D-M gets a new dorm

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Saphfire Cook
  • 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FROCE BASE, Ariz. --  A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for D-M's newly built dormitory here Nov. 17.

Construction for the building began in October of 2010 and was finished roughly a year later. After contractors completed their work, the rooms were fully furnished.

"We went with a lofted bed to utilize vertical space in the rooms," said Master Sgt. Jamie Harwick, 355th Civil Engineer Squadron unaccompanied housing chief. "We wanted to use as little floor space as possible with the furnishings."

The largest dormitory on the campus, the new building houses 144 rooms that are separated into quads.

"This dorm is set up as a benchmark for what we want every other dorm on this base to look like," Harwick said.

Each quad features four single rooms and a central common area. The common areas include a full kitchen, flat screen television and a washer and dryer.

"Airmen in the dorms don't really know their neighbors well," Harwick said. "So instead of going with the central kitchen area like we did with the other quads, we opted for couches and chairs to make it a lounge area where the quad members could meet up and hang out."

A new feature in these dorms is common-access card doors. All of the doors have card readers and Airmen will be able to swipe their CACs, like a hotel key card, to gain access to their rooms.

"The first sergeants of squadrons assigned to these dorms will also have their ID cards set to be able to open any of the doors for room inspections or in case an Airman locks themselves out."

Members of the 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron and the 355th Maintenance Operations Squadron are slated to be moved into the new dorm.

"This dorm is more than just doors and windows," said Chief Master Sgt. Vincent Howard, 355th Fighter Wing command chief. "It is part of the upkeep of the Air Force's most lethal weapons system--the American Airmen."