1958-1960
Cottonwood Chronicle News Articles
These 1958 - 1960 articles and highlights from the Cottonwood Chronicle depict chronological progression of construction to the activation of Cottonwood Air Force Station. I found no articles prior to these 1958 articles - Dick Konizeski
Clayton Phelps, procurement
officer at Geiger Field, Spokane, reported that five bids were opened Friday at
Spokane for construction of a 27-unit housing development at Cottonwood, for
housing personnel to be assigned to duty at Cottonwood Butte Radar Station. Bids
opened by the Air Force ranged from a low of $382,550 to a high of $432,559.
The Air Force had estimated cost of the work at an average of $13,500 per unit,
or a total of $364,500. Contract award was estimated to be in the last week in
March, with work beginning when weather permits.
The contractor will be
given 180 work days, or 36 weeks, to complete the job. The bids differed widely
as to materials and design, but all of the plans called for frame construction.
The project will include one
four-bedroom officer`s quarters, six three-bedroom officer`s quarters, and 20
three-bedroom airmen`s quarters.
Ten buildings, including
barracks for 150 men and officers quarters for 15, have already been built at
the radar station cantonment west of Cottonwood.
The US Army Corps of
Engineers at Seattle called for bids Friday for modification of hardware in
tile administration and dispensary building, the bachelor officer`s quarters
and airmen`s dormitories at the station. These bids will be opened March 20 at
the district engineer`s office in Seattle.
Contract award for tile 27
family-size houses adjacent to Cottonwood for Air Force personnel to be
stationed at the Cottonwood Butte Radar Station will take place April 21 or
shortly thereafter. Ground for the housing site has been purchased, and it is
hoped work will get underway shortly after contract award so the units can be
completed this year. Contract bids for Cottonwood Village to provide water and
sewer facilities for the housing project should be approved in about the same
time frame.
A contract was awarded to
Allied Construction Co., Spokane. Drilling for a large municipal well to assure
an adequate water supply was already in process.
Word was released today by
Sgt. Doug Sands that open house will be conducted Sunday, May 18, at the Radar
Cantonment area west of Cottonwood. Visitors may see the area between 10 a.m.
and 5 p.m.
The program is being
sponsored in recognition of Armed Forces Day. Tours will be conducted through
the area during the hours specified above. No doubt a very large number of
people will avail themselves of the opportunity to visit the area next Sunday.
May 22, 1958 WORK TO BEGIN ON HOUSING PROJECT CONTRACTORS
EXPECT TO HAVE WORK UNDERWAY IN FULL FORCE IN NEAR FUTURE
Preliminary work on the Air
Force housing project at Cottonwood got underway Wednesday when key men of
Allied Construction Co., Spokane arrived here after the company received notice
Tuesday to proceed.
Major Frank S. Palmer,
recently appointed commanding officer of the Cottonwood Radar Station, will
arrive here Monday, July 7, to take over his duties at the local station.
Prior to his new
assignment, Major Palmer had been with the 637th AC&W at Othello, Wash.
Also scheduled to arrive on
July 7 are Lt. Howe, and a contingent of men who will be part of men assigned
to the Station. The information was received Wednesday evening from Lt. Vann L.
Brown, of Geiger Field, Wash.
Lt. Brown reported that a
small contingent of Air Force personnel has been busy as of late installing
some of the radar equipment At the Cottonwood Station. A larger team is
scheduled to arrive here July 15 to complete this work and install auxiliary
generators and other equipment.
Final acceptance of the Station
by the Air Force is scheduled on or before July 15. However, the Station will
not be fully manned until such time as all equipment is installed and certain
minor construction contracts have been completed. A project has been let for a
water system to serve the upper station, and contracts have also to be let in
the near future for additions to the operations building. This work will be carried
on as rapidly as possible.
Contractors report work on
the housing project at Cottonwood is progressing and the 27 units will be
completed as rapidly as possible so the units are ready for occupancy when
needed.
