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Leaders sign last steel beam for WHASC phase 1

  • Published
  • By Linda Frost
  • 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Another milestone was reached today in the construction of the new Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, part of the San Antonio Military Health System's objective to improve its military health care facilities and provide better access to care and treatment for its beneficiaries and their family members.

Medical leaders signed the last steel beam for the A wing structure, the first phase of the new WHASC construction project, which also includes a 1,000-car parking garage.

Maj. Gen. Byron Hepburn, commander or the 59th Medical Wing and director of SAMHS, and Chief Master Sgt. Richard Robinson, 59th MDW command chief, were the first to sign the beam in front of the construction site. Senior staff members also participated in the signing. Wing personnel were invited to sign their names throughout the day.

The last beam is typically signed before it is hoisted up to the top. A Topping Out ceremony is set for May 10 at the construction site when it will be placed on the A wing building.
 
Approximately 650 tons of steel columns and beams were placed in the A wing. The steel is fabricated in Elmendorf, Texas, using 60 to 90 percent recycled material from across the U.S.

The 681,000-square foot facility will have four wings, each three stories tall with a basement and house more than 40 outpatient clinics and services when completed. Construction of the state-of-the-art medical facility is projected to be completed in 2015. The current building will be demolished after the new WHASC is fully operational.