Plans finalized for new AFA Visitors Center; construction to start soon
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Nearly ten years after it was first envisioned, a new visitors center at the Air Force Academy is going to be a reality.
The $340 million project includes the center, hotel, restaurant, offices and other development on 57 acres of Academy property in front of the north gate entrance.
The new center will replace the existing center that opened in 1986.
"It's going to be a modern facility with interactive displays," said Mike Peterson, of Academy Outreach. "Some of the exhibits will be in the new center but most of them won't. We're extremely grateful for the public/private partnership that made this happen. We're excited about it."
Construction of roads and installation of utilities will start this spring, with work on the center and hotel to begin this summer; most of the project is scheduled for completion in 2024.
Having the center outside of the Academy proper will allow visitors easier access because the existing center is within the main gate that requires passage through a security checkpoint.
The project is the final facet of the City 4 Champions initiative that includes the Olympic & Paralympic Museum, Robson Arena, Weidner Field and the Sports Medicine & Performance Center.
Former Mayor Steve Bach led the effort starting in 2013 to complete the five venues, backed by $120.5 million in tourism taxes allocated from the state.
"I called (him) to tell him we finished the final steps to get the project started," said Mayor John Suthers, Bach's successor. "He said that he's very pleased."
A former Academy staff member was visiting the existing center with his wife -- a former Academy tour guide -- Thursday, and said that they'll miss it.
"But we're also glad about what's being done," said Dennis and Mary Gauci. "The Air Force Does things right, and we think it'll work out fine. We liked the old center partly because it's close to the rest of the Academy and everything's within walking distance."
The center project is being financed by the sale of bonds to investors, and the bond revenue will be repaid through a variety of sources.
Suthers said that the project, along with the other venues, will provide a significant boost to the area's tourism industry.
The new welcome center will be one of several Colorado welcome centers across the state, and Suthers said that a Colorado Springs welcome center could be part of the project.
