With completion of new facility, single soldiers move into their own space
By Sean E. Cobb,
Kaiserslautern bureau
Sean E. Cobb / Stars and Stripes
Dieter Brendel, a foreman for the W. Ledig Landscaping Company, cleans up in front
of the new one-plus-one barracks at Rhein Ordnance Barracks, Germany. It is the
first in Europe constructed, instead of renovated, to meet the Army's Barracks
Modernization Program. |
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Soldiers will begin moving into
Europe’s first constructed one-plus-one single soldiers’ quarters Monday at
Rhein Ordnance Barracks.
The $2.25 million dormitory is the first building in Europe to be
constructed, instead of just renovated, to meet the standards of an Army Barracks
Modernization Program that began in 1997.
“The old buildings were too small and couldn’t be brought
up to one-plus-one standards in a cost-efficient manner,” said Jorge Blanco, 415th
Base Support Battalion public works director.
All Army barracks in the United States and Europe are supposed to
comply with the new standard of one soldier per one bedroom by 2008. In the Kaiserslautern
area, 17 barracks — about 50 percent — have been renovated to meet the new
standard, Blanco said.
“This is an important quality-of-life issue, and this is what
the soldier has asked for,” said Lt. Col. Lyndra Reid, 415th Base Support Battalion
commander. “We think about the things we ask soldiers to do for their country, and
they deserve the best barracks possible — and that’s what we are trying to
provide.”
Soldiers moving into the facility currently share a bedroom with
another person and share a bathroom with an entire floor. And many don’t have their
own kitchens.
The new barracks — two stories with a basement — will house
24 people. Two soldiers will share a bathroom and kitchen, but they have separate
bedrooms.
The bedrooms have 118 square feet of living space, with a walk-in
closet, cable TV outlet, telephone outlet and dual voltage outlets.
“Compared to the rooms we’re leaving, they’re
smaller,” said Pfc. Yussef Daum, a 39th Transportation Battalion transportation
specialist. “But overall, it’s gonna be good.”
The building is equipped with a keycard security entry system and has
24 storage rooms in the basement for large items such as bicycles. The basement also has a
laundry room, a game room and a TV lounge.
“All these features will make the living quality much
better,” said Fred Heidingsfelder, the 415th battalion's engineering and housing
section deputy housing chief. “The safety and security standards are better, and it
was built to the latest efficiency codes.”
The red-brick building is new, state-of-the-art, and the soldiers are
more than ready to move in, according to Army Pfc. Jenean Mulder.
“I’m looking forward to living around more soldiers,”
she said. “It’s also a big positive coming into a brand-new barracks and not
having to worry about stains on the floor or anything.”
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