Ellsworth Air Force Base construction work continues

July continues to be a busy month for Dean Kurtz Construction as construction work ramps on the new dormitories at the Ellsworth Air Force Base. Dean Kurtz is currently working on putting in three new buildings that will be dorms for the airmen.

Of the three buildings being built (East, North, and South), the east building is the farthest along so far. Crews are currently working on building the foundation walls on the east building. Construction work has started on the North and South buildings as well. The footing has been placed on the north building.

Each building will have two wings and the overall shape of the building will be like a T. The basement will be 12 feet high at its peak for the mechanical room. The rooms will be pod style dorm rooms, with a shared kitchen and common area and each room will have its own private bathroom. Overall, each building will have 144 rooms with eight pods on the top and bottom levels and 16 on the middle two floors.

Quality Control Manager Brock DeBaere said there were a few unique challenges to this construction work on the Ellsworth Air Force Base. One of those was that this was a design-build, so they wanted to get the construction going as fast as they can, but the design had to be finished first. Dean Kurtz Construction specializes in design-build projects.

DeBaere said another challenge is simply being on base.

“Being on base presents its own challenges, but we do a lot of work out here, so we keep it going pretty decently,” he said. The biggest challenge with being on the Ellsworth Air Force Base has been working with a different approval process than they’re used to. “For us to finally get to building is the most rewarding part, so we can see something go up. It’s just a time thing.”

All three of the buildings will be LEED compliant. A LEED certified building will be energy and resource efficient. The building will use less water, energy, and will reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to save money.

Work on the three buildings began in April and is scheduled to be completed by January 2019. Stay tuned to the Dean Kurtz Construction Facebook page and this blog for more updates on the project.