Construction begins in Mesquite Meadows

  • Published
  • By Christopher Ball
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The walls started going up for 55 new homes in the Mesquite Meadows housing area June 6, marking a milestone in the first phase of Edwards' housing replacement and reduction plan.

The 33 four-bedroom single units and 22 two-bedroom duplexes planned for junior enlisted occupancy, are scheduled to be completed by February.

The overall plan is to replace older, inadequate housing here, and to reduce Edwards' on-base housing to 797 units from 1,366.

This plan is based on a Housing Requirements and Market Analysis assessment and Office of the Secretary of Defense policy requiring all military installations to first rely on their local communities for housing before providing on-base housing.

While construction progresses in Mesquite Meadows, other areas of base housing are also being affected.

"All the families living in Tamarisk Plains have either been moved or have been assigned to another house and should be moved by the end of October," said Jeanette White, housing coordinator.

Thirty-eight homes on the west side of Tamarisk Plains are slated for demolition beginning in August, with construction of 36 senior enlisted homes planned to start in the beginning of October.

"We're doing our best to minimize impact on the affected families," Ms. White said. "Families that must move are being reassigned to other base housing, or are offered the choice to move to the local community at government expense. Either way, the move is paid for."

While a previous assessment by the HRMA team in 2003 determined the number of authorized units to be 1,123 homes, Edwards' recent High-Performing Organization initiative will convert more than 900 military positions to about 450 civilian jobs, requiring a reduction in military housing by an additional 326 units.

In the end, about 860 older homes will be demolished and replaced with 292 new homes. The other 505 homes in the Mountain View, Joshua Acres and Juniper Ridge areas are considered adequate.

"While the end result is fewer homes on base, demolition, replacement and remodeling of the older homes here means those who do reside on the base will have newer homes with more modern amenities," said Col. H. Brent Baker Sr., 95th Air Base Wing commander.