Naval Air Station Meridian to get new dining facility

Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast has awarded six award design-build construction contracts valued at $95 million - including an initial $8.7 million task order for the design and construction of a dining facility at Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss. JCON Group of Miami was awarded that initial task order. Among Gulf Coast regional contractors selected for additional, but unspecified contracts, are Orocon-Carother Joint Venture 1 of Oxford, Miss.; and Gorrie LLC of Madison, Ala. Each firm was awarded multiple design-build construction project-contracts within the Southeast. Ninety-six percent of the work will be in Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle. All task orders are expected to be completed by December 2018. The 21,500 square foot Meridian project will represent a “great step forward” for the base’s reduction footprint and energy saving efficiencies, said Capt. Charles C. Moore II, commanding officer. It also replaces a deteriorated galley with a down-sized galley (7,000 sf) that is designed to allow immediate energy savings and efficiencies. The low-rise dining facility will be designed to serve about 1,100 meals a day. The existing galley (Bldg. 207) and a vacant barracks will be demolished as part of the project, which is expected to be complete by October 2015. Source: Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Jan. 2, 2014.