FORT IRWIN, Calif. -- The Directorate of Public Works here strives to keep this post, not only operational, but modern for personnel to conduct the mission of the National Training Center.
In the past two fiscal years, DPW has been involved with numerous projects that continue the sustainability and upgrading of the installation, said DPW Director Mohammed Bari. Installation Management Command headquarters funded 86 recovery projects (22 completed) at a cost of $82 million to repair damage by rain and windstorms from 2013 and this year. In addition, the directorate received funding to study the 100-year flood scenario for the installation. The new storm water management plan will update the original plan (created in 1979) and recommends an estimated $100 million in renovations and repairs with the Army Corps of Engineers and Army Reserve units.
Fort Irwin also received a continuation of funding for a study that locates additional sources of groundwater, Bari said. The United States Geological Survey funds the study that will be completed in the next three years.
Bari explained that several new energy projects received $10 million in funding in fiscal year 2014. Insulation of 18 augmentee barracks will result in a 30 percent savings in energy costs. Lighting renovations in parking areas within cantonment will remove inefficient bulbs and introduce LED lights. Car ports at NTC headquarters and Operations Group headquarters will not only provide shaded parking, but the port roofs will hold solar panels generating 750 kilowatts. The car ports will also serve as vehicle charging stations for government electric vehicles; they are scheduled to be completed by January. Another project involves installing solar-powered lighting on a bike path in the housing area.
Two larger energy projects, with separate funding, include a concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) array and a waste-to-energy plant. The Environmental Security Testing and Certification Program is funding the CPV project, which will use advanced solar panel equipment to create 1 megawatt of electricity for the fort, said Bari. Construction is slated to begin in mid-January.
The waste-to-energy facility will also use innovative technology to incinerate refuse and would be unique for California and the Army. Construction is anticipated to start at the end of the year or in January.
The new hospital and water treatment facility construction continues. Fort Irwin will have one of the most state-of-the-art hospitals when completed in mid-2016, said Bari. The hospital's 2 megawatts generated by photovoltaic panels will make it near, net-zero -- meaning it will almost power itself with solar energy. It will have a platinum certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the United States Green Building Council.
Also by mid-2016 -- and also one-of-a-kind -- the new water treatment facility will be operational, said Bari. Water will be treated in three steps and most of it, 99.6 percent, will be available for use. Traditional facilities treat water once and waste 20 percent of water in the process. The current Fort Irwin two-pipe water system -- one for drinking and one for domestic use -- will no longer be required.
Almost every project, be it repair to storm damage or a modernization initiative, requires DPW staff to generate a justification for funding, said Bari. The garrison here is limited to funding some emergency projects, so the majority of projects get financed by big Army. Surveys, studies and cost assessments must be completed by DPW staff and reviewed by local command, before a proposal can be sent to IMCOM headquarters. If funding is approved, the contract process begins and eventually repairs or construction takes place.
Bari, who has served at Fort Irwin for 22 years, said that fiscal year 2014 was a good year in terms of funding. He credits the command here and his staff for positive results.
"I'm really blessed that I always have command support in executing the Fort Irwin Public Works mission," Bari said. "I have a very dedicated, very hard working, and very capable staff. Yes it does take time, but at the end of the day we've been able to improve the quality of life at Fort Irwin and have a good share in mission success at the NTC."
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