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Andersen opens doors to renovated dining facility

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joshua Smoot
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  The Magellan Inn, Andersen Air Force Base’s dining facility, opened its doors to the base May 26 after more than a year of renovations to help improve the quality of life for Team Andersen.

Airmen assigned to the 36th Civil Engineer Squadron led the construction efforts with assistance from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1, Detachment Guam, and local contractors. The facility underwent a variety of structural, electrical, plumbing, paint and heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades.

“It was a total force movement of our in-house workforce,” said 1st Lt. Zachary Schumann, 36th CES officer in charge of operations support. “It was all hands on deck to make the dining facility operational.”

When many of the CES engineers stepped into the Magellan Inn for the first time, their first sight was essentially an empty building with no interior walls and bare floors, said Walter Gobin, 36th CES facilities foreman. Ceiling tiles were also missing and a lot of the electrical components were removed.

After countless hours of replacing flooring and rewiring the entire facility to replacing alarms and moving in new equipment, the DFAC was declared ready to open.

In addition, the DFAC will offer enhanced serving lines and a new menu with more options. Even charging stations where customers can charge their electronic devices have been installed. In total, the improvements are valued at $350,000.

“You can expect to find a balanced diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, pasta, breads and top quality meats,” said Tech. Sgt. Rhondalyn Bess, 36th Force Support Squadron dining facility manager. “New menu items include soft serve ice cream, penne sandwiches and wraps, a sandwich bar, waffle bar, hot dog roller and a pizza display.”

During the transition, the 36th CES and FSS worked hand-in-hand to ensure the move went smoothly.

“CES was extremely supportive throughout the entire process,” Bess said. “We could not have opened the Magellan Inn without their support. They took care of our work orders, requests and were very accommodating.”

The opening of the Magellan Inn and all of its new features is another example of how Team Andersen continuously works to improve the quality of life for its Airmen.

“The Magellan Inn will be a pleasant environment for Airman to recharge, relax and unwind, all while enjoying unique and delicious dining choices,” Bess said.

The dining facility will be open:

Monday-Friday:

--5:30 to 8:30 a.m.
--10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
--4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Weekends and Holidays:

--6:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
--4:30 to 7:00 p.m.

While the Magellan Inn was under construction, service members used the Top of the Rock as the temporary eating establishment -- a facility that was previously designated as an enlisted and officer’s club.

Since the Top of the Rock was not designed to serve upwards of 1,200 people, the facility is soon to return to its original function as a recreational club for service members.