South Barracks Project at Fort McCoy passes 60 percent completion by end of 2024

Photo By Scott Sturkol | The construction area for a new $28.08 million barracks building is shown Dec. 23, 2024, at Fort McCoy, Wis., as progress on the facility continues. The contractor for the project, BlindermanPower (Construction), received the notice to proceed with construction on Sept. 26, 2023, and has 780 calendar days to complete the project. The project requires building a four-story, 60,000-square-foot barracks about to house 400 people. Two other barracks of the same specifications have already been built in the same block at the installation since 2019. Overall, it is part of a big transformation taking place at the 1600 block that includes the building of four barracks — two of which are already done, three brigade headquarters buildings, and two planned transient training officer quarters, according to the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works. This project is managed by the Army Corps of Engineers and as of mid-September 2024 the project was 45 percent complete. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)  

FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES

12.30.2024

Story by Scott Sturkol                                                                                                

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

Throughout December 2024, the work on the fiscal year 2022-funded Transient Training Troop Barracks Project, also referred to as the South Barracks Project, has made continuous progress, and by month’s end has surpassed being 60 percent complete.

The contractor BlindermanPower (Construction) now has the structure at approximately 62 percent complete, said Ken Green with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Resident Office at Fort McCoy in his Dec. 20 update on the project, the last update for 2024.

In his update, Green said the contractor continued with a wide variety of construction operations.

“Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in continued,” Green wrote in the update. “Electrical pulling in wires (and) interior steel stud framing continued. Interior sheet rocking continued. Interior blocking continued. Interior sound batting continued. Interior finishing continued, (and) painting continued.”

Green also wrote that latrine tile work-prep continued, mechanical pad rough-in continued, exterior caulking continued, and work on downspouts and the ceiling grid began.

BlindermanPower (Construction) got the contract to build the facility in June 2023 at just over $28 million. Previous news articles have stated the statement of work for the project states the contractor will make the building be made of “permanent construction with reinforced concrete foundations; concrete floor slabs; structural steel frames; steel stud infill; masonry veneer walls; prefinished standing seam metal roofing; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning capabilities; plumbing; mechanical systems; and electrical systems. Supporting facilities include land clearing, concrete sidewalk paving, general site improvements, and utility connections.”

Throughout the month of December, the contractor has worked through below-zero temperatures, several snow storms, and more.

Green also previously stated the building also is being built with the latest in construction materials and include state-of-the-art physical security and energy-saving measures. The South Barracks Project is the third large barracks to be built on Fort McCoy in the last five years.

It’s part of the ongoing transformation of the 1600 block of the cantonment area of the installation that improves quality of life on the post for decades to come as well as serves as a basis of transformation for the future, officials said.

In early September, the project was at 35 percent completion, Green said, now it is 30 percent more complete.

“The current contract completion date is Oct. 2, 2025,” Green also wrote.

Construction like this also plays a significant part in the installation’s economic impact throughout communities near Fort McCoy.

When looking back the last five years, Fort McCoy’s economic impact has continuously been $1 billion or higher every year to local economies. In fiscal year 2019 it was $1.18 billion, all the way to fiscal year 2023’s $1.38 billion.

In July 2023, Fort McCoy leaders spoke about the importance of the installation’s economic impact to the Wisconsin Government Opportunities Business Conference that took place on post.

It was presented that the installation’s vast training space and facilities attract training opportunities for many units to come to the post, which also affects economic impact. New construction was also discussed.

They noted how Fort McCoy has 48,000 training acres and 3,000 cantonment acres. The importance of that, as it was shown, means the Arny puts a lot of money into the installation, such as millions in new construction.

Read more about about Fort McCoy’s economic impact by visiting https://www.dvidshub.net/news/465329/fort-mccoys-total-economic-impact-exceeds-138-billion-during-fiscal-year-2023.

Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.

The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy,” on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/fortmccoywi, and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@fortmccoy.

Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”

• Date Taken: 12.30.2024
• Date Posted: 12.31.2024 00:59
• Story ID: 488480
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US