Aviano undergoes Renaissance

  • Published
  • By Louis Arana-Barradas
  • Air Force News Agency
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy (AFPN) --  It once had an uncertain future. But the huge Aviano 2000 construction project is proof this base has a life that's being cast in concrete.  (Note: This article reprinted from Airman magazine, November, 2000.)

Once upon a time, there was a small Air Force base at Aviano. It was tucked-away in a lush green land -- where a fertile Italian plain runs into the Dolomite Mountains. 

It didn't have airplanes. So its folks supported fighter units that rotated in for NATO duty.
Airmen found it a great place to serve. They said it was a half-hour drive from the ski slopes, an hour from the beach and a stone's throw from heaven. 

Outside its gates, they lived a small-town life. Ate at quaint family restaurants that served the hearty pasta and fruity wine of the Friuli region. And gorged on pizza, of course. 

The pace of life was slow. There were few hassles. And rumors were the base would close. 

But things changed. After years in the shadows of its big sister bases, Aviano has moved up to the big times. Life there now moves at full afterburner. It has a key mission: The 31st Fighter Wing continues to help monitor peacekeeping efforts in Bosnia and Kosovo. And new construction has turned it into a renaissance boomtown. 

So if you stand too long in one place, chances are a building will spring up around you. 

The building frenzy is part of Aviano 2000, a landmark $530 million plan. By 2005 it will gut, replace and shift the whole base infrastructure. Some 260 projects are in the works. 

"And NATO is paying the lion's share," said Col. Gary LaGassey, Aviano 2000 program manager. It'll pay $352 million, some for quality of life upgrades. "They've never done that." 

Its grand scale makes the plan the Air Force's largest construction program, said Brig. Gen. Dan Darnell. The 31st Fighter Wing commander said it affects the base mission and local area. But, most importantly, it will improve the quality of life. 

"It'll give us the facilities to meet our mission and people needs," he said. "The upgrades will make Aviano a showcase base." 

The program's roots date back to 1993. The alliance wanted to build a base at Crotone in southern Italy to replace Torrejon Air Base, Spain, which would close in 1994. The base would give NATO the permanent guard it needed on its southern flank. But Congress voted not to fund its construction. 

So NATO asked the Air Force to move its fighter wing from Spain to Aviano. It said OK. But only if the alliance would fund an expansion of Aviano. NATO agreed. 

The April 1994 move doubled the base population. 

"We shoe horned the unit into a base that couldn't handle the move," Colonel LaGassey said. He was the support group commander then. Built in the early 1950s for some 1,300 people, Aviano overflowed. There were instant housing and support woes. 

Troubles grew when the base became the hub for operations during the Bosnia campaign in 1995. Deployed troops upped the base population to 4,400. Some lived in tents, or in towns and villages up to an hour and a half from the base. The increased traffic jammed roads. 

It was a boon for business. But the extra people and traffic caused a stream of complaints from local citizens and politicians. 

"It was a nightmare," Colonel LaGassey said. "Housing prices skyrocketed. We had people living in substandard homes, even barns." 

With NATO funds "in the bank," the U.S. and Italian air forces got to work on the expansion in mid-1995. The Italians ceded 220 acres of land in the flight line area to the cause. There were some immediate changes made. But it wasn't until mid-1998 that Aviano 2000 took shape. Until then, different agencies worked their own projects. 

"There were too many dangling parts," Colonel LaGassey said. "We needed a joint effort." 

Italy agreed to let the United States build most of the NATO projects. And it OK'd a U.S.-led effort. In early 1999, the program management office that drives the construction was born. It united all the players. That included U.S. Navy Seabees who oversee construction. And Italian and American base civil engineers. 

It's a huge effort. At the heart are 85 major NATO-funded projects. These will handle the fighter wing and include many quality of life upgrades. There are also 174 Air Force-funded upgrades worth $178 million. A big chunk of those funds is to improve facilities for troops deployed for contingencies. The Italians also have a dozen NATO-funded jobs. 

Also in the works is construction of 530 new build-to-lease homes in 16 local towns. Most are less than a half-hour drive from the base. And many will have three or four bedrooms. 

Contingency and housing upgrades aren't part of the Aviano 2000 projects. But they've fallen under its umbrella, Colonel DaGassey said. "That makes everything easier to manage." 

The base is the second largest employer in the region, and the work has drained northern Italy's labor pool. But the upgrades are top-notch, said Col. Michael Dredla, the 31st Support Group commander. Designs are sound and benefit from solid Italian construction practices. Buildings have terra cotta roofs and light colors -- staples in northern Italy since the first Renaissance. 

"It's not like we're sticking a Luke Air Force Base into the middle of Italy," he said. "The base blends right into the local area." 

That's good, since Aviano isn't like most bases. It has six separate areas. Between them lies the city of Aviano. Engineers had to plan that in their designs. Plus, there were the concerns of local political, business and environmental leaders -- and they knew of each change. 

"We did things hand-in-hand with them," Colonel LaGassey said. "And we got great support from the Italian government and air force." 

One big concern was traffic flow. Area 1, which lies in the middle of the town, has the most traffic. The base exchange and commissary were there. To cut traffic, engineers moved the new stores [which opened this month] to the flight line area, known as Zapala. 

The Zapala area will become the main base. And since it's outside the town, traffic won't have to go through town to get there. It'll be home to all operational and support activities. It already has the main consolidated support center. And it will also have a consolidated club, dining facility, second child development center and five dormitories -- one a contingency dorm. 

Area 1 will get an all-grades school, hospital, and youth and child development centers. The base now leases its hospital and two elementary schools. The area with the dormitories will become an "Airman' s campus," of sorts. It will also get a new 100-room lodging facility. And there will be upgrades to the recreation area.
 
The bold plan solves many problems, said Aviano Mayor Gianluigi Rellini. It'll have a positive impact on the base and town. There will be less traffic. More homes. Rents will drop. 

"We will all gain from it," the mayor said. "And that can only be good." 

But until construction ends, people must put up with disruptions. And moves. 

Add to that the need for the base to meet its mission and stay ready to deploy when called for an expeditionary force commitment, and Aviano is one busy place.
It's like juggling three huge balls. 

"It's not easy for our people to do all that," General Darnell said. "But they know why we're doing this and why it's important. So they accept the turmoil." 

And that, Colonel LaGassey said, is a small price to pay for the returns. The quality of life impact will be immeasurable. "And it proves, once and for all, that Aviano is here to stay." 

Reprinted from Airman magazine, November, 2000.