New nuclear-monitoring facility generates positive reaction

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Schneider
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Until recently, the only Department of Defense organization tasked with monitoring nuclear treaty compliance had been working out of an antiquated and technologically-challenged facility, which it had occupied for over 40 years. Now, as its modern $158 million campus nears completion, the Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., will have the necessary infrastructure to keep pace with growing mission requirements and technology advancements.

The center's staff and mission had outgrown the original headquarters building, making the new facility a necessity. Built in the 1950s, the original facility was costly to maintain and beset with safety, force protection and fire hazards, said Susan A. Romano, AFTAC Public Affairs Director. Additionally, it was unable to keep up with information technology advancements, one of AFTAC's primary tools of operation.

"The new facility will increase operational space by more than 60,000 square feet, allowing for consolidated logistics, robust infrastructure and improved information technology capabilities," said Jeff Barrows, AFTAC's project manager. "It also collocates logisticians and scientists responsible for developing instrumentation to support AFTAC's subsurface treaty monitoring mission. These functions have previously been separated since the existing facility lacked sufficient space."

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center in San Antonio, Texas, managed construction of the new campus, which was completed a year ahead of schedule and at a lower cost than originally budgeted.

Included in the four-structure campus is a 276,000 square-foot headquarters building, a 38,000 square-foot radiochemistry lab, a 23,000 square-foot central utility plant and a 5-level parking garage.

The new radiochemistry lab will allow for sample analysis to assess compliance with nuclear weapons testing in support of the U.S. Atomic Energy Detection System. AFTAC had previously operated a similar laboratory at McClellan AFB, Calif., prior to the Base Realignment and Closure action in 1995. The center has since relied on a network of labs operated by the Department of Energy for analyses, but will now once again be able to conduct the testing in-house.

In addition to several unique laboratory requirements, the design of the facilities included several special characteristics related to security and Florida weather requirements. Due to the sensitive nature of mission activities at AFTAC, the facility includes features that have been developed for sensitive compartmented information facilities, or SCIFs, said Paul Womble, AFCEC project manager for the campus. SCIFs include special characteristics to prevent information leaking and surveillance, and also follow stringent physical security requirements.

The site is also raised several feet in elevation to guard against water inundation, as it is situated between Banana River and the Atlantic Ocean. The facility is capable of withstanding a 12-foot tidal surge and can handle winds up to 140 miles per hour, Barrows said.

Construction was completed in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design principles and is projected to earn the facility a LEED Silver certification.

"The major significance of the LEED Silver rating will be the reduction over AFTAC's current energy use by nearly 20 percent, and will result in significant operations and maintenance cost savings for years to come," Barrows said.

Over the next several months, AFTAC employees will move into the new facility. The existing structure, with exception of the south wing, is scheduled for demolition, and could take up to 10 months to complete.