Home is a sweet place for new Bangor military housing

No longer an artist’s renderings, the first of what will be many new military homes on Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor is now a reality.

With its vaulted family room ceiling, spacious kitchen and more than enough room for a family of five to roam, the newest military home on Bangor is in a league of its own.

The home is the product of the public-private partnership between American Eagle Communities, LLC and the U.S. Navy. Construction on 104 additional homes is now underway and expected to be completed by summer 2006. Regionally, a total of 605 new homes will be built that not only includes Naval Base Kitsap (Bangor, Bremerton and Keyport), but also Naval Magazine Island, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Naval Station Everett, Naval Radio Transmitter Station Jim Creek and several off-base sites including Kingston and Bainbridge Island. Major renovations will be made to 49 existing military homes and 1,590 homes will receive minor renovation and site work.

“(The housing partnership) is something we never had in the past,” said Rear Adm. William French, commander of Navy Region Northwest. “It allows the Navy to focus on what the Navy needs to do.”

The Cahill family will be the first tenants to reside in the new home and having lived in several military housing units in the past, it was not what they expected.

“We’re very excited,” said Vicki Cahill, whose husband Bill, a chief fire control technician, is currently underway aboard the USS Louisiana.

The Trident sub is on its way from Kings Bay, Ga. and will be homeported at Bangor. Bill has yet to see the house, but Vicki has made sure to describe everything via e-mail.

“There’s so much space, over 2,100 square feet,” she said.

And that is especially good news to their children, Christopher, 18, Ashley, 14 and 12-year-old Timothy since military housing has typically meant sharing bedrooms.

“I think it’s really cool,” said Christopher who usually had to share a room with Timothy. “We get our own rooms, we won’t have to share.”

The family was stationed here about 13 years ago, but lived in a two-bedroom military home.

“We’ve never seen anything even come close to this in military housing, it’s just beautiful,” Vicki said.

As for being first on the military housing list to be selected for the new house, she say’s “we were in the right place at the right time.”

Come the first of October, the Cahills will receive their household goods and will be ready to move in. And being the soon-to-be tenants of the towering new home, Vicki says she has noticed the “‘you’re in the new house’ look.”

But it won’t be long before other military families will be settling into the 104 other new units on Bangor. And spacious is the keyword when it comes to the new homes. They all will be three- or four-bedroom units starting at 1,950 square feet.

Included in the 50-year public-private partnership is the management and maintenance of the new units.

“Our partnership with American Eagle is doing exactly what we had hoped — improving living conditions that enhance the quality of life for our men and women in uniform — those very people who have dedicated their lives to protecting our nation,” French said.

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