Base homes to get makeover

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt Jessica Brown
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan.- --  More than 200 McConnell Air Force Base homes in privatized housing started receiving interior renovations in December 2014.

Corvias Military Living, the base privatized housing partner, planned for the 1990-era homes to receive new living space in basements, new floorings, fixtures, paint and appliances.

"We welcomed these upgrades to base housing," said Col. Joel Jackson, 22nd Air Refueling Wing commander. "Privatized housing has been a good option for McConnell. It allows Airmen to focus more on the mission with the knowledge that their family is enjoying quality housing in an excellent community. It also shifts construction, operations and maintenance responsibilities to the private sector, which has the expertise to manage these housing assets."

The renovations are the beginning of a four-year project, with the first renovated home scheduled for completion in early February, said John Pearsall, program manager for Corvias Military Living here. 

"By adding the finished space in the basements, we are able to provide more usable living area for McConnell families without compromising storage capabilities," said Pearsall.

According to Pearsall, Corvias has taken several steps to reduce any inconveniences for families currently living on base.

"We want our residents to have a great experience," said Pearsall. "So working with the natural cycle of reassignments does not add the stress of an additional move on a family who is settled and made their house a home."

The company will only begin the renovation process after a family has moved off the installation or to a new assignment. Once the homes are completed, they will be leased to incoming families at McConnell AFB.

In addition to the improvements, Corvias expects to break ground for new homes in early spring 2015. 

Over the next few years, more than 190 1950s-era homes are scheduled to be demolished and will be replaced with homes designed with modern floor plans, additional floor space and partially finished basements.

Corvias also has plans to begin constructing a community center in 2016, complete with a swimming pool, fitness center and a community office, said Pearsall. 

McConnell AFB's housing construction project is one of six projects undertaken by Corvias in the Air Force's Continental Group, consisting of Edwards AFB, Calif.; Eeilson AFB, Alaska; Eglin AFB, Fla.; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; and Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. Corvias engaged in this 50-year partnership in Sept. 2013 to improve on-base housing and amenities through a total development budget of $453 million.

For more information, please visit the Corvias website at http://airforce.corviasmilitaryliving.com/mcconnell