Nellis breaks ground for two new child development centers

  • Published
  • By Lawrence Crespo
  • Nellis Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. --  The 99th Air Base Wing held a groundbreaking ceremony May 12 to mark the beginning of construction for two new child development centers which will support Airmen, joint partners and their families in the Nellis community.

The two facilities are key components in helping to build a spirit of community at Nellis Landings. The new CDCs, located in the Manch Manor housing area, will consist of 21 classrooms raising the total capacity at Nellis when complete to 584 children.

"Being located in base housing, the new centers will add flexibility to Airman's lives and significantly cut down on the waiting times for Nellis Airmen to get their children into child care," said Col. Steve Garland, 99th Air Base Wing commander. "And, the new modern facilities provide a safe and creative environment for the children on Nellis Air Force Base."

At a total cost of $10.9 million, Nellis was chosen for the location of the new facilities based on an average waiting list of 150 to 175 children at any given time throughout the year.

Utilizing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, $7.6 million was awarded in September to build a new Child Development Center I -- one of seven CDC projects in the Department of Defense. A contract for the 26,000-square-foot, 13-classroom facility was awarded in September 2009. When complete, the state of the art center will have a capacity for up to 202 children and replace Nellis' original CDC 1 which was built in 1969.

In addition to the first facility, Nellis also received approximately $3.3 million via nonappropriated funding for an Emergency Intervention Project to build Child Development Center II--an 11,200-square-foot, eight-classroom facility capable of serving an additional 60 to 80 children.

"We are especially pleased to break ground on the new facilities during the Year of the Air Force Family, which allows our Airman to see the impact of support available to our servicemembers," Colonel Garland said. "These facilities will greatly contribute to building a sense of community both in base housing and for the Nellis community while increasing their quality of life and ensuring the health and safety of our youngest family members."

Officials credit the groundbreaking to a joint effort on many fronts. 

"The success of the project to date is a testament to the strong partnership between Nellis and several agencies, especially the Los Angeles office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the privatized housing council," Colonel Garland said. "The inspirational designs they have provided incorporate energy efficiency and raise the bar for security and safety features while providing an inspirational learning environment for our children."

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the entire project is scheduled to be complete by spring 2011.