Base facilities undergoing changes

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Colin Cates
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. - --  While change may be a constant for many Team Holloman members, many services building on the installation are currently experiencing many changes in terms of buildings and services it offers to those that call the base work or home.

Once completed, the changes will benefit the base for years to come, said Capt. Jarno Baur-Mathews, 49th Force Support Squadron sustainment services flight commander.

"Right now we are renovating the Raptors Nest and it should be completed in the next year," he said. "While the Raptors Nest is being renovated, the enlisted club has taken on some of the resources. The Raptors Nest offered a pasta bar, which we have now moved over to the enlisted club for all to enjoy. It was a huge success at the Raptors' Nest, so we wanted to make sure we still offered it to our Airmen."

The Raptors Nest, which is closed for renovations to its ballroom, bar, kitchen, heating and ventilation system, and overall infrastructure, also relocated some of its services to the Apache Mesa Golf Course on base.

"The golf course now has a soup and salad bar replacing the one that was located at the Raptors' Nest," said Baur-Mathews. "It's also home to the Contingency Operating Bar Raptor, or COB Raptor, on Friday nights, which houses the crud table."

The game is played on a pool or snooker table using the cue ball and one object ball. Only the corner pockets are used. Pool cues are not used, but the shooter ball is launched across the table surface with the hand. A game of crud involves running frantically around the table and other players, trying to grab the shooter ball and either strike the object ball before it stops moving or sink it.

Another service relocated from the Raptors Nest one of the more popular with Team Holloman members, is Brewed Awakenings, said Capt. Brandon Dvergsten, 49th FSS sustainment services flight commander.

"The coffee shop, Brewed Awakenings, has moved out of the Raptors Nest for the time being and is now located in the fitness center," he said. "They've had amazing success in the last month since they moved. Their sales numbers have increased, along with foot traffic."

Customers may park in the semi circle drive way in front of the fitness center.

The Community Center is also currently closed for renovations.

"Oasis Pizza is going to double in size after the renovations are done," said Dvergsten. "Along with Oasis Pizza expanding, the Community Center will also receive some equipment upgrades to their facility. With the community center being renovated, Oasis pizza has temporarily moved to the enlisted club."

Another project slated to break ground soon aims to fill Team Holloman's need for additional child care on base, said Baur-Mathews.

"There will be a new child development center being built starting in March and the estimated time of completion is around a year," he said. "The new location will be the empty lot next to the Youth and Teen Center. It will be very convenient to have all the child care-related buildings in the same area. This new building will replace the present annex child development center."

Although all of the renovations have displaced many services, the 49th FSS has made an effort to maintain, if not enhance, all of the services offered, said Dvergsten.

"Losing the Raptors' Nest and community center simultaneously is a challenge, but we are very appreciative of everyone's patience and understanding through this process," he said. "Huge thanks goes out the 49th Civil Engineer Squadron and the 49th Contracting Squadron, because they have done 95 percent of the work on these projects and without their help, none of this would be possible. We are appreciative of everyone involved in this process and are excited for the new changes that are happening on Holloman Air Force Base."