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Officials from the 86th Airlift Wing, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and German officials celebrated the inauguration of a new dormitory building March 7 on Ramstein Air Base.
The crowd welcomed dormitory 2411 and its residents with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Capt. Bethany Blackburn, 86th Civil Engineer Squadron housing flight chief, said 2411 will replace the older dormitory 2413. A parking garage for residents is expected to be built where 2413 currently stands, she added.
“The new dorm, most importantly, increases the quality of life for 192 Airmen by bringing them more amenities into each quad,” she said. “Building 2413 will give way to a parking structure for our dormitory airmen that will include 360 parking spaces.”
The setup of 2411 is four individual bedrooms per quad, with each quad having a shared kitchen and washroom. One advantage of the new dorm is that each individual bedroom now has its own private bathroom, Blackburn added.
Blackburn described the building of 2411 as a colossal effort more than 10 years in the making from planning to construction. The 86th CES, Air Force Civil Engineer Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Kaiserslautern State Construction Agency helped push the project forward.
“To see 192 Airmen living in the new dorm and enjoying all of the quality of life improvements is very special to the entire team who delivered it for them,” she said. “With a standout group of Airman dorm leaders and a dedicated 2411 dorm council, we are confident that the 86th AW will enjoy and take care of the dorm for many years to come.”
Airman 1st Class Lorenze Billups, 1st Combat Communications Squadron tactical cyber transport systems technician, said that he enjoys the features of his new dorm.
“The best things about it are having my own personal bathroom and not having to share a laundry area with the whole floor,” he said. “That in and of itself is always a good thing. You’re going to get everything fresh and new.”
Lt. Col. George Nichols, 86th CES commander, praised those involved in the project, saying their efforts greatly improved the lives of Airmen on Ramstein Air Base.
“In 18 years of service as a civil engineer, I’ve programmed many a military construction project that often you never see funded and then completed,” he said. “A ton of hard work by some really great professionals from multiple agencies made all of this happen. What an honor and privilege to bear witness to that accomplishment. The herculean efforts for sure are not for us as engineers, but for our Ramstein Airmen. They’ve earned this quality of life improvement.”
