Atsugi Seabees lend hand to Camp Fuji office renovations

Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Public Works recently paid a visit to Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji to complete a nearly $32,000 carpet replacement.

During the week-long evolution, Builder 1st Class Jeffrey Parks, Construction Electrician 2nd Class Anthony Crawford, Steelworker 2nd Class Gary Cole, Builder 2nd Class Gene Miller and Engineering Aid 3rd Class Jay Murphy were tasked with replacing 1,400 square feet of carpet tile and 360 linear feet of baseboards in the command triad’s office spaces and conference room.

According to NAVFAC Atsugi Assistant Public Works Officer Lt. j.g. Allison Islin, the project had been in the works for a while, and both parties were glad to finally put it into action.

“Camp Fuji was very pleased to see this carpet installation completed, and we were happy to get it off the checklist,” said Islin, who serves as a liaison for Camp Fuji projects. “It’s great to be able to support our Marine Corps counterparts. We’re continuously building a positive relationship between NAVFAC and their facilities maintenance office.”

The job, which began on Feb. 18, started with the old carpet being taken up, which Crawford explained was a rather tricky task in itself. Most of the furniture in the office spaces was moved out, but larger items such as desks and cabinets wouldn’t fit through the door frames, and had to be moved to one side of each room. This meant they could only work on one portion of a room at a time.

“We only could do half of the room at a time because you can’t place furniture on top of the new carpet for at least 24 hours after it’s laid,” said Crawford. “It was like playing Tetris with the furniture, but we made it work.”

Murphy said another challenge the group ran into was a shortfused request to complete the commanding officer’s office first.

“We were on a rush with the commanding officer’s office because he was out of the office at the time, and the chain of command wanted to have his carpet replaced before he came back,” he explained. “That left us with only a day or so to finish it.”

Crawford said due to the fact that there was a diverse team of Seabees, each brought a different experience level to the table which made for a unique learning experience.

“We all took it as a good opportunity for training,” said Crawford. “This was my first time laying carpet tiles, but it was good having that hands-on experience.”

Murphy shared Crawford’s sentiments, adding that each Seebee should learn what their coworkers know how to do, and this was a perfect time to do just that.

“Every Seabee knows a little bit of another Seabee’s job,” said Murphy. “This is what we are constantly doing, consistently training and getting better at our jobs.”

The project, which was projected for completion on Feb. 27, was actually finished two days early, which the team attributes to their “can-do” attitude.

“That’s just what we do,” said Crawford. “Some days during the project they had to tell me it was time to go home for the day, because I would have kept working.”

“There was a big sense of accomplishment when it was all said and done,” said Murphy. “Being in a battalion for three years, it really reminds me of what being a Seabee is all about… busting your butt to get the job done.”