New Pipeline Construction

  • Published
The Commander's Action Line is a forum for the Ellsworth community to make suggestions or voice concerns about Ellsworth directly to Col. Mark Weatherington, 28th Bomb Wing commander. 

QUESTION 
Col. Weatherington,
I was wanting to know if the water pipe replacement behind the base clinic was planned or an emergency repair. The reason why I ask is that during fall of last year a landscaping company put trees up around the base and hydro seeded the lawns. The dirt work and hydro seeding could not have been cheap. I think if the base knew about the water pipe replacement before the contracted landscape project then the Air Force could have saved a lot of money. I just wanted to know if the water pipe project could have been completed first.

Col. Mark Weatherington
Col. Mark
Weatherington
  RESPONSE
ACC funded the landscaping project for us and the project began in May 2010; seventeen different facilities were improved under this enormous project. This was a command directed project, not one that we submitted.
The pipeline project, on the other hand, was one of a group of potential projects that we submitted to ACC in 2011. We do not know which projects will receive funding when we submit, as it depends on the funds available and the focus areas for the command.
Our engineers do their best to coordinate work between projects and prevent these kind of impacts. In this case however, the landscape work around the Clinic was nearly complete when we learned the waterline project would be funded. Because the projects affected the area around the Clinic at about the same time, it appears that they were planned and funded about the same time--not 18 months apart as is actually the case.
The waterline contractor will fully restore the disturbed area upon completion of the installation of the waterline in the Spring.