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thedrifter
12-26-05, 06:01 AM
Marines plan to speed up process
December 26,2005
BY CHRIS MAZZOLINI
DAILY NEWS STAFF

An asphalt pad being constructed aboard New River Air Station near U.S. 17 will make it easier for troops to prepare for deployment.

The staging area, which is being built near the Air Station's small gate along U.S. 17, will make it easier for departing squadrons or other personnel to load their gear onto trucks as they make their way to the far corners of the globe, said Dave Turner, the air station's facilities manager.

The pad will roost on about 1.75-acres of air station land. It will feature a covered shed that will enable troops to sort their gear without concern for foul weather. It will be accompanied by a small office, and large scales designed for weighing loaded trucks will be grafted in the asphalt.

Workers from Jacksonville's ITZ Construction Inc. have been busy clearing trees and preparing the ground for construction. The pad was originally expected to be done in March, but design changes have pushed the deadline back until July, Turner said.

The project is expected to cost anywhere from $537,000 to $680,000, Turner said.

With so many squadrons embarking for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Turner said a place designed specifically for sorting and loading equipment will help preparations immensely.

For example, departing squadrons will often use the Marine Corps Exchange parking lot to sort their gear and load the trucks.

"Especially since the war, it's really been a problem," Turner said. "We had an entire aircraft (Marine Air Group) go out of here. When you have that kind of deployment, the logistics are horrible - trying to do it out on the flight line, or beside the hangars or inside the hangars. Now we don't have to have semis out there by the flight line, or at the Exchange.

"It's just a nice compact place for that purpose."