February 2025 held some of the coldest days seen at Fort McCoy in years. Below-zero temperatures hovered for many days mid-month while also several snow events hitting the post as well and none it stopped construction efforts on the fourth four-story transient training troops barracks project at Fort McCoy.

The project, also referred to as the East Barracks Project, was list at 27 percent complete as March 2025 began, said Nathan Butts with the Resident Office of the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort McCoy.

As of Feb. 28, the date of Butts’ most current update on the project, contractors with L.S. Black Constructors were moving right along with framing and sheeting work and more.

“Metal framing in the middle section floors continues,” Butts wrote about the project Feb. 28. “Contractor has enclosed and is heating areas where concrete placement is occurring to maintain required temperatures.

“Exterior sheeting continues. Rebar placement continues. North section structural details (are) being completed. (And) mechanical, electrical, and plumbing rough-in continues,” Butts wrote.

Since May 2024, construction of this barracks have been nonstop by the contractor who was awarded the project in February 2024. The exact contract amount for the project when it was awarded was $27,287,735.

As the workers with L.S. Black Constructors work on this project, they can look over at two other barracks they constructed in the same block. They are a familiar name in the construction history at Fort McCoy, having not only built the first two of the 60,000-square-foot transient training troops barracks, but they also built the new brigade headquarters building located in the same block as the barracks buildings.

The contract duration is scheduled for completion in 780 calendar days, Army Corps of Engineer contract documents show. “Current contract completion date is April 24, 2026,” Butts also wrote.

From the building description, when complete, the building will be able to house up to 400 people like the other completed barracks in the same block. According to the scope of work, it’s going to be “made of permanent construction with reinforced concrete foundations; concrete floor slabs; structural steel frames; steel stud infill; masonry veneer walls; prefinished standing seam metal roofing; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning capabilities; plumbing; mechanical systems; and electrical systems. Supporting facilities include land clearing, concrete sidewalk paving, general site improvements, and utility connections.”

Work also continues as 2025 begins by the contractor to prepare a large swath of the 1600 block on Fort McCoy’s cantonment area to construct the fiscal year 2024-funded $55.75 million Collective Training Officers Quarters Project by contractor BlindermanPower (Construction).

Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works planning officials said all the construction is done with projects on this part of Fort McCoy, it will demonstrate a major transformation of the block and hold lots of barracks space for troops training at the installation.

See more news about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by visiting https://www.usace.army.mil/Media/News.

Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.”

Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.

The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”