Then and Now - Motorpool
Building 50 - Motorpool
When the Calumet Air Force Station was in operation, the motorpool building served as the storage and maintenance shop for all of the Air Force's equipment and vehicles on the property. This included their dedicated firetruck, ambulance, construction and maintenance equipment, and any jeeps and trucks assigned to the station. It is a simple block building like many others on the property, and the first section was constructed early on in the history of the station. Blueprints show it was already there in 1960, prior to some of the houses and barracks buildings. The motorpool was equipped with a hydraulic lift, tool crib, offices, and eight garage stalls. Initially the building was constructed with only three stalls, but an addition in 1966 or 1967 added three more (the six total seen in the left picture above) and a further addition added two more at some date after that.
According to some sources we have spoken to, when the Calumet Air Force Station began the process of closing down in 1988, the motorpool was one of the last buildings still in use. When all of the other facilities had been shut down, a new septic system was installed in this building just for the few remaining workers who were on the premises. When the station finally closed down in September of 1988, the motorpool was left abandoned like all of the other structures on the property.
Building 50 Today
As soon as we started working on the property, we knew the motorpool building would be a good starting point. We needed a place to store our tools and material and we needed it to be easy to secure from people and the elements. It was just a matter of boarding up the few windows, welding shut a couple of doors, and installing some locks on the others. A few very noticeable security cameras and warning signs helped to deter anyone who did trespass on the property and gave us early warning before they could mess with any of our stuff. The building is ideal because it is perfectly located near all of the crucial infrastructure on the property. Existing power lines reach all the way to the building so it was relatively simple to get electricity hooked up again. The existing septic tanks and drain field are nearby when it comes time to hook those up, and the fresh water cistern is close by and should hopefully make that process much easier as well.
The building itself has seen better days though. As with everything else on the property, all of the glass windows have been smashed out and the glass scattered everywhere. The bricks and masonry are cracked and damaged in several places. The drain pipe from the flat roof is plugged up and leaking into the main room too. But we have cleaned out all the trash and debris and begun working on repairs. Most of the roll-up doors still work and we managed to get our dump truck and flatbed truck parked inside. We've begun organizing our tools, equipment, and building materials and are now using this as our temporary headquarters. After the electricians installed new breaker panels and UPPCO connected the power, we even have a few work lights and outlets for our tools now!
