Media Tour USAFA Construction Projects
If you measured all of the original external caulking used on the U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, it would stretch more than 30 miles. That’s about the distance between Colorado Springs and Pueblo. The Academy added caulking soon after the Chapel’s construction as a cost-effective attempt to stop water leaks. This interesting fact and many others were shared during a media tour of Academy infrastructure projects — about a half-billion dollars’ worth — on April 18.
Sites included North Gate construction projects — Hotel Polaris and Hosmer Visitor Center — as well as on-campus projects, including the new east club at Falcon Stadium, the construction of the Madera Cyber Innovation Center, and the ongoing renovation of the Chapel.
Hosmer Visitor Center
The tour began at the 32,000-square-foot Hosmer Visitor Center, named for the Academy’s first graduate and first alumni superintendent, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Bradley C. Hosmer ’59, and his spouse, Zita. The project, built by Colorado Springs-based GE Johnson Construction Company, is approaching 65% design-phase completion, according to Lisa Neener, USAFA’s chief of visitor experience and STEM outreach. She says about 17,000 square feet of the new visitor center will feature exhibits about the Academy and cadet life. Hosmer Visitor Center, part of the TrueNorth Commons development, will also serve as an official Colorado Welcome Center.
Neener explained, “Because it's a public/private partnership, there are phases that had to happen. So once this building is complete and they get a certificate of occupancy, we'll be able to take on the building for the Air Force Academy, and that's where we get to have the fun of outfitting the inside. And then we’re shooting to have it open to the public at the end of December 2025.”
Mark Hille ’97, CEO of the Association of Graduates and Air Force Academy Foundation, briefed the media at the Hosmer Visitor Center and Hotel Polaris. He spoke to the press in the center’s atrium, fog kissing the massive southwesterly-facing windows during a chilly spring morning.
“This place is amazing, and it's really a testament to public/private partnership here at the Air Force Academy,” Hille said. “It took the Air Force Academy, the United States Air Force, the state of Colorado, the city of Colorado Springs, and a lot of donors — graduates, parents and friends who care about the future of this institution — to bring this day into being.”
Dan Schnepf ’83, founder and president of Matrix Design Group in Colorado Springs, has been involved with reimagining the Academy’s North Gate for more than a decade. His tenacity in transforming the visitor experience has helped the TrueNorth Commons development become a reality. Jerry ’70 and Pam Bruni have also championed the TrueNorth Commons project, providing a significant gift for Hotel Polaris and the lead gift for the Hosmer Visitor Center. Both Dan Schnepf and Jerry Bruni serve on the Air Force Academy Foundation board of directors.
Hille went on to say, “To see the transformation of the North Gate here is really something special. And when I think about the Blue and Silver Development Partners organization that put this together and the many donors that came alongside, as well as our friends at the Air Force Academy, the leadership there that has made this possible — it's pretty stunning to see the creativity and innovation bring something new into being for the Air Force Academy and for our community. This is a critical part of the City for Champions effort, improving tourism here in the state and in our local community. And this facility is just going to be marvelous in serving our community.”
Hotel Polaris
The second stop on the media tour was just south, across the road from the Hosmer Visitor Center at Hotel Polaris, also a GE Johnson project. According to General Manager Curtis Bova, the 375-room hotel and conference center is planned to open to the public in early to mid-November.
“We haven't set a specific date yet as we know construction schedules can change,” Bova says. “So, we're being a little bit fluid with that, but we fully anticipate somewhere in the middle of [the fourth quarter of 2024].”
Bova listed several experiential highlights, including flight simulators; a spa; a terrace with a swimming pool, cabanas and fire pits; outdoor curling on artificial ice; and six eateries, including a 1950s soda shop and an upscale, ninth-floor restaurant and bar. Most of the amenities will be open to the public, he said.
In addition to the gift from the Brunis, Hugh ’64 and Nan Williamson made a significant contribution for Hotel Polaris. As these gifts and other donations support the hotel, Provident Resource Group can more quickly pay off the debt. Hotel ownership will then transfer to the AOG and Foundation, providing significant perpetual financial support for the Academy.
