‘BRAC Express’ on track for 2011 relocation

By Jim Hinnant
FORSCOM PAO

	Photo courtesy of U.S. Army The U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command headquarters building on Feb. 17.

FORT McPHERSON, Ga. — Just as a locomotive builds momentum as it leaves a station, the ongoing efforts to relocate U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command to Fort Bragg, is steadily picking up steam.

Prompted by congressional legislation that resulted from the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, both headquarters must depart their traditional home by 2011 to share a common building at their new home, while maintaining their individual identities.

That new dual headquarters campus is now a flurry of activity as the “BRAC Express” gains momentum.

“Phase one is complete,” said Dan Davis, resident engineer responsible for the new
construction project. “The information processing node, (the) energy plant here, as well as the Disaster Recovery Center at Camp Mackall, N.C. have all been turned over from the contractor to the government.”

Renovations were also completed on a control information technology building, which will enable better support to Forces Command, Davis said.

Davis estimated the overall project, including associated outlying facilities, is nearly 50 percent complete, while work on the FORSCOM/USARC dual headquarters facility is about 35 percent complete.

Another key operational facility, intended to facilitate the reception and integration of the arriving workers in coming months, was also completed in the past few days.

The “J-Wing” of the former Bowley Elementary School will house a FORSCOM/USARC team that will welcome arrivals and speed them through personnel, finance, security and information technology access processing before moving them on to their individual work locations, either on main post or at Camp Mackall.

Sherrie Glass, USARC’s lead liaison officer at Fort Bragg, said the reception team’s goal is to ease the transition for employees.

“I think our reception here has been very good, but for those coming here starting in late August, we want to make it even better,” Glass said. “I want us to be an information conduit for the people back in Atlanta and simplify the move for them. While I represent U.S Army Reserve Command, I am here to help everyone coming here from Fort McPherson.”

As construction of the main headquarters building continues, more renovations on Old Bowley School, and furniture installation in the “J Wing” continued this past week as FORSCOM’s BRAC Planning Office hosted a two-day integrated construction, information technology and furniture workshop that brought together more than 30 key action officers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Installation Management Command, FORSCOM, USARC, Fort Bragg’s Network Enterprise Center, Directorate of Public Works and from Department of the Army headquarters.

The workshop got participants face-to-face with their counterparts to discuss fast-approaching deadlines and requirements that directly impact the relocation effort.

Gary Goulden, a logistics management specialist with FORSCOM’s BRAC Planning Office, said the meeting was worthwhile.

“It (the meeting) was very successful,” said Goulden. “Now everyone knows what must be done, by when and by which agency.”

Goulden also said the group’s big achievement was the development of a single planning tool that consolidated, in one document, the many tasks and responsibilities, synchronizing them with the construction and relocation timeline.

“It’s like a domino effect,” he said. “Failing to meet any of the deadlines could really impact the BRAC relocation mission.”

Construction and renovations on FORSCOM/USARC facilities will continue through the summer. Then, the first wave of workers from Fort McPherson will arrive in the form of the “torch” party and advanced echelons beginning in August and continuing into December.

There will be a brief respite until March of next year and then the main body of workers begin arriving at Fort Bragg in serials, with the last major “people moves” expected in August, 2011.
For more information about the ongoing efforts of the FORSCOM/USARC BRAC relocation to Fort Bragg, visit FORSCOM’s Facebook page at http://companies.to/USArmyForcesCommand/ or the FORSCOM homepage at www.army.mil/forscom.