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Magellan Inn undergoes major facelift

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Shane Dunaway
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
The $1.1 million Magellan Inn air conditioning renovation project is currently 65 percent complete as contractors work diligently to finish the second phase of the three-phase project.

Workers are two weeks ahead of schedule on a project slated to take three to four months to complete, said Tech. Sgt. Tyrone Bradley, one of the inn's dining facility managers. They removed the air conditioning ducts, some containing more than an inch thick layer of mold, and replaced the ducts with new ones. Workers refabricated the ceiling before the new duct could be added.

Adding the new ducts and a state-of-the-art air conditioning system is expected to improve the quality of life of the patrons and staff, but both parties had to make sacrifices to ensure project completion, including moving some of the patrons and staff out to a nearby tent set up for overflow.

"The major impact the project has had on the customers is some of the items we offered in the dining facility, such as ice cream and fountain drinks, we were not able to offer in the tent," Sergeant Bradley said. "We also had to scale back on some of our initiatives, including our Airmen Appreciation and birthday meals."

Currently, the seating area inside the dining facility can seat up to 200 Airmen and the tent can support up to 330 Airmen.

"We had to beef up our personnel and add more contractors to help us support our customers," Sergeant Bradley said. "They helped speed up the line and cook enough food."

The typical Airmen might see construction and renovation as a negative situation, but when the construction is completed, all Airmen can reap the rewards of their sacrifice.

"One of our biggest headaches was we could not keep this place cool and our air conditioning system kept shutting down," Sergeant Bradley said. "Now we don't have to worry about that anymore. Customers can come into a comfortable environment, sit down and have a good meal."

The 36th Civil Engineer Squadron are also providing support to the temporary dining area during this endeavor.

The squadron marked the area for the tents, transported equipment, built floors, erected the tents, ran the electrical wires and set-up the air conditioning, said Master Sgt. James McGinnis, 36th CES superintendent of infrastructure support. Shops within the squadron also provided manpower to complete the tasks.

The project is slated for completion by November 1.