Travisville Park receives makeover

  • Published
  • By Maj. Vanessa Hillman
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  As Team Travis prepares to compete for the Commander-in-Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence on the Air Force level, they are still reaping the benefits of the award they received from last year's competition.

Members of the 60th Civil Engineering Squadron Prime Base Expeditionary Engineering Force team got an opportunity to design and execute a plan refurbishing the Travisville Park located between the Chapel Center and Youth Center. 

"The park is going to be a big draw, because children will be able to play on the grass instead of the weeds and prickers that had been there previously," said 2nd Lt. Brett Bailey 60th CES project programmer and overall plan manager. "We're hoping to provide a better place for families and squadrons to gather and have weekend socials or barbecues." 

The $75,000 project was selected by wing leadership to help beautify what used to be an eye sore by refurbishing the current pavilion, building another one and adding an irrigation system to the park. 

"Wing leadership wanted to ensure the money was spent so that all Team Travis members could enjoy the benefits," said Lt. Col. Wade Lawrence, 60th CES commander. "The idea of Travisville Park is a huge win/win/win: it provides a great location for folks to relax with their units or families, it saves the government money by having in-house personnel perform the work, and it is also superb wartime skills training for our crack Prime BEEF troops." 

The training benefit to the Prime BEEF Airmen was something other than the day-to-day training they usually see, and helped demonstrate teamwork at its finest. 

"The Travisville Project offered a lot of training for the utilities shop we don't typically get to do," said Airman 1st Class Cody Kincade, 60th CES utility journeyman. "We don't get to do a lot if installations. Usually we just do a lot of fix and repairs by ourselves. On this project, all of the shops worked together which benefited the whole squadron." 

In addition, Airman Kincade explained, it gave him a unique learning opportunity. 

"This [project] gave me a chance to show that I can work well as a team as well as lead," he said. "I got a chance to be the crew lead on a couple of the projects and was given some of the newer Airmen to work with. It gave me a better overview of handling jobs and has helped me become more of a problem-solver. Plus, teaching new Airmen, keeping them deployment ready and helping with their upgrade training made me feel good because I was trusted more and given more responsibility. It's a good feeling." 

The improvements in the park included new picnic tables, benches and pathways similar to the Duck Pond. 

"The biggest highlight is it is an extension of the Duck Pond and gives families another option as to what the base has to offer," said Master Sergeant David Tolle, 60th CES structural planner non-commissioned officer in charge. "It's a great location that has needed the time and attention for a long time." 

Another highlight of the project was the addition of lighting in the park. 

"The pathway lighting was designed to allow families to utilize the park after the sun goes down," Sergeant Tolle said. "But, it also adds a level of security to the park to help security forces to patrol the area and help prevent vandalism, ensuring the longevity of the park to benefit the base community for years to come." 

Overall the Travisville Park remodel, which is scheduled to be complete towards the end of November, is en example of how the leadership and Civil Engineers give back to the community. 

"With the improvements the grass will grow a lot greener and the ascetics of the park will encourage families to bring their children there for fun," said Airman Kincade. "They won't be squished in the pavilions because they can't play in the grass."