Cottrell Field reviewing stand gets facelift, latrines

FORT STEWART, Ga. - Flanked on both sides by the Eastern Red Bud trees that line Warriors Walk, lays Fort Stewart's historic Cottrell Field, named after Col. Joseph F. Cottrell who served with the Coastal Artillery. The infamous field has donned the boots of many a Soldier returning from war as Family and community members, friends and other Soldiers welcomed them home.

Changes of command/responsibility ceremonies, Twilight Tattoos, Gold Star Mother's day events are among a few of the uses of Cottrell Field. Many influential dignitaries, such as U.S. President George W. Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney, have stepped foot onto the field to pay homage to troops throughout the Third Infantry Division.

Yet the reviewing stand in front of the field was concealed from view during the dignitary visits because the once grand-reviewing stand was thought to be an eye sore.

Renovation to the 50-year-old VIP section of the reviewing stand is underway. According to Jeffery Poulin, a Directorate of Public Works engineer technician, what was once an 82-seat, covered area will now provide 128 seats, which is 46 more seats than previously provided.

Many of the old seats are slated to be reused in the project if possible, which will help to save money.

"We have always had to do a lot of maintenance on it [reviewing-stand]," said Poulin. He added that before each ceremony electrical power problems had always been an issue because of the age of the facility.

The project is the proverbial brain child of many in the Stewart garrison staff. Due to the lack of permanent bathrooms, Jeff Fornshell, Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security-installation ceremonies, especially wanted to see the project move forward. From year to year funding for the project was an ongoing issue.

"I have been talking to Mr. Poulin several times since we've known each other over the last seven years, about possibly doing something [to the reviewing stand]," said Fornshell.

Although Fornshell did not know how to push forward with bringing this idea to fruition, he explained that Poulin along with the help of Michael Biering, Stewart's deputy garrison commander, and many others helped to push the project along.

"It was on the list to be funded," said Poulin. "It just never quite made it to the top, and at the end of this year it made it to the top of the list and was funded out of end of the year funds."

The approximate half-million dollar project was slated for a four month start to finish completion date, but Poulin said that a few unforeseen site conditions to the original foundation slowed the work down a little.

"There were footers that were way larger than anticipated," Poulin said. "There were large pieces of concrete that were in there that caused us to have to do more excavation or digging in that area."

The concrete Marne Patch located in front of the reviewing stand will also be refreshed. The blue prints also call for a new sound system along with a press platform.

"The press will be elevated above the bleacher area," said Poulin, "but it will still be underneath the roof."

The sound technicians will also be located under the roof, which will allow the sound techs to have a view of the field and know which cues to follow. This will alleviate the need of an additional cue person.

The covered reviewing stand will house both male and female restrooms. The male latrines will have two stalls and two urinals, and the female latrines will have three stalls. Both male and female restrooms will have three sinks each. For Fornshell the addition of the permanent latrines will be a huge improvement.

"This is the first place that the Soldiers see when they return to Fort Stewart after deployment," Fornshell said. "Every time we had big events we had to bring in Port-a-lets and put them on the side of the road. It will make it a lot easier … it's hard to take a kid to the bathroom in a Port-a-let."

Fornshell said aesthetically the facility will serve the community better. "It's going to be a lot more fitting for those commanders as they changed out," he said, "along with when we do the welcome home ceremonies. It's going to look a lot better to these Soldiers to come home to a nice facility versus what we used to have."

The other bleachers on either side of the stand will be the same with the exception of the first few, which will have concrete bases.

When 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team Soldiers return from Afghanistan later this year, the Soldiers and Family Members will have a "nice place" to come home to. The project has a late April completion date slated.