Historic window replacement to begin

Its been a long time coming, with much back and forth between levels of government and command, but U.S. Army Garrison Fort Belvoir finally signed a Memorandum Agreement, June 9 that will see the majority of windows replaced in historic housing on post over the next two decades.

The construction could get under way by the end of July or early August, and will continue for the next 15 years as Soldiers move in and out of the historic units. The agreement also sets out a number of mitigations that the Fort Belvoir community will notice getting under way this summer.

The issue of historic windows came to the attention of Garrison Command in 2009, and it formed a partnership with the Directorate of Public Works, Fort Belvoir Residential Communities, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and the Virginia State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to draft a solution to replace and rehabilitate windows in the historic homes in Gerber, Jadwin, and Belvoir Villages. Some of the windows are as old as 80 years, but because they are designated as historic, replacing them is not as easy is popping them out and putting in new ones.

Those buildings are all held in stewardship for all people, technically. Theyre a resource. While people live in them now, theyre a part of our heritage, so the installation is required under the National Historic Preservation Act to protect them, said Christopher Daniel, Fort Belvoirs architectural historian, contracted through URS Corporation. Daniel manages Fort Belvoirs Cultural Resource Program, part of the Directorate of Public Works Environmental and Natural Resources Division.

When FBRC took over housing on post in 2003, residents identified more pressing concerns, such as the need to upgrade kitchens and bathrooms in the historic units. The renovation of windows was put off; until Col. Gregory D. Gadson became the garrison commander in 2012 and identified it as a priority. Gadson said he believed the Soldiers living in the units deserved better.

When I first heard about the problem, it wasnt acceptable. Were asking for something that was not to standard, Gadson said. If you were living in a civilian economy, you wouldnt be paying that kind of rent for windows that didnt work, and beside that, I felt very strongly that it was a safety hazard. I didnt think it was a good idea to continue to let this problem fester and not have a solution.

That was what really encouraged us to come up with a plan of attack to tackle this issue, said Casey Nolan, project director for Clark Realty Capital, who has partnered with FBRC. He added that some complaints began to come in from residents, as well.

Residents reported windows with peeling paint, and some that didnt open at all. Nolan said FBRC ensured that every room had at least one working window in case of an emergency, but the windows were simply maintained as is, according to Daniel.

The windows on all our houses have just been left in a maintenance state, so theyve been painted, maintained, but they havent gotten an overhaul, Daniel said. All the windows were in a myriad of states, either okay, not great, or werent opening. That isnt a good state to be in if were serving our Soldiers and their Families.

And so, the partnership was formed. Daniel said the solution wasnt as simple as replacing all the windows, or rehabilitating all of them.

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Historic window replacement to begin