Courtesy
By Porsha Auzenne
Public Affairs Office
FORT POLK, La. — A ribbon cutting ceremony took place in front of the newly completed barracks (2044/2045) at Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk May 23.
Located at 2044 Mississippi Ave., directly across from the Bayou Theater, the $500 million project coincides with Fort Polk’s quality of life mission aimed at enhancing Soldiers well-being.
In 2018, the contract was awarded to Sauer Incorporated for $31.4 million as a design/ build project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with a construction completion date of May 19, 2023.
Brig. Gen. David W. Gardner, JRTC and Fort Polk commanding general and key speaker, expressed his top priorities of building readiness and taking care of his people.
“We’ve spent half a billion dollars over the last 10 years refurbishing our barracks, which is a significant investment. This will now leave us with just four that we’re trying to get renovated. The two barracks we cut today — that’s meaningful to our Soldiers because it means that Soldiers don’t have to double up. They get to take advantage of the one Soldier, one room (objective) and all the things it has to offer.”
The ribbon cutting marked the 30th barracks housing restoration in a 10-year long project to restore 34 total.
Capt. John Guerra, Headquarters Headquarters Company 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment commander, expressed his anticipation for the newly renovated barracks at the ceremony.
“Having these new barracks will greatly improve the quality of life for our Soldiers. Beforehand, we didn’t really have room to give every Soldier their own individual room. We were doing a lot of doubling up, so it was an uncomfortable living situation for them. Now, they have these new buildings, and each Soldier has their own room. We’re able to organize the floors to where they can be with all their friends, platoon or section, so there’s a lot more community involved.”
At the VOLAR barracks 2044/2045, there are 184 newly renovated living spaces between the two buildings, with a total of 92 living spaces each. The barracks also have a newly refurbished day room and laundry facility.
“It shows a commitment the Army has made to its people first initiative. This project ensures quality of life for single Soldiers. Not only does it create a space that takes care of our Soldiers, but it creates a space that they can call home,” stated Michael Perry, engineering technician for the Directorate of Public Works, on the importance of the new barracks.
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