The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District recently completed a new 43,000 square-foot Army Reserve Center in Newark, Delaware, ahead of schedule.
The Louisville District designed the facility for the U.S. Army 99th Readiness Division, which supports the training and mobilization of 300 reservists in 11 units.
“It was finished five months ahead of schedule,” said Michael Higgins, Louisville District project manager. “It was designed in-house by the Louisville District Engineering Design Branch.”
In the spring of 2018, the Army Reserves Installation Management Directorate requested the Louisville District partner with them to award a $21 million construction project by Sept. 30, 2020, in support of their Fiscal Year 2022 Military Construction mission.
“The project delivery team worked hard to develop a risk-based schedule, financial budget and ensured proper planning was completed early to ensure future success,” said Cristie Mitchell, Louisville District Project Management Reserve Branch chief.
The challenges associated with the project schedule included a shortened design period to include permitting activities, funding availability, and challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which reduced workforces and devastated parts of the nation’s supply chain.
“The team always came up with timely and effective solutions to keep the project moving forward,” Mitchell said.
The project’s beneficial occupancy date, also known as BOD, of November 2021 was nearly six months ahead of the original BOD established at the award of the construction contract.
The facility was fully troop ready in January 2022.