MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- Construction on the new enlisted barracks near the north gate entrance here is slated for completion by the end of July.
The barracks construction is in the final phase of completion, which consists of getting the building operational, said Eddie Bounds, project quality assurance engineer.
The vast majority of heavy equipment work and construction of the building and surrounding area is completed, said Bounds.
Harper Construction, Inc., the company building the barracks, started the $17 million project in September 2005.
The new two-story barracks building includes 150, 326-square-foot rooms equipped with key-card readers. Each room will house two Marines and include a bathroom for the Marines to share, central air-conditioning and basic furniture sets.
The facility has been built with two key-card entrances on corresponding sides of the barracks.
A basketball and volleyball recreational area has been constructed for the Marines personal use, as well as several designated smoking areas and a few barbecue pits.
In addition to the living area, a 250 vehicle parking lot has been built around the barracks for the Marine’s personal vehicles.
The new barracks will be home to nearly 300 Marines, corporals and below, from Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 13 barracks Building 661, said Sgt. Maj. Joe Vines, MALS-13 sergeant major.
The rooms will be divided by gender then sections, said Vines. The female Marines will live in one wing of the barracks and the remaining rooms will be divided by departments, he added.
The Marines have been living in substandard barracks for several years, said Vines. They have moved several times and it’s time they received proper living facilities. The Marines have worked extremely hard and deserve to live in new facilities.