Fort Bliss Monitor

3-43 barracks receive renovations – new sense of home

Spc. Joshua Fender
3-43 ADA Bde. Public Affairs

Shadowboxes, protecting the windows and rooms from the elements, are currently being installed.

The barracks will never be home … they are located in the battalion area, the Soldiers can only go as far as upstairs to get away from the work environment. With some renovations however, and a little effort from the Soldiers to personalize their rooms, the barracks can feel homey.

Nearly a year ago, renovations began in the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery with Head-quarters Battery, Bldg. 2480, and are continuing with renovation to Bldg. 2477 that began in October. Building 2479 is also scheduled for the renovations upon the completion of Building 2477.

The scale of the renovations is dramatic. The exterior of the buildings are being equipped with shadowboxes that protect the windows and rooms from wind, dust and the sun. A fresh coat of paint is also being applied to the exterior of the building. The roofs of the buildings are also being redone and the ‘swamp ccoolers’ are being replaced with refrigerated air conditioning systems.

The renovations inside the barracks start with new conduit and wires for the electrical system, new plumbing to replace the multitude of leaky pipes, new ducts and new drywall. Most importantly, the cinder block-walls which hold the room’s windows are replaced with drywall in order to get rid of the institutionalized look that it had before.

“I really like the window wall now that it’s not covered with cinder blocks, it makes it homier,” said Spc. Dennis Presutti, who recently moved into the finished building of 2480.

The barracks’ latrines are being highly revamped after being completely gutted. New showers, toilets, and tile replace the old, calcium covered and grout-missing, discolored tile of old. A wooden shelf to hold cleaning supplies, towels and other toiletry necessities is also included into the new latrines.

“I really like the shelves that were installed in the bathrooms, it’s a good use of functional space,” said Pvt. Brian Prowell.

The dirty, stained carpeted floors are being replaced with tile the Soldiers do not have to buff.
“No carpet, but it’s a good thing; that old carpet was filthy,” said Pfc. Shenetra Thomas.
The hallway carpet is also replaced with a grated tile that cannot be buffed, adding convenience and cleanliness to the barracks.

Within the rooms, closet space has been expanded to maximize the user-space for issued equipment, shoe space, and enough room left over for plastic storage bins, “There is a lot more closet space now than there was before. And everything works now, from the sink to the shower … there aren’t any leaks anymore,” said Pfc. Maira Sanches.

New bath utilities, from the sink faucet to the cabinets are being installed, along with all new room furniture. Every room is being equipped with a new bedset, drop-lid, drawers, desk, refrigerator and microwave.
Presutti is enjoying his new drawer-space. “There are six drawers, and if you don’t have a roommate, you’ll have 12. That’s a lot of room for clothes,” Presutti added.

A new thermostat that controls the individual Soldier’s room temperature is also being installed in each room. So, the once freezing rooms during the spring and fall months will become a thing of the past. Lastly, the rooms were finished with a bright white paint and new lighting that gives off a more natural light than the previous off-white rooms.

Overall, the renovations will accommodate the Soldier with a better feel of home, even though “home” may be a thousand miles away.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	January 27, 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	3-43 barracks receive renovations – new sense of home Spc. Joshua Fender 3-43 ADA Bde. Public Affairs Shadowboxes, protecting the windows and rooms from the elements, are currently being installed. The barracks will never be home … they are located in the battalion area, the Soldiers can only go as far as upstairs to get away from the work environment. With some renovations however, and a little effort from the Soldiers to personalize their rooms, the barracks can feel homey. Nearly a year ago, renovations began in the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery with Head-quarters Battery, Bldg. 2480, and are continuing with renovation to Bldg. 2477 that began in October. Building 2479 is also scheduled for the renovations upon the completion of Building 2477. The scale of the renovations is dramatic. The exterior of the buildings are being equipped with shadowboxes that protect the windows and rooms from wind, dust and the sun. A fresh coat of paint is also being applied to the exterior of the building. The roofs of the buildings are also being redone and the ‘swamp ccoolers’ are being replaced with refrigerated air conditioning systems. The renovations inside the barracks start with new conduit and wires for the electrical system, new plumbing to replace the multitude of leaky pipes, new ducts and new drywall. Most importantly, the cinder block-walls which hold the room’s windows are replaced with drywall in order to get rid of the institutionalized look that it had before. “I really like the window wall now that it’s not covered with cinder blocks, it makes it homier,” said Spc. Dennis Presutti, who recently moved into the finished building of 2480. The barracks’ latrines are being highly revamped after being completely gutted. New showers, toilets, and tile replace the old, calcium covered and grout-missing, discolored tile of old. A wooden shelf to hold cleaning supplies, towels and other toiletry necessities is also included into the new latrines. “I really like the shelves that were installed in the bathrooms, it’s a good use of functional space,” said Pvt. Brian Prowell. The dirty, stained carpeted floors are being replaced with tile the Soldiers do not have to buff. “No carpet, but it’s a good thing; that old carpet was filthy,” said Pfc. Shenetra Thomas. The hallway carpet is also replaced with a grated tile that cannot be buffed, adding convenience and cleanliness to the barracks. Within the rooms, closet space has been expanded to maximize the user-space for issued equipment, shoe space, and enough room left over for plastic storage bins, “There is a lot more closet space now than there was before. And everything works now, from the sink to the shower … there aren’t any leaks anymore,” said Pfc. Maira Sanches. New bath utilities, from the sink faucet to the cabinets are being installed, along with all new room furniture. Every room is being equipped with a new bedset, drop-lid, drawers, desk, refrigerator and microwave. Presutti is enjoying his new drawer-space. “There are six drawers, and if you don’t have a roommate, you’ll have 12. That’s a lot of room for clothes,” Presutti added. A new thermostat that controls the individual Soldier’s room temperature is also being installed in each room. So, the once freezing rooms during the spring and fall months will become a thing of the past. Lastly, the rooms were finished with a bright white paint and new lighting that gives off a more natural light than the previous off-white rooms. Overall, the renovations will accommodate the Soldier with a better feel of home, even though “home” may be a thousand miles away.