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Maxwell, Gunter to streamline housing February 6, 2009 Maxwell, Gunter to streamline housing By Jenn Rowell Montgomery Advertiser More than 200 homes are being demolished at Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex, and five new homes are being built at Gunter. The changes are a result of a government study that found there are currently 723 homes, but only 501 are needed at the two bases, said Starla Wilson, community director for The Landings at Maxwell/Gunter. The base turned over all of its housing units in 2007 to Pinnacle Hunt Communities, a joint venture of California-based Pinnacle AMS Development Co. and Hunt Development Group of El Paso. It's part of a Defense Department-wide effort to privatize base housing. The Maxwell housing is part of a $287 million deal that includes five other bases in the South and Southwest and the lease arrangement is for 50 years. Construction of the five new homes at Gunter and a community center at Maxwell is currently under way. The Maxwell center is slated for completion this summer, and sometime in the next year, the field grade student housing near the center will be demolished. An Olympic sized soccer field will take its place. A maintenance shop and self-help center is also going up behind the community center. That's where residents can get lawn mowers, air filters, landscaping materials and other items if they want to do that themselves, versus put in a work order, Wilson said. Pinnacle handles lawn care for all residents, except those with fenced-in backyards. Those residents are responsible for their own lawn care, but they can get equipment and materials at the self-help center. The houses being demolished aren't in great condition, Wilson said. Most of the remaining homes are undergoing various levels of renovation. At Maxwell, the junior noncommissioned officer housing units are getting garage enclosures. Some are getting new kitchens, as well as touch -ups inside and out. The bungalows are two-bedroom houses. At Gunter, the two bedroom homes will be converted to three bedrooms and the three-bedroom homes will be converted to four bedrooms, Wilson said. The historical plantation style homes at Maxwell are also getting some care. Those homes considered architecturally historic were built in the 1930s in a French style with elements of Italian revival style. They have red ceramic tile roofs and wrought iron stair railing. Some were completely gutted in 1995. They're just getting touch ups. The others are getting new bathrooms and kitchens and some smaller areas, similar to old-fashioned servant's quarters, may be converted into additional bedrooms, Wilson said. Homes near the Bell Street gate are also being demolished and that land will be returned to the government, reducing costs to Pinnacle Hunt, Wilson said. |