The AOG and Foundation exist to support the Academy, serve graduates and preserve the heritage of the institution and Long Blue Line.
“For decades and decades to come, this hotel will provide a place for graduates, parents and friends to stay,” Hille said. “We’ll be a resource and provide support back to the Academy — tens of millions of dollars on an annual basis.
East Club at Falcon Stadium
Construction continues on the new east club and other upgrades at Falcon Stadium. The east club addition will include 1,200 premium seats, a streamlined ticketing and entrance experience, and a stadium-wide quadrupling of restrooms and concessions. The north tunnel has been expanded to accommodate semitrucks, which will help facilitate outside events throughout the year.
“The utility of this space is going to be activated 300+ days a year, and that's what you really want out of a football stadium,” said Nathan Pine, director of athletics. “You know, it's nice to have a great experience for those six games, but for us to be able to do that throughout the year to bring folks to the Academy is a really big piece of this project that you don't really understand until you can stand in this space.”
Dr. Matt McGahey, senior associate athletic director, touted the east club’s aesthetics and views, saying the club’s proximity to the field provides one of the closest premium seating options in college football.
The $90 million project will be paid for, in part, with $35 million in gifts, which includes a $10 million lead gift from Jack ’78 and Vianne Kucera.
Falcon Stadium is a signature priority of the Defining Our Future comprehensive campaign, publicly launched by the Air Force Academy Foundation and Association of Graduates in 2021.
Madera Cyber Innovation Center
The tour then stopped at the Madera Cyber Innovation Center. Another key priority of the Defining Our Future campaign, the 49,000-square-foot facility will include high-tech labs, classrooms and research facilities, as well as some of the fastest connectivity possible thanks to $6 million worth of donated equipment from Cisco Systems, Siemens Industry and Corning Optical Communications. Around 1,400 cadets will pass through the facility each year. Every freshman will take a course at the Madera Center covering topics such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and big data concerns.
The Madera Center will also feature a secure classroom, allowing cadets to gain real-world knowledge and experience. The center’s indoor drone facility will enable cadets to fly drones year-round, regardless of weather.
Col. Burt Giannetti, director of Air Force CyberWorx, spoke about the importance of cyber innovation and the educational and training opportunities the new center will provide.
“Our mission is to rapidly prototype new solutions for the Air Force and bring those to the warfighter,” he says. “We leverage industry to bring in new technology for the Air Force and find ways to utilize that. This building will really facilitate that in a lot of ways.”
“The Madera Cyber Innovation will be a cutting-edge facility that unites academics, military training and industry innovation,” said Kelly Banet, senior vice president for development for the Association of Graduates and Air Force Academy Foundation. “Philanthropic support totals more than $38 million. That includes several gifts of $1 million or more, support from seven class reunion giving projects, and gifts in kind for the computing infrastructure.”
Paul ’78 and Joan Madera are the lead donors for the project. Paul Madera serves in the Air Force Academy Foundation board of directors.
Cadet Chapel
The tour concluded with a look inside the box surrounding the Cadet Chapel. The Chapel closed in 2019 due to decades of water damage and unprecedented asbestos mitigation. Work has been underway ever since.
Academy Architect Duane Boyle provided a comprehensive background on the Chapel and the renovation project.
He explained that the Chapel began leaking as soon as it opened 62 years ago. In addition to the asbestos and leak mitigation, the stained glass will be reinstalled with more modern protections in place. Boyle said storm windows originally were placed over the stained glass to help prevent leakage (they didn’t) and that those windows cut out as much as half of the natural light.
“Unless you were actually in the Chapel in 1962 before any of the ‘Band-Aids’ were put on,” Boyle said, “nobody’s truly seen the brilliance of the stained glass.”
The construction team at JE Dunn also demonstrated a membrane test, where eight inches of simulated rain fell in 15 minutes, as an airplane propellor simulated 65 mph winds.
At long last, the Chapel is expected to reopen to cadets in late 2027.
View more photos of the media tour.
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