Laughlin saves dollars leveling infrastructure

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jimmie D. Pike
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  In order to reduce Laughlin's footprint in utility costs 20 percent by the year 2020, the base is tearing down many older buildings throughout 2013.

The buildings, some of which were built in the 1940s, are being demolished to meet government mandates on infrastructure cost.

"The reasons we are demolishing these buildings are to save money for our budget and to adhere to an executive order from the president to reduce our utility costs by 20 percent by 2020," said Gerald Garcia, 47th Civil Engineer Squadron real property accountable officer.

Conserving energy and water is important for resource management and saving money in the Air Force's cost conscious culture. Laughlin is doing its part each day to build a more efficient and effective base.

"In the past two months we have knocked down 14 of the 24 buildings scheduled to be demolished," said Garcia. "The last of the demolitions should be done by June or July."

The 47th CES carefully planned the projects to ensure Laughlin's day-to-day operations would not be affected and coordinated all road blocks when deciding which buildings would be leveled.

"We decided what buildings would go down by looking at how old they were, what it was being used for and if we could better use the buildings," said Garcia. "We also took the energy cost of the old buildings into account."

The amount of money that Laughlin will save in the long run by having these buildings demolished outweighs the cost of tearing them down, explained Garcia.

"Demolishing these buildings is a way to divert utility and maintenance savings from our underutilized facilities so we can focus on the infrastructure that needs it the most," said Lt. Col. Lori Kabel, 47th CES commander. "We estimate $615,000 a year in utility cost savings which the base will be able to reinvest in critical infrastructure needed to sustain our mission."

Outdated plumbing and ventilation systems inside the old buildings have made them energy inefficient. By taking them off the grid, the base saves money, explained Garcia

Other ways Laughlin members can save money include conserving energy, checking for water leaks, reporting out of place green spots in fields and by taking care of base facilities.

"Everyone should save military money," said Garcia. "A good way to do that is to be good stewards of our real estate so we don't spend unnecessary money."