(The hill) – President Trump criticized the soaring renovation cost of the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel project in Colorado, which has now swelled north of $300 million, and called for an investigation into the “mess.”
The cost of the Cadet Church’s restoration, which began in 2019, is now expected to be completed in November 2028, drawing a rebuke from the president on Thursday night.
Trump said in a speech: “The US Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel has been a construction disaster since it was built in 1962. Previous stories are that it leaked on day one, and that was the good part. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent.” Posted on Social Truth.
“The renovation, which has been ongoing since the day it was built, is now expected to continue through 2028, at an additional cost of $90 million, bringing the grand total to $335 million,” the president said. “This mess needs to be investigated. It’s very unfair to the Cadets – a complete architectural disaster!”
In August the Ministry of Defence J.E. Dunn Construction Co. was awarded the award. The contract is worth just over $88 million for church renovations, bringing the total cost from $247 million to nearly $335 million.
The Air Force Civil Engineering Center (AFCEC), which is overseeing the project, He told KOAA News5 In Colorado Springs, Colorado, last month, the new contract was necessary to “address unexpected structural inconsistencies and design conflicts discovered during the restoration process.”
The funding ensures “the long-term structural integrity and watertightness of the Cadet Church and will resolve issues that have plagued the building since its opening 60 years ago,” AFCEC added.
Renovations at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs are expected to be completed by Nov. 13, 2028, according to the Pentagon.
The 150-foot-tall chapel first opened in 1962 and was built to “meet the spiritual needs of students and staff.”
“It contains a separate chapel for Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist religions, and two worship rooms for all religions.” According to the Air Force Academy. “There are two main levels, with the Protestant nave on the upper level. Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist services are held below it.”