Drum dedicates apartment units
FORT DRUM — The new apartment-style housing for single soldiers on post is another way to bring generations of 10th Mountain Division soldiers together.
The 192-apartment complex, called The Timbers, was dedicated to the World War II soldiers on skis during a ceremony Tuesday afternoon.
The four buildings are named after four mountains — Vail, Aspen, Whiteface and Pico Peak — that 10th Mountain Division World War II veterans trained on and are credited with developing for recreational skiing purposes.
"The division was founded as an innovative division during World War II and they were trained to ski down mountains," said Maj. Gen. Michael L. Oates, commanding general of Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division. "That innovation is not dead in our Army and this project is a great example of that."
The Timbers' units were constructed and will be managed by Actus Lend Lease LLC and are designed for single soldiers ranking staff sergeant or above. The apartments are one- and two-bedroom and are Energy Star-rated. Construction, which cost about $28 million, began in July 2007. The first tenant moved in in early March.
"It's about the convenience. It affords me time after physical training in the morning to get ready before work and not rush — and I can come home during lunch if I want." said 1st Lt. Yumi H. Cooper, an officer with the 10th Brigade Support Battalion Medical Service Corps, right after she moved in. "Even if I lived off post and was 10 minutes away, driving conditions can be bad. My office is only two minutes away from here, so even if my car doesn't start I can get to work."
The Timbers is part of a pilot program to build apartment-style housing on post for single soldiers. There are four other projects in different stages of construction and occupancy across all branches of the military.
Ivan G. Bolden, chief of the Public-Private Initiatives Division of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management, made the trip from Washington, D.C., for the dedication ceremony and said that he "really got the wow effect" from the project.
"We chose Fort Drum for this project because it is an enduring installation with a great command climate," said Mr. Bolden during the ceremony. "Providing quality housing has become extremely important to our Army and we have made a pledge to provide commiserate housing for our soldiers and families. This project is the completion of that pledge to our single soldiers and to improving their quality of life."
The ceremony brought back veterans who had served with the division during World War II and who helped to pioneer the recreational skiing industry. Bill Morrison, upstate New York president of the 10th Mountain Division Association, told the crowd that following the war, veterans from the division scattered across the country and began skiing instruction and ski slope development and paved the way for the current industry.
"Many spent their weekend pass time by packing their skis, their clothes, some grub into their rucksack and headed out for more skiing, and that led to the discovery of the Vail ski area in Colorado," Mr. Morrison said. "No matter where you ski in the U.S., you can almost be certain that there was a 10th Mountain veteran there before you."
