Prior to 1999, Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) would replace an aging housing facility by demolishing the existing housing unit and depositing the building materials in the nearest landfill. Working with Operation Walking Shield, a non-profit organization created to alleviate poverty on Native American reservations, Malmstrom AFB will relocate 200 housing units to various Native American reservations throughout the State of Montana. To date, 92 housing units have been relocated to three Native American reservations, with another 108 to be relocated in the future. For their efforts, the Department of the Air Force has been awarded the 2002 GSA Achievement Award for Real Property Innovation in the Best Practice category.
The partnership will provide much needed housing for these Native American tribes, while Malmstrom AFB will comply with environmentally mandated waste reduction laws by reusing the housing units instead of demolishing them and dumping them in the local landfill. In addition, the Air Force will save over $5 million in demolition and disposal costs.
For more information, contact Ms. Cindy L. O’Connell at (406) 731-6209 or via e-mail at cindy.oconnell@malmstrom.af.mil
