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Department of Homeland Security Gets New Facility in Gulfport

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS071121-02
Release Date: 11/21/2007 10:55:00 AM

From Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast Public Affairs

GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- A new facility for the Gulfport Air and Marine Detachment of the Department of Homeland Security is near completion on Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport after Hurricane Katrina leveled the facility in 2005.

"The project scope is a major renovation of the old U.S. Marine Corps vehicle maintenance shop," said resident officer-in-charge of construction Gulfport Engineering Technician Jerry Dollar who is assigned to the project. "The contactor has done a remarkable job transforming this old facility."

The facility will house a joint maritime law enforcement contingency and provide maintenance capability for their boats and equipment.

Homeland Security's previous building was located at Jones Park, at the port of Gulfport. Hurricane Katrina completely leveled the old facility. Since then, they have operated from a temporary maintenance facility north of Interstate 10.

"The local governments were not ready to commit to a new location for us to rebuild, as the whole coast re-development plan was not decided. However, that worked to our benefit," said Les Jones, director of marine operations for the New Orleans Air and Marine Branch of the Department of Homeland Security. "We are extremely happy to be on board the base as we are now only five minutes from our boats."

The detachment operates small boat interdiction along the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico from the Louisiana –Texas border to Apalachicola, Fla. They also patrol the inland water ways that provide direct access to the Gulf of Mexico.

American Contractor & Technology (ACT), Inc., a small business company from Gulf Breeze, Fla., was awarded the $1.3 million dollar contract on Sept. 27, 2006. After the initial award, the new tenants requested numerous feature improvements and additions, raising the total value of the contract by $1.1 million, to a total of $2.4 million.

"ACT was very accommodating to the changes, and they did an excellent job working with ROICC to deliver a facility the end user wanted," said Dollar.

Homeland Security will take ownership of the building mid-December 2007.