• The radiochemistry lab at AFTAC will be the first and only in DOD dedicated to analyzing debris from nuclear explosions. • The construction team logged more than 120,000 manhours without an accident or lost time. • The $158 million project is expected to be completed in January 2014.
Photos
Steel workers, electricians, engineers, cement masons and Airmen from Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., gather at the construction site of the Air Force Technical Applications Center as a symbolic beam is hoisted into place Sept. 27, 2012. A 12-foot section of steel was carefully set into the rafters of AFTAC's future multi-purpose training facility. (Photo by Malcolm Denemark, Florida Today)
Steelworkers David Betti (left) and Guy Crandall, both of Ivey's Construction, Merritt Island, Fla., slowly guide a 400-lb. steel beam into its final resting place at a 'Top Out Ceremony' held at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., Sept. 27, 2012. The beam, which was signed by members of the Air Force Technical Applications Center, elected officials, members of the construction team, and AFTAC alumni, will be a permanent part of AFTAC's future multi-purpose training facility. The military construction project is expected to be completed in January 2014. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Susan A. Romano)
Sean Vannoy, project superintendent for Hensel Phelps, speaks to the crowd that gathered to watch as a 12-foot steel beam is placed into the rafters of the future headquarters of the Air Force Technical Applications Center. Hensel Phelps is the general contractor for the $158 million military construction project. “Hensel Phelps is extremely proud of the teamwork that has been accomplished to date,” said Vannoy. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Susan A. Romano)
Sean Vannoy (right), project superintendent from Hensel Phelps Construction Company, expresses his thanks to the hundreds of workers who have put in more than 120,000 accident-free hours of work at the military construction site for future home of the Air Force Technical Applications Center, Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. Pictured (left to right) with Vannoy is Col. Chris Worley, Air Force Technical Applications Center commander; Col. John Pilot, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Scott Shelby, also with Hensel Phelps. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Susan A. Romano)
The warm Florida sun shines down on the military construction site at Patrick Air Force Base Sept. 27, 2012, as a 12-foot section of steel beam is lowered into place. The $158 million facility will be the future home of the Air Force Technical Applications Center. (Photo by Malcolm Denemark, Florida Today)
9/28/2012 - PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Dozens of steel workers, electricians, engineers, cement masons and Airmen gathered Thursday to witness the symbolic placement of a steel beam in what will be the future home of the Air Force Technical Applications Center here.
Hensel Phelps, general contractor for the $158 million military construction project, hosted the event as a way to say thanks and congratulate the craftsmen and women who have been working at the site since January.
A 12-foot section of beam had been on display in AFTAC's current headquarters building for the past several weeks to give workers the opportunity to sign it. Once the beam was filled with names, Hensel Phelps scheduled the 'Top Out' ceremony, where the autographed steel was hoisted into the rafters of AFTAC's multi-purpose training facility, a large, state-of-the-art auditorium that can hold up to 270 people.
"Hensel Phelps is extremely proud of the teamwork that has been accomplished to date," said Sean Vannoy, project superintendent. For the past 278 days, our craftsmen and women have logged more than 120,000 hours and have been 100 percent accident free. It is a testament to the dedication and skills of these professionals."
AFTAC provides national authorities with technical measurements to monitor nuclear treaty compliance. Employing scientists and engineers, the center develops advanced treaty monitoring technologies to preserve the nation's security.
And now, with a new facility on the horizon, they will be able to add 'national laboratory' to its mission description.
"We will be the first and only organization in the Department of Defense to have a radiochemistry lab dedicated to analyzing debris from nuclear explosions," said Dr. David O'Brien, AFTAC's chief scientist. "In the aftermath of 9/11, the U.S. government recognized that the nation needed to enhance its technical nuclear forensics capabilities to identify radiological or nuclear devices or debris. The lab that's being constructed here will be able to meet that national security requirement to ensure a more rapid enhancement of forensic capabilities."
After the beam was secured in place, the crowd was treated to a barbeque lunch on the concrete slab that, in January 2014, will be home to AFTAC's administrative offices.
"This is a great milestone for us," said Jeff Barrows, AFTAC's project manager. "It's a way for us to pause temporarily and acknowledge the fantastic work that been accomplished to date by everyone involved, from the Army Corps of Engineers to Hensel Phelps to the 45th Space Wing. These solid partnerships have been the cornerstone to the ongoing success this project has achieved."
