A groundbreaking ceremony held Dec. 7 at the historic Bennington Theater on Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS CL) marked the beginning of construction for a new fitness and multi-purpose facilities that will improve the readiness, retention, resiliency, and quality of life for all patrons on the base.
“Today is a special day not only for the civilians and military members who currently work on NAWS CL, but the larger Ridgecrest community,” said Officer in Charge of Construction (OICC) China Lake Commanding Officer (CO) Capt. Laurie Scott. “We are breaking ground on this critical military construction (MILCON) project 16 months after the July 2019 earthquake, making it the second project of the $2.3B Earthquake Recovery (MILCON) Program. Getting to this point at record pace is no accident; it is due to the collective team effort by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southwest in partnership with Jacobs A/E, NAWS CL and local, regional and state elected officials. Their commitment and sense of urgency are why we are here today.”
The project consists of a new fitness facility, which will provide spaces for physical activities such as basketball, volleyball, pool and group activities.
“I'm proud and pleased to work with this team in designing a wonderful new center, where we can bring fitness, aquatics and sports fully back to the service members and their families here at China Lake,” said NAWS CL Fitness Director Susan Harper.
The multi-purpose religious facility will provide religious ministerial services such as pastoral care and counseling, ceremonial support services to include important personal events such as weddings, baptisms, mitzvahs, funerals, along with hosting command events.
NAWS CL Chaplain Lt. Michael Taulbee delivered the opening prayer and commented on the unique experience for a Navy chaplain to participate in a project like this.
Ridgecrest City Councilman Mike Mower also provided remarks stating that these facilities are important to the legacy and history of the base and Ridgecrest residents alike.
“Thank you to the Navy for the award of the project and the opportunity,” said Soltek Vice President Ron Hicks. “We will work hard to earn the right to continue as a preferred contractor for the U.S. Navy and achieve recognition of those coveted words outstanding performance.”
“My team and I at OICC China Lake are committed to sustaining the same sense of urgency during construction and look forward to hosting a post-COVID ribbon cutting ceremony in 2022,” said Scott. “Now let’s get to work!”
NAWS China Lake is located in the Western Mojave Desert region of California, approximately 150 miles north of Los Angeles. China Lake’s mission is to support the Navy's research, testing and evaluation missions to provide cutting-edge weapons systems to the warfighter. The installation is the Navy's largest single landholding. In total, its two ranges and main site cover more than 1.1 million acres, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.
OICC China Lake was established in August 2020 to provide engineering, acquisition, and execution oversight for military construction and repair projects caused by the devastating damage from the 6.4 and 7.1 magnitude earthquakes that occurred on July 4 and 5, 2019.
| Date Taken: | 12.09.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2020 16:45 |
| Story ID: | 384603 |
| Location: | CHINA LAKE, US |
| Web Views: | 410 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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