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Ceremony set to celebrate new work in Bldg. 9001

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. Armstrong
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The wait is almost over. The official open house for Bldg. 9001, the newest addition to the Tinker Aerospace Complex, is Monday.

Several hundred people are scheduled to attend the event in the former General Motors automobile assembly plant. Among those speaking at the open house are Gen. Donald Hoffman, commander of Air Force Materiel Command; U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe; State Treasurer Scott Meacham; Oklahoma County Commissioner Ray Vaughn; and David Thompson of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber's Board of Directors.

"The community initiative which enabled Bldg. 9001 to become a reality is yet another example of the long-standing, mutually beneficial relationship that Tinker enjoys with the state of Oklahoma, Oklahoma County and our neighboring communities," said Brig. Gen. Bruce Litchfield, 76th Maintenance Wing commander.

Col. Randall Burke, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center Plans and Programs director, agreed.

"The open house will showcase the hard work of many people and organizations that are transforming the former auto manufacturer's plant into a first class Air Force depot industrial facility," Colonel Burke said. "We are looking forward to moving additional workload into Bldg. 9001 and the flexibility that the facility brings to the ALC for meeting the current and future needs of our primary customer -- the warfighters."

Adding Bldg. 9001 and the surrounding facilities was brainstormed in February 2006 when the GM plant in southeast Oklahoma City unexpectedly closed. In 2008, Oklahoma County purchased the facility from GM and leased it to the Air Force.

The complex sits on 407 acres. The property houses six industrial buildings and one office building, equating to nearly 4 million square feet of usable space. The main facility, Bldg. 9001, compares in size to Bldg. 3001, having 2.5-million square feet of industrial floor space.

"Bldg. 9001 will allow us to make our processes more efficient," said Jeff Catron, TAC Program manager. "It will reduce the number of facilities we're working in that are not suited for operations and give us flexibility to meet future workload demands."

Since acquiring the complex, the Air Force has spent approximately $22 million on renovations. Expenditures were for increasing lighting, reflective floor coatings, addressing fire and Americans with Disabilities Act codes as well as creating break rooms and updating bathrooms. 

Local 916 president, James Schmidt, said the union has worked with the 76th MXW throughout the renovation process.

"We, and the employees who will work in these shops, have been to meetings almost everyday, providing input on the layout of these shops. It has given us a chance to address safety and quality issues before workers move into a new building," Mr. Schmidt said. "We're very excited."

Prior to renovations, overhead and in-ground conveyer systems existed throughout the facility.

Since the ribbon cutting ceremony in October 2008, approximately 15,000 tons of steel associated with these systems has been removed from the building.

"It now looks like the renovated portions of Bldg. 3001," Mr. Catron said. "You'll see work bays and all the supporting equipment that is required to accomplish our mission."

Shops from the 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group, 76th Maintenance Support Group and Defense Logistics Agency have already moved into the building. The 76th Commodities Maintenance Group will move its sheet metal shop into Bldg. 9001 in phases. The first of six phases began Aug. 10.

By the end of 2009, officials said the four operational units will occupy approximately 600,000 square feet in Bldg. 9001, and will house roughly 800 employees.

But that's not all. In the next year, officials said they will hire many new employees. The 76th MXW has an immediate need for about 500 new employees and emerging workloads are expected to sustain that need.

"Current and projected workloads in the facility and associated Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center operations require Tinker to aggressively recruit and retain highly-skilled people," General Litchfield said. "Bldg. 9001 provides a significant improvement in the overall working environment for our employees and directly supports our efforts to recruit, develop and care for our people to enable success." 

Bldg. 9001 Open House Agenda
· 1 to 2 p.m. - Official ceremony near TF33 area
· 2 to 4 p.m. - Open House