Community initiative makes dorm renovation project a success

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RAF ALCONBURY, United Kingdom --  July marked the grand opening celebration of a 423rd Air Base Group Dormitory renovation and morale project collaborated on by the dormitory manager, chaplain services, 423rd Civil Engineer Squadron and the 423rd Air Base Group Enlisted Spouses Club. 

The project created five "common area" rooms for residents including a prayer and meditation room, a theater, a video gaming room, bible study room and sports den. "We want to increase the quality of life for the single and unaccompanied housing residents," said (Capt.) Chaplain David Zavala, 423rd Air Base Group Chaplain. "We want to give them a common area to have recreation and build friendships as well as provide a spiritual component to the dormitory." 

While the Chapel sponsors the theater, bible study, prayer and meditation and video gaming room, the dormitory manager, Technical Sgt. Phillip Allen, created the sports den. 

"The single and unaccompanied housing manger (dorm manager) took the lead on these renovations and common areas," said Linda Bowyer, Chief of Unaccompanied Housing for the 423rd Air Base Group. "He has been instrumental in renovating these rooms, mainly with a shoe-string budget." 

Allen was responsible for much of the painting, electrical, carpet, and wood work, as well as recovering the billiards table and creating the décor.
The 423rd Air Base Group Enlisted Spouses Club donated the sports equipment that Allen used to decorate the walls in the sports den. 

"Phillip has worked way over and beyond normal manger duty," said Bowyer. "He's done fantastic work, and the amount of imagination and enthusiasm he's put in to do it has been amazing." 

The sports den's signature feature is the "car door" (found at a local dump) that has been refurbished with LED lighting that reads "sports den." 

The project has been met with huge compliments from dorm residents.
"The dorm residents have been extremely impressed, as well as the dormitory council members," said Bowyer. "In their words it is 'awesome.'"