GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Leadership and officials from the San Angelo community and Goodfellow Air Force Base celebrated the ribbon cutting of the Cressman Dining Facility here, Jan. 6.
Seven years ago a shortage of space was identified, however the Air Force did not have the funding available to address the problem. Thanks to community partnership with the city of San Angelo that recently changed.
When the problem was identified a vision of a centralized student center that could serve as a multi-use space was imagined. Unfortunately, the project remained unfunded until a new opportunity presented itself.
“It was at this point our relationship with San Angelo community and the state shined through,” said Col. Andres Nazario, 17th Training Wing commander. “Together with our San Angelo community partners we submitted an application for funding through the Defense Economic Adjustment and Assistance Grant program. During the application process Goodfellow was able to meld its student center vision and facility shortfalls into a package that created additional classrooms for international and advanced Air Force intelligence training; as well as this wonderful facility that will provide a multi-purpose space where we can develop and truly inspire our next great generation of combat ready warriors!”
The Defense Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant program is an infrastructure grant program designed to assist defense communities that have been positively or negatively impacted by Department of Defense changes.
With this new grant in hand, Goodfellow was given $8.8 million, approximately $4 million of which was put into the facility.
The project began in December of 2017 and approximately two years later it is finished. What stands here today is a flexible, multi-purpose facility that not only contains the dining space necessary for our ever growing student population, but more office space for our military training leaders and an additional 600 square feet of food preparation area in the kitchen.
“This project is the result of several years of planning, programming, design and construction with the involvement of many folks at many different levels” said Nazario. “State, county, and city support all played key roles in bringing about the success of this undertaking which we are proud to showcase today.”