New facility to automate metal finishing process Published May 14, 2010 ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Construction will soon begin on a new Advanced Metal Finishing Facility here. The $65 million dollar facility on Eagle Street will automate the metal finishing process, allowing for about 20 different wet processes, as well as some dry processes. The 110,000 square foot facility will also enable Robins to take on additional workload. Jerry Thovson, base project manager, said about half the cost of the facility is new equipment, which will fully automate the finishing process and better protect workers, who will no longer have to stand over tanks of chemicals. The new facility will also have better air conditioning, an advanced ventilation system, and pump agitation to reduce chemical misting. To accommodate the project, Eagle Street and its adjacent parking spaces will be closed. The first closure, a small parking lot NE of Bldg 148, will start approximately May 23, with complete closure of the road and Gate 38 about a month later. The closure will last approximately two years. Money for the project was awarded through the Air Force Materiel Command's infrastructure upgrade program, which is aimed at replacing old facilities, said Bill Deaver, Design and Construction Flight chief in the 778th Civil Engineer Squadron. The prime contractor for the design-build project is Benham Constructors, LLC.