European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes  "".  y " is Dave Didina worker makes his Way across the scaffolding tuesday at the Raf Lakenheath England Hospital construction site. Hospital i project on Loken Heath site getting overhaul by Nancy l. Torner . Bureau Raf Lakenheath England a $27.6 million construction project to renovate and expand Raf Lakenheath Hospital is on schedule for completion in March 1995, a military official said. The project includes a two Story 39,240-Square-foot addition that should be ready for occupancy by the end of this year the official said. Construction is going very Well and we re on target for both completion dates said capt. Ron Ascher director of the military construction project. The project also includes some refurbishing of the existing building to Cor rect safety code deficiencies. The facility was built in 1964 As a Small Community Hospital. Since 1972, it has been the Only . Military regional Hospital in the United kingdom that serves patients either with specialized needs or requiring More than primary treatment. The current project was necessary in part because the Hospital was not Origi Nally designed to be a referral facility Ascher said. Also although the Hospital met British construction standards when it was built it no longer complies with certain . Safety codes he said. For example two stairwells Are being reconstructed because they Are too Steep and narrow to evacuate people safely during an emergency Aschner said. Fire detection alarms also Are being installed in the Hospital basement for the first time. Fire Walls which retard the spread of flames Are being upgraded to hold fires Back for up to two hours instead of the current one hour he said. Five Hospital clinics also Are without patient waiting rooms and patients must sit in hallways Ascher said. The construction project will provide each Hospi Tal clinic with a waiting room and will allow storage carts Hospital gurneys and file cabinets to be removed from Hall ways. The project also will include an Addi an artist s rendering shows what the Raf Lakenheath Hospital will look like after its $27.6 million renovation and expansion project is completed. Tonal $3 million for furniture and equip ment he said. Other changes include the installation of an emergency backup Power Genera Tor the upgrading of toilets for Access by people with disabilities and the replace ment of fire Protection systems electrical wiring and ventilation and medical Gas systems. Gas systems include for example oxygen for oxygen tents and nitrous oxide As an aesthetic Ascher said. The construction project first was de signed in 198s and was to expand the Hospital by 149,000 Square feet Ascher said. The Effort was part of two other military projects constructed at Laken Heath a $327,000 parking lot next to the dental clinic and a $2.69 million addition to the dental clinic. Both of those projects were completed several years ago. The current project was put on hold in april 1989, when Congress halted All overseas military construction Ascher said. The project was revived in novem Ber 1990, however when the defense department approved a scaled Down addition of 39,240 Square feet to Correct safety deficiencies he said. Throughout construction about 25 percent of the existing Hospital has been and will continue to be unavailable for use Ascher said. This has required every department to shift its location in the existing building at least once. Some departments will have to move up to three times before the project is done he said. Nonetheless the Hospital s care of patients has t suffered throughout the project said col. John a. Walters jr., commander of the 48th medical group at Lakenheath in spite of 55 office and clinic moves with More than 300 scheduled interruptions so far during a projected three year construction period Walters said the medical staff has. Succeeded in maintaining service and Access  wednesday january 26,1994 airman jailed for stealing . Property Raf upper Heyford England is an airman at Raf upper hey Ford has been found guilty by a special court martial of stealing More than $100 Worth of . Government property from his duty station. Airman Basic Jason t. Boggs 23, As signed to the 620th Security police so pleaded guilty and was found guilty by a panel of six officers of larceny of govern ment  was charged dec. 29 and went to trial Jan. 10. Details of his Case were released by the upper Heyford s staff judge advocate office in a memorandum Jan. 19. Boggs worked As a Security controller with the 620th Security so guarding such equipment As weapons. The airman was sentenced to a bad conduct discharge three months confine ment and the forfeiture of $416 per month for three months. Under the Maxi mum penalty Boggs could have been confined for six months Legal officials said in the statement. Boggs was convicted of stealing a num Ber of items from his duty station including a Compass a helmet a canteen and an am munition Pouch the statement said. The items were found to be missing when they were listed on a customs form along with some of Boggs own belongings. He was a member of the . Air Force for three years and had been As signed to upper hey Ford for two years. Medical items sent to Liber a san Vito Dei Normanna Italy is one Man s excess is another Man s salvation. Officials at san Vito Dei Normanna air station s 775th medical so recently sent More than $110,000 of excess medical supplies to Liberia As part of a Relief pro Gram. The supplies which included 80 pallets of bandages pillows Laboratory equip ment and towels will be turned Over to the . Embassy in the african nation to be dispersed. The medical items were originally part of a Field Hospital located at the air Sta Tion according to a local press release. The base is scheduled to close in septem Ber. For health care the air station relies on a Small base clinic and off base  facilities. Before the supplies were donated to Liberia the defense re utilization and marketing office in Italy first canvassed other air Force commands to see which materials they needed the release said. The Hospital originally had about $1 million in medical supplies said staff sgt. Scotti Smith who manages the medical Supply warehouse at san Vito. Admiral to be named head of coast guard Washington a president Clinton plans to nominate rear adm. Robert e. Kramek to be commandant of the . Coast guard. Admiral Kramek has served his coun try proudly for 33 years and has distinguished himself through his performance in a number of challenging assignments Clinton said a statement tuesday. Kramek joined the military As a Cadet at the . Coast guard Academy in new London conn., in 1957. Most recently he served As the coast guard Schief of staff