The enlisted club at Bolling Air Force Base is being readied for demolition, less than two years after workers completed a $4 million renovation project.
4 Million Later, Bolling to Raze Building
SE Base's Enlisted Club Was Renovated Despite Structural Problems That Make It Unsafe
By Steve Vogel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, November 10, 2003; Page B01
Less than two years after workers completed $4 million in renovations to the enlisted club at Bolling Air Force Base, the Southeast Washington facility is preparing to demolish the building.
Structural problems, known to exist before renovations began, make the building unsafe, base officials said. The recent work -- including a new roof, new heating and air conditioning, a modern kitchen and new carpets -- was for naught. Workers were salvaging what they could from the building last week before it is torn down in the coming days.
The findings of an Air Force investigation into the matter are being reviewed, said Col. William A. Chambers, the Bolling commander. Among other questions, the investigation has examined why the renovations were undertaken despite evidence that the building's foundation was settling unevenly.
"We need to get to the bottom of it," Chambers said. "If for no other reason, I ordered this investigation so it doesn't happen again."
The club, which was constructed in 1976 and received an addition in 1985, has long been the center of social life for enlisted personnel at Bolling, where 15,000 service personnel, civilians and family members live or work.
The one-story, 25,000-square-foot brick building near the Potomac River features a ballroom, kitchen and dining area, lounges and a sports bar. The club has hosted numerous promotion ceremonies and other events for enlisted Air Force personnel from Bolling and the Pentagon.
Over the years, the uneven settling of the building's foundation caused load-bearing beams to twist, raising the danger of a building collapse.
The problem should not have been a surprise when renovations started, officials said. "They put all this money into it, even though they've known for years that it was sinking into the ground," said a Bolling employee, speaking on the condition of not being identified.
Chambers acknowledged that some base officials knew of the foundation problems well before renovations began. "Beginning in the mid-1990s, there was some evidence of the foundation's settling," he said.
The structural problems were found and reported by Air Force civil engineers, but Chambers said it is not clear how well the information was circulated.
"I have been unable to find how well that was documented and how aware of it the leadership was," Chambers said. "I haven't reached a conclusion on exactly how much was known."
The evidence that the foundation was sinking, however, is "possibly" a reason why a proposal in the mid-1990s to renovate the enlisted club was rejected, Chambers said.
Why that same evidence was not a concern when the renovation project was approved several years later is unknown and is part of the investigation, Chambers said.
The renovation work was done by contractors in two phases. The first, $2.5 million phase, in 1998, involved structural improvements, including new roofs and the repair of interior and exterior walls. A $1.5 million phase of renovation, much of it involving a new kitchen, was begun in 2000. An article in the base newspaper predicted that the work would raise the club's "world class standards."
Roughly $3 million of the $4 million in renovation costs was paid for with taxpayer money appropriated by Congress. An additional $1 million came from fees paid by Air Force and other military personnel for use of the club and other recreational facilities on the base.
Chambers, who took command of the base in 2001, said he became aware of problems with the building last winter, when base engineers expressed concern that the club's roof might not sustain the weight of the heavy snowfall that was forecast. Chambers donned his battle dress fatigues to inspect one of the twisted beams himself.
The problem was obvious enough that Chambers could easily see the danger. "The issue became not the snowstorm, but the overall integrity" of the building, he said.
Chambers ordered the club closed in December while engineers evaluated the building. After months of study, officials concluded that the club was not salvageable.
"To fix the existing building is throwing good money after a bad building," Chambers said.
The Air Force investigation, conducted by engineers from another base, is undergoing legal review, but Chambers said that because of unanswered questions, "I may have to do more digging." He said that there is nothing to indicate criminal wrongdoing, but that the Air Force may discipline individuals who are found to be at fault.
Meantime, enlisted personnel at the base have with no building of their own to use. They instead have been given space in a lounge at the Bolling Officers Club.
The base lacks money to build a new enlisted club. Chambers said he may request money from the Air Force, but a new club is probably years away.
