Start dates set for phase one of housing project Published Dec. 8, 2006 By 1st Lt Jason Bishop Public Affairs Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- The dates for phase one of the Vance family housing project were set during a pre-performance meeting Jan 20 and work is about to begin. The Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence awarded a task order to Hunt Building Company, Ltd to complete the first of three phases to replace or remodel the military family housing on Vance, Lt. Col. Robert Mitchell, 71 Mission Support Group deputy commander, said. The order, awarded Dec 24, is about a $10.5 million project to tear down and rebuild 54 houses in military family housing. The original plan for the first phase called for 59 homes to be replaced. However, that number had to be reduced to get under construction costs, Colonel Mitchell said. The Hunt construction team is scheduled to arrive here March 20 and begin tearing down houses April 4. Between those dates, Hunt will set up a fence separating the homes to be demolished and the homes still occupied. The timeline for the first phase of the project has an estimated completion date of April 2005. The current size of the housing being replaced located on the enlisted side and dating back to 1960, ranges from 1,142 square feet to 1,273 square feet. The new housing will be three- and four-bedroom, 100 percent brick, two-car garage and range between 1760 to more than 2,200 square feet. The new homes will be larger and nicer than the homes Vance currently has, Lew Hollis, a Vance civil engineer said. "Everyone will be very pleased with them," Mr. Hollis said. "We will be treating the enlisted better than (we treat) the commanders. There will be some envy going on." Colonel Mitchell agrees. "We're all going to be real happy with the homes." Colonel Mitchell said. "I would like to live in them."