Quality of life improving at Kirkuk

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott Elliott
  • Air Force Print News
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq --  Airmen supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom here will leave their dusty tents for the last time when new modular dormitories open.

The dorms, scheduled to open Dec. 1, will house up to 1,664 airmen in 13 buildings with six to eight people to a room.

The construction project is moving rapidly, said Lt. Col. Steven Smith, of the 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron.

“The materials started arriving in mid-September, and we started pouring concrete slabs Sept. 23,” he said. “The workers are averaging two buildings completed every three days.”

Each dorm will feature its own latrine with 14 sinks, eight toilets and eight showers. “Dorm Village” will be located next to a new base exchange and a laundry with 58 washers and 116 dryers.

The units were originally purchased by U.S. Air Forces in Europe and set aside for construction at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, for Operation Northern Watch, Smith said. When the ONW mission ended, 26 of the modular units were placed in storage.

It took 151 tractor-trailers to bring the materials to Kirkuk. The other 13 units are being built at Baghdad International Airport.

While the price tag for the dormitories is about $5.5 million, that cost is deceiving, Smith said.

“More than half (the cost) was already paid for by ONW (funds),” he said. “The actual cost for Operation Iraqi Freedom is less than half, and that was for transportation and labor.”

Smith said the project is making things better in an “expeditionary manner.”

“These units … can be taken apart and moved to another location,” he said.

The dorms are connected to local utilities, making it possible for Air Force officials to give the units to the local community without modifying them.

“It’s expeditionary, but it’s based on local standards,” Smith said. “It’s built for American use, but if we were to leave and give it to the local nationals, they wouldn’t need any U.S. support.”

Of all the modern conveniences the new dorms will provide, Smith said one of the most important quality-of-life improvements is very basic.

“It’ll be real nice to not get mud between your toes when walking back to your tent from the latrine,” he said.