Anderson Drace to Build $14.5M Dormitory at Kessler AFB
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Small business qualifier Anderson Drace Joint Venture in Gulfport, MS won a $14.5 million firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a dormitory at Keesler Air Force Base (AFB) in Biloxi, MS. Anderson Drace expects to complete construction by June 2011.
This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 8 proposals received by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast in Jacksonville, FL (N69450-09-C-0770).
Kessler AFB, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, is the home of the 81st Training Wing – the electronics, computer and weather training center of the US Air Force…
Kessler AFB is located in the city of Biloxi, MS, on 2.6 square miles of land, much of which was provided to the US Army Air Corps by the city in early 1941. Just to the south of Keesler is the Mississippi Gulf Coast, fronted with 26 miles of man-made sand beach. To the north lies the Back Bay of Biloxi. New Orleans is located some 90 miles to the west, while the city of Mobile, AL is about 60 miles east of the base.
Keesler suffered over $1 billion worth of damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Reconstruction efforts are nearing completion. In the coming year, a new base exchange and commissary will be completed. In addition, construction will begin on the following facilities: a hospital tower, housing area, dormitories, a Division Street gate, and a fitness center.
Keesler AFB has been a major training center from its inception. During World War II, more than 142,000 aircraft mechanics and 336,000 recruits received training at the installation, and since its first class graduated in January 1942, Keesler has graduated more than 2 million students.
Today, the 81st Training Wing at Keesler is the Air Force’s computer and electronics training Center of Excellence. Last year, the wing trained 22,925 pilots, soldiers, sailors, and Marines in 38 specialties. Most students come to Keesler fresh from basic military training at Lackland AFB, TX and are trained in a number of fields, primarily in electronics specialties.
In addition to technical training, Keesler is home to 3 units with flying missions – the 45th Airlift Squadron, and the 403rd Wing’s 815th Airlift Squadron and 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. The 403rd Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command is responsible for tactical airlift support of airborne forces, equipment and supplies using the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
