Air Force awards dorm repairs after Navy secretary visit

Sea Pac Engineering Inc. of Los Angeles, Calif., was awarded a $36.88 million firm-fixed-price contract for troop housing construction, according to a July 29 release CHamoru Standard Time.

The contract provides for design and full repair of the Palau Dorm – building B25016 at Andersen Air Force Base. Work is expected to be completed by Dec. 10, 2027, according to the release. The contract was a competitive acquisition, and five offers were received. The 36th Contracting Squadron at Andersen made the award.

Attention was drawn to the condition of the barracks after a report in May by the Project on Government Oversight which said that Navy Secretary John Phelan was appalled at the condition of the accommodation.

Sign unveiling of Ben Blaz Memorial Highway. Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor of Guam

In related news, Route 3 – the road which leads to Marine Corps Camp Blaz – has officially been designated the Ben Blaz Memorial Highway following a ceremony held July 28, in honor of the late Brig. General Vicente “Ben” Blaz, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Blaz was also Guam’s delegate to Congress. Public Law 36-85, sponsored by Sen. Christopher Duenas, made the designation possible. mbj

Panel reflects on 50 years since Operation New Life

Scholars, community leaders, veterans, and former refugees gathered at the Guam Museum Theater in Hagåtña on July 26, for a public forum marking the 50th anniversary of Operation New Life, a massive U.S. military-led evacuation effort that brought more than 110,000 Vietnamese refugees through Guam in 1975 following the fall of Saigon.

Air Force awards dorm repairs after Navy secretary visit