Major and Mrs. F.S. Palmer
and children arrived in Cottonwood Tuesday evening and have leased the former
Calder residence where they will make their home. Major Palmer recently was
named Commanding Officer of the Cottonwood Radar Station. Prior to his new
assignment, he had been stationed at Othello, Wash. Among others Air Force
personnel who arrived in Cottonwood recently from Geiger Field, Spokane, are
Lt. Orrin K Howe, 1st Sgt Stiles, and Sgts Bellas and Leach. Lt. and Mrs. Howe
are making their home in apartments at the Mrs. Nick Bieren residence. Others
assigned to duty have leased residences or apartments in town.
Major Palmer reported a
cadre of 14 air Force men are now stationed at Cottonwood and their work at
this time is to set up the cantonment area for future occupancy. This work
includes setting up the supply section, the motor pool, the mess arranging
schedules, and taking care of many other phases of preliminary work to ready
the camp for occupancy. It is believed all preliminary work at the camp will be
completed in six to eight weeks. However, the camp will not be activated until
such time as all contracts have been completed at the operations site and
technical equipment is installed and ready for use.
Major Palmer stated
barracks furniture for the camp has not arrived and the barracks area cannot be
occupied until such time as this equipment is in place. It is believed the camp
will not be activated until the 27-unit housing project also has been
completed.
Major Palmer told the
Chronicle force that both he and Mrs. Palmer are natives of the Inland Empire.
They will make their home at Cottonwood for at least one year and possibly for
two years. Most of the military personnel to be stationed at Cottonwood will
spend from 18 months to two years here, depending in part on their enlistment
term.
July 2, 1959 BIDS OPENED
FOR NEW RADAR TOWER
SEATTLE FIRM LOW FOR
CONSTRUCTION OF FOURTH UNIT ON COTTONWOOD BUTTE
Canaday Construction Co of
Seattle, Wash was apparent low bidder for construction of a fourth radar tower
at the Cottonwood Butte Radar Station. The Seattle district of the U.S. Army
corps of Engineers gave the announcement last week after bids were opened at
Seattle.
Canaday Construction Co.
Placed a low bid pf $649,499 for the project. The Air Force plans also call for
installation of other equipment, which will bring total cost of the project to
more than $1 million.
The article goes on to say:
At the present time the 822nd Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron operates
three radar towers on Cottonwood Butte. All three are enclosed in rubberized
bubble covers. The new tower would increase the squadron`s capabilities of
tracking and identifying planes and provide broader coverage, the Air Force
said.
According to Army
Engineers, the contractor will have about 10 days to begin work after the
project after the contract is let.
It is expected to complete
construction of the tower and installation of the tower and installation of
electrical and radar equipment by next summer.
Verl Rutter,
engineer-superintendent for Canaday Construction Co. Of Seattle, Wash, arrived
in Cottonwood last Wednesday to start preliminary work on the new radar
building and tower programmed for Cottonwood Butte Radar Station.
Mr. Rutter stated the first
work to be undertaken will be to dismantle one of the present towers at the
site. The new installation will be erected on that portion of the site. The
Ogden Material division of the Air Force has completed work of removing the
technical equipment from the tower and Canaday Construction Co. was given an
extended contract to dismantle the present tower. It is understood the tower
will be erected again, but whether at the local station or elsewhere has not
been determined.
Rutter stated construction
of the new structure will require a year or more, and cost of construction will
be approximately $700,000. No estimate was given as to total cost of the new
unit when technical equipment is installed. Canaday Construction Co.`s contract
is solely for the erection of the new building. A crew of men will start the
dismantling of the old tower the first of next week.
Mr. Rutter stated the
preliminary crew will be small. Crews will be enlarged as the project
progresses and additional men are needed. Plans are to rush work as rapidly as
possible to get as much construction done as possible while good weather
prevails. Rutter said Canaday Construction Co. will provide key men on the
crews, but it is planned to hire local labor for much of the personnel on the
job.
The construction
superintendent stated much of the project is termed "classified" and
it was not permissible to give details as to size of type of building to be
erected under the present contract.
Major Frank S. Palmer,
Commander of Cottonwood Radar Station, reported the new unit is the very latest
in the radar detection set-up and employs new techniques and equipment that are
strictly "classified". In fact, crews will have to be specially
trained to operate the unit as it will be one of the first of its kind to go
into service in the AC&W system.