Mild winter conditions and more interior construction progress on the $11.96 million transient training brigade headquarters project at Fort McCoy has helped the project to reach 96 percent completion — up 2 percent from early December, according to a recent update from Ken Green with the Army Corps of Engineers Program Office at Fort McCoy.

As recent as early June, the project was at 40 percent complete, and at early October it was 80 percent done. Now the project is at 96 percent done as of Dec. 22, Green said in his weekly update.

Green stated in his update that current work included interior finishes; mechanical, electrical, and plumbing work; exterior finishing work, continued connection of solar panels, furniture installation, and other types of wrap-up work.

On Jan. 2, additional furniture was arriving for installation and placement as well.

Overall, the contract for the project, totaling nearly $12 million, was awarded June 9, 2022, and construction operations began a more than a year ago in August 2022. The current contract completion date is still set for February 2024.

This project is the first of three planned brigade headquarters buildings projects, said Master Planner Brian Harrie with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works (DPW) in a past news article. The plan is to build four barracks buildings — two are already completed and a third has started, the three 20,000-square-foot brigade headquarters buildings, and two 160-room officer quarters.

Harrie also said in previous articles that this project is based on the denser, more consolidated footprints of Fort McCoy’s Troop Housing Area Development Plan which states fewer, multiple story buildings allow facilities/functions to be sited closer together, allowing for a more walkable training environment, as well as saving money on utilities.

The smaller footprint of the brigade headquarters building plan builds less impervious surface, which generates less stormwater runoff that requires less stormwater management features and allows for additional cost savings. The floor plan also is based on the “Operational Readiness Training Complex” standard design and additional square footage has been included in this project to accommodate stair and elevator access to the second floor.”

Harrie said the smaller footprint of the brigade headquarters building plan builds less impervious surface, which generates less stormwater runoff that requires less stormwater management features and allows for additional cost savings. The floor plan also is based on the “Operational Readiness Training Complex” standard design and additional square footage has been included in this project to accommodate stair and elevator access to the second floor.”

Green said at the beginning of the project that the project includes the latest systems for fire protection and alarms and video surveillance as well as Energy Monitoring Control Systems. Also, antiterrorism and force protection measures will be incorporated. And throughout the entire project, sustainability and energy efficient technology will be incorporated.

Construction projects like this during the fiscal year also plays a role in the economic impact the installation has on local economies. According to the Fort McCoy’s Plans, Analysis and Integration Office, in fiscal year 2022, Fort McCoy’s total economic impact for that fiscal year was an estimated $2.508 billion. A similar impact for fiscal year 2023 is expected.

“Fiscal year 2022 operating costs of $391.46 million included utilities, physical plant maintenance, repair and improvements, new construction projects, purchases of supplies and services, as well as salaries for civilian contract personnel working at Fort McCoy. Other expenditures accounted for $52.25 million and covered $339,994 in payments to local governments (including land permit agreements, school district impact aid, etc.) as well as $51.91 million in discretionary spending in local communities by service members training and residing at Fort McCoy. Other factors of economic impact for the fiscal year included $42.5 million in military construction on post,” states a story about the economic impact prepared by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office in March 2023.

Stephen Sullivan, the Chief Financial Officer and Director for Resources, Installations, and Materiel for the Office of the Chief of the Army Reserve, visited Fort McCoy in 2022 and discussed the importance of projects like this project and recent barracks projects at Fort McCoy.

“As I mentioned before, the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army have their people first initiative … and as part of that people first, there is a focus on Soldiers, families, civilians, and contractors who work on our installations,” Sullivan said. “It’s important to ensure that we have top-notch facilities. Built in there is unaccompanied housing, family housing, child development centers, youth centers, barracks — those are all things that are part of that focus.”

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”