$77M project to improve Fort Polk housing
Published 10:30 am Friday, August 5, 2022
Corvias, the property management company charged with overseeing Fort Polk housing, announced this week that it would be investing $77 million to further improve the housing units at the Vernon Parish installation.
Corvias officials announced the latest investment on Tuesday, saying the second phase of improvements will include a complete renovation of approximately 140 homes in the Palmetto and Maple Terrace neighborhoods, and the exterior renovations of another 1,000 homes.
The work is being done in an effort to modernize on-post housing, officials said.
Pete Sims, the managing director at Corvias, said that the continued re-investment into Fort Polk homes remains a top priority for Corvias.
“We believe that having a steady focus on investing in back-to-back development plans allows us to consistently improve the on-post housing experience and remain the top choice for housing when families receive a Permanent Change of Station to Fort Polk,” Sims stated.
According to renovation details from Corvias, the newly renovated homes will receive updated kitchens featuring new flooring, energy-efficient appliances, modern countertops, soft-close cabinets, under-cabinet lighting, and new light fixtures.
Sims said the renovations will be completed as the homes in those neighborhoods become available.
The $77 million investment will also complete the process of replacing all heat pumps across post housing with geothermal heat pumps.
“The savings from the energy-efficient geothermal heat pumps will be reinvested into Fort Polk housing for additional capital, home and roadway improvements,” Corvias officials said in an official release.
An estimated 45 homes will be demolished in this latest round of work.
This second phase of work comes after an initial investment of $15 million that allowed for the repair or replacement of more than 2,300 roofs, exterior painting of 1,000 homes and replaced nearly 1,000 gutters in the Dogwood Terrace and Maple Terrace neighborhoods.
The project to upgrade Fort Polk’s housing is expected to be completed by 2025.
Corvias manages more than 3,600 homes on Fort Polk. Officials estimate their work supports an average of 732 direct annual jobs and generates approximately $133 million in total tax revenues for Louisiana.