JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The Arctic Warrior Chapel closed its doors for renovations in February but will reopen the beginning of August.
The chapel, on the Richardson side of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, facilitates religious services as well as Army and Air Force functions. The renovations have improved safety and the quality of service provided by the chaplain corps.
“A lot of the money invested went to asbestos abatement,” said Air Force Capt. Brian Musselman, 673d Air Base Wing chaplain. “It was a very old chapel.
“There were tears in the carpet, kitchen countertops were falling apart and pest control was setting traps for rodents,” Musselman said. “All of these were attributed to the age. We needed to fix anything that was outdated, run-down or not safe. From the hallway to the stairs there was paint chipping off the wall. Every week we had approximately five events with hundreds of people. It wasn’t really as safe as it needed to be. [Addressing the issues] creates much more safety and security.”
Other than fixing safety concerns, the quality of service they could provide also became better.
“Aesthetically it’s more pleasing,” Musselman said. “Also, we were limited; there were very few classrooms. We had our Wednesday night program called ‘Discovery’ where the entire Protestant chaplain community was invited to come partake of a meal and do a class. Now we have more classrooms for the event, more storage space and with the new expanded kitchen we can feed maybe 150 people instead of 100.
“Also, the lighting situation is better,” he said. “It was very difficult to change the light bulbs. You would have to get a lift to do it safely. Now they are LEDs so they last longer, give better light and are all on remote control. It’s much brighter and can be better controlled for services, special occasions, memorials, and so on. Not at a great expense either. It’s just newer technology.”
Musselman said the renovation cost approximately $440,000 but could have cost quite a bit more.
“We discussed replacing the pews,” he said. “That would have cost us $50,000 to $100,000 or more. But these pews have been here since the beginning. Instead we got volunteers from several groups and squadrons from around the installation to come help remove all the pews rather than hire a moving company. A group of volunteers refinished them, which saved us another $40,000 to $60,000.”
Musselman said there have been several iterations of the chapel. He said the first one started in the 1940s. The main chapel, classrooms and north wing were built. It was renovated in 1962, when Musselman believes stained-glass windows were installed. He also said there was a remodel in 1975 and a sound-system installation in 2005.
After all the efforts to improve safety and services while keeping costs low, the chaplain said he is ready for the chapel to reopen.
“It really presents a more welcoming environment now,” Musselman said.