MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. -- Construction is underway on two new bachelor enlisted quarters adjacent to the air station’s mess hall. The first of the two barracks is on pace to have its framework completed by April 9.
“We’re out here seven days a week, getting work in when we can,” said Brian R. Shaw of Haskell Construction, the project’s superintendent.
The two new barracks will have a combined 180 rooms and provide housing for more than 300 Marines and Sailors.
Though the individual rooms of the barracks will be similar in size and layout to the barracks currently on the air station, there are some major differences in the structures of the new buildings.
Perhaps most noticeably, the new barracks will be substantially taller. An additional floor will bring the barracks to four levels.
Each barracks will feature a large common area on its ground floor. The first floor will also have laundry facilities for the entire barracks. In the current barracks, a lounge and separate, smaller laundry area is located on each floor.
Additionally, there will be no exterior entrances to rooms nor any exterior walkways on the new barracks. All stairwells will be interior with access to hallways on each floor.
Officials said another plan for the project is for the new barracks’ residents to use keycards to enter their rooms, as opposed to a standard key and lock as used in the current barracks. This change is an effort to prevent costs associated with replacing damaged keys or replacing locks in the event of a lost key.
For exterior amenities, the new barracks will share a covered, outdoor patio area between the two buildings. Two new basketball courts, to be located north of the barracks on 4th Avenue, are also in the works.
Shaw said ground was broken on the project in November, and the new barracks are estimated to be complete in spring 2011.
“This project is about 25 percent completed,” said Shaw. “But we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”