Outdoor fitness complex constructed for present, future

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Siuta B. Ika
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The 49th Civil Engineer Squadron has been working on several projects that aim to improve the outdoor fitness complex in preparation for the base's upcoming Tattoo event May 11, which will celebrate Holloman AFB's 70th anniversary.

Three projects in particular, the construction of two restrooms and an extension to the parking lot, will have both immediate and long term effects, said Maj. Timothy Fryar, 49th CES operations flight commander.

"The completed projects will be very useful during the Tattoo, but that's only part of it," he said. "The wing funded this project for a couple of different reasons. First off, the parking lot and both bathrooms needed to be finished before the Tattoo. The other objective was to fund this project for our training, which is huge for us because of the experience our Airmen gained."

The training and knowledge the Airmen received is invaluable, Fryar said.

"We have a lot of young Airmen who don't get to do these kinds of projects on a continual basis, so this really helps our Airmen learn their trade," he said. "When we're doing maintenance on the normal systems across the base, you don't get to do this type of construction. There will be an enduring legacy for all who were involved in the construction. The training that the younger Airmen are getting out of this will last them their entire career."

The projects also benefited the squadron's junior civilians, non-commissioned officers, and lieutenants, who normally play different roles in the squadron's day-to-day operations.

"We used our civilians as subject matter experts, our NCOs as project superintendents, and our lieutenants as project managers," Fryar said. "Our civilians usually work side-by-side with our military personnel, however, for this they were simply used in an advisory role. Our lieutenants were the project managers - they built the schedule, assembled the team, ordered the materials, and directed all day-to-day operations. They handled the entire project from cradle to grave."

No matter how small these three projects may seem, all were very labor intensive, Fryar said.

"We started the site surveys on February 27 and broke ground on March 12," said 1st Lt. Paul Weskalnies, 49th CES operations support officer in charge. "What you see is the structure, but what you don't see is the plumbing, the trench work, and everything else that went into the construction. Thousands of man hours were put into this."

Overall, Fryar said, the 50 added parking spaces and two new restrooms will complement the other outdoor facilities very nicely.

"Since there will be bathrooms on the south, north, and center of the outdoor fitness complex, you don't have to go back to the gym to use the restroom," Fryar said. "This will enable more use of all of the facilities out there. This is much more convenient for families that want to go watch their spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends or kids play sports."

The future of the outdoor fitness complex is bright, Weskalnies said.

"Right now, the volleyball pit is in; there's the horseshoes pit; the new basketball court is completed; and we put in sidewalks and a bridge," he said. "There are future projects in the planning phase to continue to improve the area. Props to my Airmen, they've been busting their tails to get the job done."

Because of the work the 49th CES has done, members of Team Holloman will be able to enjoy an unrivaled outdoor fitness complex, Fryar said.

"Fitness is a huge deal in our Air Force now, so one of the future goals of the outdoor fitness complex is to promote and enable fit, ready Airmen," he said. "We thank the wing for helping fund this project. We did a ton of work for the entire project, and it will really pay off because there's so much out there. I'd say that this is the best outdoor fitness complex in the Air Force."