Supporting the Mission at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center Mississippi

ESA South is currently working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a $24.5 million project to renovate and remodel two facilities at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, Mississippi.

This facility was established in 1917 in preparation for our nation’s entry into World War I. Today, it has the distinction of being the largest state-owned military training center in the United States. The camp is 134,000 acres in size sprawling across three counties in southeast Mississippi and is a field trainin- center for the M1 Abrams Tank, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, and the M109A6 Paladin Howitzer.

The facilities being renovated include Buildings 6505 B and 6505 C. These facilities play an instrumental role in the U.S. Army’s mission to supply equipment to armed forces worldwide and are pivotal in protecting national security. Project Manager Ann-Marie Schwaner put it succinctly: “This is a rewarding project for me because I know how important these facilities are to keeping these supplies moving worldwide.”

This design-build project was awarded to ESA South on October 10, 2022. Working with our design team, Dille Pollard Architects, the construction drawings were approved by the government on September 8, 2023, with construction commencing shortly thereafter. Additional scope of work has been identified for this project, including the necessity to abate significant amounts of lead paint that was discovered throughout one of the facilities, and the necessity to lay a more robust, reinforced concrete foundation.

The scope includes:

• Cleaning and preparing steel in both buildings
• Submittal approvals from our architect and engineering team and the government
• Additional subcontractor mobilization
• Concrete placement
• Exterior bollards
• Exterior concrete
• Underground electrical distribution
• Cold form metal framing
• Spray foam insulation
• Roof patching
• Metal panel installation
• Paint and prime
• Fence installation
• Structural steel construction
• And electrical wiring.

“ESA is putting a lot of support behind completing this project,” said Schwaner. “Our subcontractors are focused on the schedule and budget, and we expect a completion date in 2025.”