Renovations upgrade to Hurricane Andrew survivor

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nicholas Caceres
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --  Building 346 is a survivor of Hurricane Andrew which wreaked havoc on a majority of the base and Homestead community in 1992. 

At the time, the building was used by Navy personnel and is known as one of the buildings that sustained the least damage resulting from the hurricane.

The $2.3 million in renovations started in May 2013 on the building, affecting several organizations at the 482nd Fighter Wing, including the Education and Training Office. Over this recent Unit Training Assembly, the Education and Training Office moved back into their former home at after an extensive renovation.

Each building eventually becomes contractually overdue for either demolition or renovation. Renovation was chosen for building 346 and it was updated according to code. Additionally, they installed new carpet, tiles, a kitchen on the second floor and more space for classrooms.

"Being able to make better use of the building's layout when moving back in was a big plus for me," said Master Sgt. Michelle Brown, non-commissioned officer in charge of wing training at the 482nd FW Education and Training Office. "We are now able to use the rooms more efficiently, such as having the larger rooms for classes instead of shared workspaces."

The 482nd FW Education and Training Office has the second floor to themselves. They have offices and rooms for taking career development course and distance learning course exams. A computer lab is available so Airmen can take Advance Distribution Learning System courses if needed, and units may reserve the room in the future for training that their own squadrons may not be able to accommodate.  Commercial Wi-Fi will also be available.

"It's great, I love it," said Master Sgt. Michael Montano, superintendent of force support development at the 482nd FW Education and Training Office. "I'm looking forward to the new classrooms. There's a possibility of having college classes taught here, so I'm hopeful for what the future will bring."

Montano said they were working with local colleges to have classrooms conduct Community College of the Air Force, undergraduate and graduate courses there day and night.

The first floor will house Retirement Services Office, Pass and ID, the Inspector General, Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Equal Employment Opportunity and Mental Health offices. These organizations are still in the process of officially relocating to the building.

"Having all the offices (IG, SARC, EEO, and Mental Health) together in the same building makes it easier to help people," said Lt. Col. Stephen J. Fowler, 482nd Fighter Wing Inspector General. "These are offices that work together, so being able to walk someone next door if needed is fantastic."