'Gateway to the Air Force' earns ENR award of merit Published Sept. 30, 2014 By Jennifer Schneider AFCEC Public Affairs JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- The Recruit Family In-processing and Information Center at Lackland AFB, Texas, has won an award of merit in the Engineering-News Record's 2014 Best Projects competition in the category of government and public buildings. More than 80 facilities competed in the contest, which honors outstanding projects in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas, according to an ENR news release. "This well-earned recognition is the direct result of the hard work and dedication of the team of professionals responsible for the design and construction of this world-class facility," said Col. Brian May, director of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center's Facility Engineering Directorate. The RFIIC, also known as the "Gateway to the Air Force," welcomes more than 35,000 Air Force recruits and their family members to the Air Force each year, and is the first thing recruits see before embarking on basic training. AFCEC managed construction of the 70,000-square-foot facility, which is the cornerstone of a larger planned campus comprising seven dormitories, as well as dining and classroom facilities. The award winners will be recognized Dec. 18 at a ceremony held in Houston, Texas, and will also be featured in the December 15-22 edition of ENR Texas and Louisiana.