SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO
Housing on Holloman AFB getting major upgrades
On-base housing company puts $14M into renovations, utility improvements
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Thousands of service members and family members on Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo are seeing major upgrades to housing and infrastructure, owing to a $14 million project addressing nearly 1,100 homes over five years.
Soaring Heights Communities is operated by Tennessee-based Centinel Public Partnerships. Its investments include upgrades to homes such as new plumbing, lighting and appliances; utility improvements, including new water lines where needed to ensure reliable service; and water-efficient xeriscaping for homes and community space.
Congress introduced housing on military installations to the private sector with the Military Housing Privatization Initiative . At the time, the Department of Defense reported that most of its family housing was in poor shape and would require about $20 billion in appropriations and 40 years to mitigate under the military鈥檚 processes. Instead, the MHPI introduced funding and programs for private operators to build, maintain and manage family housing.
In an interview, Soaring Heights Project Director Dan Krunglevich said that as underground utility work proceeds, he has been working with internet provider TDS Broadband Service on expanding fiber infrastructure for the community, although families are still able to choose among internet or satellite providers.
The features include an inclusive playground in response to requests from families, providing a central space for gathering and play, with equipment accessible for children with a range of physical and developmental abilities.
The park鈥檚 design included collaboration with the Exceptional Family Member Program, overseeing access to support programs and educational resources for military families with special needs.
Krunglevich served for 26 years in the Air Force 鈥� he was assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque for a time 鈥� and is now the project director for Soaring Heights residential communities at Holloman as well as Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.
Krunglevich said the project鈥檚 target tenants are active duty service members assigned to that base and their families, while availability for other tenants is extended if the number of vacant units reaches a certain threshold.
Water conservation in parched southern New Mexico was a priority in the landscape鈥檚 design, he said: a combination of gravel, ground cover and drought-tolerant plants. The maintenance is provided by the company rather than the residents.
鈥淲e use a list that the Air Force kind of dictates on what plants they will authorize on the installation, because they can't be poisonous and whatnot,鈥� Krunglevich said. 鈥淚f we do plant anything new 鈥� and this is my rule 鈥� we will not drip-irrigate it for longer than two years. If it has to be drip irrigated for longer than two years, then it's not happening on the installation.鈥�
The water upgrades have also allowed for a refurbished splash park with new water features and splash pad that opened with a ribbon-cutting celebration July 8.
The renovations proceed in approximately 30-day phases with only five to 10 housing units unavailable at a time as new flooring, carpeting, countertops and newer, more energy-efficient appliances are installed.
Generally, those appliances include electric ovens. Krunglevich said most residents were content to move past cooking over a natural gas flame.
鈥淚n the last three years, two residents really wanted a gas stove rather than electric; but it鈥檚 not anything I would give 100% attention to or modify the infrastructure of a home for,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople tend to like what we're doing and why we're doing it for the reliability, the resilience and the effect on the grid.鈥�
Algernon 顿鈥橝尘尘补蝉蝉补 is the Journal鈥檚 southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.
