Parking lot to close for new facility construction Published Aug. 15, 2008 By Amanda Creel 78 ABW/PA Robins Air Force Base, GA -- The addition of a new aircraft component repair facility will leave a few members of Team Robins changing their morning routine as 316 parking spaces disappear. The construction project will close down a parking lot on the corner of Robins Parkway and Richard Ray Boulevard on the evening of Sept. 4. The new facility, which will be used by the 402nd Commodities Maintenance Group, will be approximately 66,000 square feet and will cost approximately $11.7 million to build. "This new facility will be located adjacent to facilities which support depainting, plating, parts manufacturing and painting operations. This brings almost all of the CMXG operations within two blocks of one another," said Kevin Bentley, 402nd CMXG lead facility engineer. Mr. Bentley added the close proximity will be a benefit as the group continues to lean its processes as part of the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century. Some parts travel as many as 4.5 miles during the repair process, Mr. Bentley said. Though the parking lot will be closed, members of the 778th Civil Engineer Squadron said for those who use the parking lot, there are various nearby parking areas available, such as behind Bldgs. 321, 359 and 323. "These parking areas are not fully utilized" said Ruben English, architect and project manager with 778th CES. Mr. Irfan Khan, industrial engineer with the 402nd CMXG, said it is important for workers who use the parking area to remember the parking lot has always been a temporary fix; it was never intended to be a permanent parking solution. "The intent for that area has always been to build a building there," Mr. Khan said. Not only will the close proximity allow for more efficient processes, the new facility will also offer the group the ability to respond to future workloads, Mr. Bentley said. The building's shops will be used to disassemble and reassemble selective aircraft parts for programmed maintenance for the F-15 Eagle, C-5 Galaxy, C-130 Hercules, C-17 Globemaster III and Sikorsky H-53 helicopter. The facility will also be equipped with general administrative areas and general personnel support areas, Mr. English said. After the workload is transitioned to the new facility the three existing facilities, Bldgs. 603, 605 and 369, will be demolished and their sites restored. The unit also utilized a section of Bldg. 255; that building will be returned to the installation. All of these buildings were designed for other workloads and have been modified over the years to meet the needs of the 402nd CMXG's mission, Mr. Bentley said.