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Helping New Mexicans:
The Kirtland AFB Housing Project |
January 22, 2003 |
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Read J.D. Bullington`s thoughts on the KAFB housing project in the Albuquerque Tribune.
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Heather announced last week that the way has been cleared for a $150 million investment in base housing at Kirtland AFB. The project will significantly improve living conditions on the base and should strengthen the base’s position during the next round of Base Realignment and Closure, currently scheduled for 2005.
“Our men and women in the military should have better housing than we have at Kirtland today,” Wilson told the KPC’s executive committee. “We need to tear the crummy units down, and build new ones a family would want to live in. This project will bring $150 million dollars worth of construction work to Albuquerque for the base.”
Why privatize housing at Kirtland Air Force Base?
The housing at KAFB is a combination of 55-, 45- and 5-year old units. The Air Force does not have enough money to fix the 45- and 55-year old units.
Under existing budgetary constraints, the Air Force is unable to address all of the critical housing replacement needs at KAFB. However, if the Air Force combines its resources with those available in the private sector, enough of the old housing can be replaced to satisfy KAFB’s requirements. By using authorities provided by Congress in the Military Housing Privatization Initiative legislation, Base officials have an opportunity to address their needs.
Privatization allows the Air Force to increase, or “leverage,” the rate of return on dollars the Air Force obligates to support housing, and in doing so, can provide quality housing at least three times faster than the military budget alone could support.
- The land the current KAFB housing units are currently on will be leased to a private company.
- The existing houses and associated improvements (e.g., playgrounds) located in the various housing areas on Base will be conveyed to the contractor, meaning that the houses and improvements will be owned by the private company. The land will continue to be owned by the Air Force.
- As long as the land is owned by the Air Force, Security Forces will provide police protection to military personnel and property, and the housing can remain behind the base fence line.
- In exchange for the leased land and conveyed housing units and improvements, the private company will take over the maintenance and repair of all housing units and improvements, including pavements and common areas.
- In addition, the private company will construct 867 new housing units and demolish all the old units in East Capehart, Loop, West Capehart, Zia Park, and Maxwell, ensuring the availability of a minimum of 1,078 units for military families for 50 years.
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