FORT STEWART, Ga. - An energy plant, a motor pool, a landfill and a recycling processing station were a few of the areas explored during an installation tour at Fort Stewart, May 19.
The Directorate of Public Works gave Civilians the opportunity to gain insight of installation projects and construction efforts during a Sustainment Tour.
“We conducted the third quarter professional development tour,” said Veronica Frazier, DPW environmental specialist. “It was a professional development session directed by the garrison commander, so personnel from other directorates could learn about other directorates.”
Upon arriving to the Central Energy Plant, the first of many stops of the morning’s tour, personnel observed the plant’s daily activities firsthand. One of the plant’s activities includes the production of over 300 degrees of hot water, which provides energy to a large area of the installation.
The CEP purple pipe system is critical for water conservation and the rest of the Fort Stewart Community. It is a system that reuses water, which irrigates the golf course, saving Fort Stewart millions of gallons of water.
Following an information session at the plant’s control room and a brief introduction of the wood yard, the tour continued to a number of locations. A brief introduction of each toured area was given, which included curbing projects, a central vehicle wash facility, landfills, a recycling station, Taylors Creek Golf Course, construction efforts for an infantry brigade combat team, service order projects, housing, forestry and wetlands.
During the forestry session of the tour, Civilians were informed of controlled burning. By using low intensity fire, the management of controlled burning is made possible.
“There are about six different reasons why we do prescribed burns,” Anthony Rubine, fire management supervisor for the Forestry Branch, said. “Our number one reason is for military training. Number two is for threatened or endangered species. Number three is hazard reduction. [The other reasons are for] hardwood control, and disease control on long leaf pines.”
According to the Professional Development Program booklet, Fort Stewart is recognized as one of the largest controlled burn programs in the world. The installation’s controlled burning efforts have contributed to the significant increase in Fort Stewart’s Red Cockaded Woodpecker population, which is an endangered species.
“Generally, [if the woods] are going to burn, when it’s not under the right conditions, it’s in the worst conditions " low humidity and big winds,” Rubine said. “Prescribed fires burning are the act of simulating a wildfire but in a controlled environment. [The woods] are going to burn. The question is, do you want to burn it when the conditions are right?”
Rubine states that not a single day of military training has been lost since year 2000 because of the prescribed burn program.
“I originally was stationed at Fort Stewart in 1994, and I’ve trained in a lot of the areas here,” Master Sgt. Keith Thorton, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Garrison, said. “To be part of the Professional Development Program today and to see the transition that has taken place since 1994 up until now shows the tremendous effort that the Civilian workforce and the military force did together. I’m very proud of what I’ve seen today. There’s been a lot of growth, and I know there is a lot more growth yet to come.
Future installation features to look forward to include completed construction efforts for 4th IBCT, a bypass, a recovery growth of 350 pairs of the Red Cockaded Wood Pecker and restoration efforts for Pond 4 Wetland.
“Sustainability should be a way of life,” Frazier said. “Everything we do today affects the future of the installation and the future mission of [Fort Stewart].”
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