FORT CARSON, Colo.---Construction of the new nearly $9 million Gate 20 Child Development Center officially began April 22 with a groundbreaking ceremony.
Located at the corner of Barkley Avenue and Womack Street, the 26,000-square-foot facility will house administrative areas, a commercial kitchen and activity areas for about 230 children ages 6 weeks-5 years. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver project will feature radiant floor heating, a geothermal ground-source heat pump and solar hot-water heating.
Garrison commander Col. Robert F. McLaughlin said the project is another example of Fort Carson balancing the need to provide a service to Soldiers and their Families while limiting its impact on the environment.
"We've got to look at the need to allow our (Soldiers) to deploy and not have to worry about their kids ... and, as we look to the future, we have to balance that with making sure we hit our sustainability goals," he said following the ceremony.
In a show of partnership, McLaughlin, Brig. Gen. James Pasquarette, deputy commanding general for support, 4th Infantry Division; Jay Hodges, chief of Construction Branch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Omaha District; and Orville Arviso, vice president of Arviso Construction Company; performed the groundbreaking ceremony.
Pasquarette said Fort Carson currently has six CDCs providing care for children, three of which are temporary facilities "that we put up quickly to provide the services to our Families that they need and deserve."
Including the Gate 20 CDC, Fort Carson will open eight new facilities by 2014, said Armanda Hunt, chief of Child, Youth and School Services. At that time, the Mountain Post will have 13 CDCs with the capacity to care for more than 2,500 children. Grand opening ceremonies for Patriot and Cheyenne Mountain CDCs, both located on Harr Avenue near Gate 1, are planned for June 30. Patriot will have the capacity to care for 195 children ages 6-10, while Cheyenne Mountain will have 160 openings for newborns-10 year olds.
Hodges told those in attendance the Army Corps of Engineers and Arviso Construction were ready to get started on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded project.
"We look forward to continuing and promoting sustainable design and development on Fort Carson," he said, noting the new CDC was destined to be a LEED silver standard.
LEED silver is the third highest of the four ratings in the internationally-recognized sustainable building standards of the U.S. Green Building Council. According to the USGBC website, the LEED system verifies environmental performance, occupant health and financial return of rated facilities.
During the ceremony, McLaughlin said the project is a symbol of leadership's commitment to deliver the Army Family Covenant by reducing stress on Families and helping "those who do so much for the nation."
The Gate 20 CDC, being built just west of the Southeast CDC, is expected to be open in February 2011.