Corpus Christi Army Depot Helicopter Maintenance Facility Nets $24 Million Investment

Dec. 10, 2013
The planned 77,240-square-foot Aircraft Corrosion Control Facility will house the depot's helicopter blade cleaning, surface treatment and painting operations.

Dec. 09--CORPUS CHRISTI -- There's a greener future, with improved safety for U.S. military personnel around the world, after a more than $24 million investment in Corpus Christi Army Depot's helicopter maintenance facility, officials said Monday. It's part of the fiscal year 2013 Military Construction Army program.

The cost doesn't include new equipment, said Marc A. Gonzalez, director of the depot's infrastructure operations, but includes improvements to move the depot securely into the future.

"The existing technology is 1970s," Gonzalez said. "This new facility will be good at least three decades."

More than 100 local and military dignitaries attended a 1 p.m. Monday groundbreaking for the planned 77,240-square-foot Aircraft Corrosion Control Facility. It will enable the depot to revamp the Army's largest helicopters with decreased energy use and more environmental safety, officials said. It will house the depot's helicopter blade cleaning, surface treatment and painting operations. It also will help the depot continue meeting the state's air permit requirements, while consolidating operations under one roof, officials said.

Construction, which includes better air filtration to recirculate as much as 80 percent of process air to reduce harmful emissions, is expected to be complete by February 2016.

It is not just an Army treasure, said John B. Nerger, deputy commanding general of Army Materiel Command, which oversees maintenance and parts distribution.

"It's a national treasure, and CCAD is its crown jewel," he said.

U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, who attended the groundbreaking, said the depot's mission is critical to top legislative goals in Washington, including saving money, securing jobs and protecting troops.

"It's also a major step forward for technology," said Travis Lindley, division chief for depot operations. "We will be a one-stop shop for corrosion control." Previously the depot's roughly 3,500 civilians and more than 800 contractors were scattered among three facilities, most of which were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Lindley said.

A single location will minimize downtime previously caused by moving aircraft among maintenance facilities, he said.

"It's a huge win," said Col. Garner Pogue, depot commander. "If we had not been successful, we were at risk of not being able to paint helicopters in Corpus Christi. This grounds us here and solidifies our future."

new Facility

What: 77,765-square-foot helicopter cleaning, surface treatment and painting operation

When: Completion in February 2016

Where: Corpus Christi Army Depot, Naval Air Station Corpus Christi

Why: More work with larger aircraft under one roof

Benefits

Minimize downtime

Consolidate operations

Fewer pollutants

Decreased energy use

Source: Corpus Christi Army Depot

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