CMAdvisor May/June 2010 - 7

An aerial view of Fort Belvoir with the new 1.2 million-square-foot Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in the foreground.
PHOTO CREDIT: MARC BARNES, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

The multi-billion dollar expansion of a strategically critical army post, with a global mission to support u.S. defense through vital logistical, intelligence and administration services, represents a dramatically different landscape than a typical development program. Imagine the program management necessary to coordinate designers, contractors, sub-contractors, and hundreds of stakeholders who are involved in permitting, designing, constructing, and delivering more than a 100 projects—all on an accelerated schedule. Such a colossal program is currently underway on historic Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, Va. despite its size, this program shares two key elements with any other well-managed program: Innovation and teamwork.

$4 Billion BRAC Program
Under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act, approximately 19,300 new personnel— along with more than 6 million square feet of new facility space and over 14,000 new parking spaces—will be added to Fort Belvoir property. Fort Belvoir’s $4 billion transformation will include 140 new projects spread across 8,500 acres. Major new buildings currently under construction will house the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital (FBCH), the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), and other important tenants. To comply with BRAC, the expansion must meet an accelerated five-year schedule that ends in September 2011. The transformation is so expansive that the North Atlantic Division (NAD) of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers engaged four of its seven districts— Baltimore, New England, New York, and Norfolk— to execute it. Additionally, it established the Belvoir Integration Office (BIO) to support the NAD Districts in administering and executing the projects. The BIO is responsible for coordinating and integrating between the post and the Corps, and across the various district projects. Transportation, environmental issues and traffic mitigation are high priorities for the BIO as it supports the new facilities on Fort Belvoir. The office of Fort Belvoir’s Deputy Garrison Commander for Transformation and BRAC is overseeing the projects with Fort Belvoir’s Directorate of Public Works (DPW). Extensive coordination and communication is also necessary between more than 30 key stakeholders, including the Corps of Engineers, NGA, MDA, FBCH, Office of the Administrative Assistant of the Secretary of the Army (OAA), the Washington Headquarters

Service (WHS), and hundreds of project personnel, regulatory agencies, and community groups. To assist the Department of the Army and Fort Belvoir with planning, conceptual design, engineering, and program integration services for the Fort Belvoir expansion, Belvoir New Vision Planners (BNVP) was established. The BNVP is a joint venture between managing partner PBS&J and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLP. The BNVP team provides an array of services including engineering and siting analysis, planning and conceptual design, scheduling analysis and coordination, risk assessment, transportation analysis, information management, stakeholder coordination, public outreach, strategic communications, and facilitation for decision-making and resolution of issues. The BNVP team also ensures that all development follows the installation’s master plan. BNVP has assembled a project team of 18 companies, including sub-consultants Dewberry; Travesky and Associates, Ltd; John Milner Associates, Inc.; and Paciulli, Simmons and Associates, Ltd. Dewberry provides expertise in engineering, force protection, risk assessment, and permitting. Travesky and Associates works closely with the Fort Belvoir Public Affairs Office and the BIO to assist with community outreach activities, monthly newsletters, and the program’s public website. John Milner Associates has identified and evaluated the nearby Woodlawn Historic District with the goal of avoiding adverse effects of new construction in the residential neighborhood. Paciulli, Simmons and Associates have provided environmental program support for land, watershed, and ecosystem management. The BNVP team also assists the garrison to ensure that all development follows the garrison’s master plan. Preliminary planning and conceptual engineering

Transforming Fort Belvoir:
Teamwork Builds World-Class Center
CMAdvisor May/June
By Colonel Mark Moffatt, Deputy Garrison Commander for Transformation and BRAC, and Regan P. McDonald, PE, PBS&J Senior Project Manager

CMAdvisor May/June

CMAdvisor May/June 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CMAdvisor May/June 2010