Children explore a classroom in the reopened Child Development Center at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 10, 2024. (Audree Campbell/U.S. Air Force)
The Child Development Center at Andersen Air Force Base reopened this month, concluding one of the last major on-base repairs one year after a major typhoon struck Guam.
The center closed two days before the eye of Typhoon Mawar, a Category 4 storm, passed just north of the U.S. territory on May 24, 2023, 36th Wing spokeswoman 1st Lt. Ariana Wilkinson said by email Tuesday.
The center was significantly damaged by the storm, which brought heavy rain, flooding and wind gusts of up to 167 mph.
Brig. Gen. Thomas Palenske, commander of Andersen’s 36th Wing, ceremoniously reopened the center May 10, several weeks ahead of schedule, Wilkinson said. It provides day care and enrichment programs for ages 6 weeks to 5 years old.
Mawar damaged the center’s interior walls, windows, heating, refrigeration, and ventilation and air conditioning system and left the building contaminated with mold and mildew, Wilkinson said. Most of the classroom furniture had to be replaced due to water damage.
Airmen and their families attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the renewed Child Development Center at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 10, 2024. (Audree Campbell/U.S. Air Force)
Airmen and their families walk through the renewed Child Development Center at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 10, 2024. (Audree Campbell/U.S. Air Force)
“The biggest setback for reopening was the challenge of operating the CDC while preparing for the move and necessary inspections,” center director Ana Kosko said in a May 15 news release. “Acquiring specific furniture and equipment which is not available in Guam, that had to be delivered through freight forwarders, also contributed to the delay.”
While the center was down for more than 11 months, its services weren’t entirely unavailable. Infant and pretoddler classrooms were moved to Andersen’s school-age care facility and were available to families with mission-essential personnel on June 26, Wilkinson said.
Toddler and preschool classrooms relocated to Andersen Elementary School for mission-essential families on July 10, she added.
The repair time, while inconvenient for many families, allowed for “enhancements and major improvements,” including new flooring, furniture and alarm system, according to the release.
The renovations mark one of the last major projects to be completed following last year’s typhoon, but not the last. Repairs continue for Andersen’s passenger terminal.
The terminal is operational, Wilkinson said, but its services have been moved to portable office buildings. Construction and renovation on the passenger terminal are expected to be completed by July 2026.
“We’re rebuilding the base to make it more resistant and more resilient,” she said in a follow-up phone call Tuesday.
