencies that currently occupy the west side, wing safety and public affairs, will move upstairs to be co-located with the rest of the wing staff. "Right now the wing agencies are scattered around the building," said Dan Simmons, 92nd ARW Historian, who is helping plot out the real estate inside the building. "By grouping these offices together, it will be easier for people who may be unfamiliar with the building to find what they need." As part of the reorganization of offices, some functions now found in the headquarters building will be relocated to other areas on base. Military Equal Opportunity and Inspector General are two offices that may be affected by this change. "Because of the sensitive nature of the issues they handle, the headquarters building may not be the optimum place for them," said Mr. Simmons "We're looking into areas that would be better suited for their missions, but nothing is confirmed yet." During construction, however, many offices will be shifting throughout the building. The Mission Support Group is the only office currently affected, with their temporary move to the former Manpower office, suite 120. "As soon as the carpet for their areas is received and installed they should be ready to move back into their original location," said Mr. Shuler. This will complete Phase I of the four phase project. In addition to the interior work being done, some small changes are planned for the exterior of the building to restore a historical feel. "The exterior doors are being replaced to look more like the original ones, and there is a plan to install exterior lights to shine up onto the front of the building," Mr. Shuler said. There is also the possibility of letters being added to the front, similar to that of the 1940s, he said. PROJECT OVERVIEW PHASE I: Areas: Mission Support Group suite, east first floor hallway and east stairway Start: Nov. 7, 2006 Projected end: Feb. 12 Notes: Currently under construction PHASE II: Areas: Wing suite, main second floor hallway, main stairway and main lobby Projected start: Jan. 22 Projected end: March 19 Notes: All night work PHASE III: Areas: Operations Group suite, west first floor hallway and west stairway Projected start: March 20 Projected end: July 13 Notes: May start earlier PHASE IV: Areas: Second Floor west hallway and final touch-ups Projected start: July 16 Projected end: Aug. 15 Notes: May start earlier SNAPSHOT OF CHANGES New paint New carpet New ceiling tiles Exterior doors replaced Exterior lights installed Updated fire protection system