Building Squadron (Operations & Aircraft) Facilities

[tsvaughan355195]

My squadron has a building that is like most CAP facilities, a hand-me-down (or in today speak, "repurposed").  It's old, drafty, hard to heat & cool, etc.  Does anyone have experience building a squadron facility from scratch? 

My personal belief is that it would be great to have operations, training, and hangar in an all-in-one concept.  Right now, it's a half mile hike or drive to our corporate airplane.  Any thoughts on fund raising, planning/design, and execution would be helpful.

[Eclipse]

I had a unit walk this route about 2 years ago.  Obviously building codes, requirements, etc., will vary wildly and impact cost,
but at the time they were looking at hangar space for two planes and a COV, plus facilities for meetings, offices, and some small billeting for missions.

With donated land on the airport, they were looking at $1.6 million estimated build costs, with operating costs in the 6 figures annually.  As an FYI, FEMA
and HLS grants will buy you "stuff" for inside the building, and even help with operating costs, but generally will not cover building acquisition (regardless of build or buy).

Quonset hut-type buildings are less expensive, but you're still looking at several hundred thousand dollars.

[RiverAux]

Operating costs over 100K a year?  Are you sure about that?

[Eclipse]

Operating costs over 100K a year?  Are you sure about that?

Nothing was "sure", as we never got past the (donated) architectural renderings and initial plans, but the estimates were considered pretty good.
Heating / cooling, power, water, maintenance, etc. on a building that big would not be cheap.

[ol'fido]

At the WIWG PD weekend, I heard of one squadron up there that pay's $7000 a year for utilities, upkeep, etc. on a building they own. Heard it was a nice facility.

[RiverAux]

That number sounds a lot more reasonable for a decent sized facility. 

[FW]

PAWG has a hanger at KAGC airport (former wing HQ).  Utilities are about $600/month.  I don't know how much the maintanence is however, they do fund raisers to keep the place up.  It is large enough for 3 aircraft and, has meeting space.   Last time the hanger was appraised it was worth about $300,000.  There is also a building/hanger at KUKT, near Philadelphia.  I would think the maint. cost is similar.  This building was constructed solely by the members with donations.  It's in great condition; thanks to the members of the unit.  I have seen plans for newer facilities around the country which will be financed by the members and, donations to the unit.
Expect to pay $250k for a hanger with heated/airconditioned office space for meetings.  This would be considering donated land at the airport.  If you are serious about constructing such a structure, go to "trade a plane" or AOPA magazine.  There are any number of advertisements which can get you started. 
BTW; this must be coordinated with NHQ thru the command chain.  This kind of project is not simple and may require bids, specs and a series of CAPRs, which need to be studied, before starting on the path.

[Eclipse]

Define "decent sized".

I will tell you that it used to cost use nearly $2k for a 1-room movable classroom on the airport that we had for years, and that was it only being used a 4-5 days / nights a month.  I know when we upped the ops tempo our costs went up pretty high as well.

A facility the scale my unit was pursuing was significantly larger.  There's a lot of things you have to do for a "real" facility that most squadrons
never consider - snow removal contracts, landscaping, mega-insurance, etc.

[Майор Хаткевич]

That little shack was 2K...per year?

That was just heat and electricity, correct?

[Eclipse]

That little shack was 2K...per year?

That was just heat and electricity, correct?

Yep, no phones or internet, just gas and electricity.

[Al Sayre]

The squadron in Russelville Arkansas built a really nice facility at the airport there about 6-7 years ago.  Most of the money came from fundraising and matching grants.  I'm sure if you get in touch with the SQ/CC he can get you the details.

[c172drv]

I had a unit walk this route about 2 years ago.  Obviously building codes, requirements, etc., will vary wildly and impact cost,
but at the time they were looking at hangar space for two planes and a COV, plus facilities for meetings, offices, and some small billeting for missions.

With donated land on the airport, they were looking at $1.6 million estimated build costs, with operating costs in the 6 figures annually.  As an FYI, FEMA
and HLS grants will buy you "stuff" for inside the building, and even help with operating costs, but generally will not cover building acquisition (regardless of build or buy).

Quonset hut-type buildings are less expensive, but you're still looking at several hundred thousand dollars.

Can you post some info on how to get access to the FEMA and HLS grants?? I'd love to see if we can access some of that for our squadron.

John

[Eclipse]

I really can't - to function on that level you generally need professional grant writers, which aren't free either, and you have to have a very strong plan,
not to mention the approval of your Wing CC, since the dollar amounts FEMA and HLS usually deal in are more than a lot of wing's annual budgets.

Which is another "gotcha" of trying to build your own building - management of the process - which would be a full-time job while things are going up.

[vento]

In CAWG, SQ6750 did a very nice job. Read more here.

[coudano]

i've watched building projects kill squadrons.
more than once.

[Eclipse]

In CAWG, SQ6750 did a very nice job. Read more here.

They are showing about $140,000 worth of donations.

Some of this also depends on where you build - the unit I am discussing is in an incorporated major metropolitan county within an area under the jurisdiction of two different municipalities, and on an airport that, while being incredibly generous to the unit, also had very specific expectations
of the types of buildings allowed.  T-hangers and quonset were not an option.

Put that in an unincorporated rural area and the equation will change dramatically - of course you may not have any members to want a building out there.

[tsvaughan355195]

Thanks to all who've replied to my questions, especially Eclipse.  I know it would be an immense, multi-year project.  But, I'm encouraged that it's been done by more than one other squadron. 

[tsvaughan355195]

We're in a rural area and our current facility (city-owned) is on the municipal airport.  There is an "industrial park" just outside the airport fence line, which the city would like to grow.  There's also been talk of building a combined dispatch center (law enforcement, fire, EMS, and wildland fire) at the airport; the wildland fire dispatch center is already there.  Perhaps we could dovetail into that project, somehow.  There's lots of "what-ifs" right now. 

Certainly, there's lots to overcome.  But then, I'm a "why not?" sort of person, versus the "why?" type.