Ground broke for consolidated maintenance hangar

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Lindsey Soulsby
  • 120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
GREAT FALLS, Mont. --  Nearly 50 key leaders from the Montana Air National Guard and members of James Talcott Construction participated in a ceremony to break ground on a new $20 million C-130 consolidated maintenance hangar Oct. 17, 2014.

A consolidated maintenance hangar, where all maintenance activity is located in one facility, is rare within the Guard, according to Col. J. Peter Hronek, 120th Airlift Wing commander. 

"It is a historic day for the 120th Airlift Wing," said Lt. Col. Frederyck Cayer, 120th Civil Engineer Squadron commander. "The foundation is real and symbolic because of the new C-130 mission that will support a viable and enduring mission that we will see long into the future of this unit in supporting our state and our nation."

John Engebretsen, project manager at James Talcott Construction, will be heading up the yearlong project for the new hangar.  It is projected to be ready for the unit's C-130s by October 2015.

"(James Talcott Construction) is honored to perform work for you folks," Engebretsen said.

Engebretsen foresees a challenging project with a primary concern of maintaining the infrastructure for the surrounding buildings and the users working within them.

"Working with the contracting and civil engineer squadron for the last couple of decades on successful projects coupled with the fantastic subcontractors we have, I can easily say we have a good team assembled," Engebretsen said.

Ninety-three percent of the contract value will stay in the state of Montana, and 71 percent will be local Great Falls contractors and vendors support services, according to Engebretsen.  With that, 80 to 100 individuals will be employed for the yearlong construction time frame.

This is the first construction phase in the conversion from the F-15 fighter to the C-130 mission.  Remodeling the current hangar and, building a small air terminal and engine shop will complete the $30 million conversion.