Ceremony scheduled for opening of new ATC Tower Published Aug. 3, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Chelsea Smith 94th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- The newly constructed air traffic control tower opened here Aug. 1. To commemorate the opening, a ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled to be held Aug. 9 at 9 a.m. at base operations. The $7.5 million, nine-story tower will encompass 7,000 square feet of land and include state-of-the-art restroom facilities, shower and locker areas, administrative areas, training room and break room for air traffic controllers beginning Aug. 1. "Our old tower reached the end of its serviceable life," said Clancy Miller, Dobbins Air Field Operations Manager. "This new tower will be adequate for our requirements and viable for at least the next 40 to 50 years." Construction began on the tower in July 2010 as a joint project between Merrick & Company and New South Construction Company after receiving approval by Congress and the contract award Sept. 29, 2009. Towering 100 feet into the Marietta sky, the environmentally-friendly building built using the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design specifications stands 40-feet taller than its predecessor allowing better visibility and more efficient and sustainable space to maintain equipment, said Ken Williams, from the 94th AW/CE Squadron. In addition to its larger size and enhanced functionalities, the high-rise tower will also include an elevator, an amenity not found in the old tower, preventing workers from climbing over 180 stairs to reach work each day, said Miller. Modifications are also being made to provide sufficient stand-off distance, connection sidewalks, landscaping, and fencing. Last year, air traffic controllers conducted 70,118 operations making Dobbins the 12th busiest Air Force base in terms of traffic, Williams said. The previous tower, constructed in the 1950s, went through small renovations in the 1980s and is scheduled to close July 29. Demolition of the old tower will begin August 15 and be completed no later than Nov., Miller said.
