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As early as July 2009, when the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center was opened, there had been talk of upcoming renovations to the Ramstein Commissary.
Officials initially spoke of an October date as a projection for when the construction would start, however that date has now come and gone leaving many in the community to wonder what the new timeline will be.
“Construction dates had yet to be decided because the contract had not been awarded,” said Cheryl Conner, Defence Commissary Agency Europe deputy director. “However, we’re pleased to announce that it was awarded Oct. 19 by the German Construction Office LBB Trier to Joint-Venture Budau/Zecker/Becker.”
Though KMC members have seen some minor preconstruction efforts take place in the area, such as piping work, the major muscle moves will be a topic of discussion at the first preconstruction meeting to be held in early December.
“Once that first meeting is held, we’ll start charting out a timeline for the effort and we look forward to sharing that with the entire community so they can plan accordingly,” said Mickey McCartney, engineer for DeCA Facilities Construction and Sustainment Division at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
Built in 1983, Europe’s busiest commissary has been in need of an upgrade, which this project will take care of. The sales area of the existing store will be enlarged by almost 50 percent — from 30,000 square feet to 44,000 square feet — and the size of the completed facility overall will be approximately 100,000 square feet, including a new international delicatessen and bakery, convenient self-checkouts and a modern decor.
“The project will greatly improve the shopping experience for the military members, their families and other authorized shoppers in the Ramstein community, and the renovated facility will also be environmentally friendly and energy efficient,” Ms. Conner said.
Extensive sustainable and energy saving design features are incorporated into the project, including things like high efficiency HVAC systems, enhanced freezer and cooler insulation, non-ozone depleting refrigerants, auto sensor rest room fixtures, skylights with daylight harvesting electronic light controls, automatic exterior lighting controls, interior motion sensor lighting controls, energy efficient interior lighting, energy star rated equipment, energy conserving night curtains for open display cases,and a refrigeration monitoring and control system for refrigeration, HVAC systems, lighting and utility metering.
Construction will be done in phases while the store remains open for business in an adjacent temporary facility. The construction is expected to start later this winter with completion targeted for November 2012.
More updates will be provided after the preconstruction meeting in December, so keep an eye out for more information at www.ramstein.af.mil, on AFN or in the Kaiserslautern American.
(Courtesy of 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs)
