Western States lands job to update Fairchild hangar

Journal of Business, Mar 22, 2007 by McLean, Mike

Western States Construction Inc., of Valleyford, Wash., has been awarded a contract to renovate a hangar at Fairchild Air Force Base used by an Army National Guard helicopter maintenance crew.

Western State's bid was $832,000, nearly 40 percent above the Washington state Military Department's $600,000 estimate, but the project will be funded, says Jim Cortner, who is the project manager for Cortner Architectural Co., of Spokane, which designed the project.

The project is to include new offices for mechanics and crews, updated lighting, and new epoxy coating for the concrete floor surface. About 5,000 square feet of the 20,000 square feet of floor space in the hangar will be converted into office space, says Ray Cortner, owner of Cortner Architectural.

"We're putting offices in the back and cleaning it up for Army National Guard helicopters," he says.

The helicopter maintenance crew was relocated there last spring from the Geiger Field complex south of Spokane International Airport.

Jim Cortner says the hangar will house up to four helicopters and about 12 maintenance personnel.

He says he expects Western States to begin construction about April 1. The project is expected to take about three months to complete.