FOUNTAIN — On Tuesday, July 13, the City of Fountain and Fort Carson signed an Intergovernmental Support Agreement (IGSA) which will allow the post to use contractors already vetted by the city, speeding up the process of small construction projects.
At the city council meeting, an IGSA was defined as an agreement between the military and a state or local government that serves the best interest of both parties to improve installation support services for the mission, service member, and family readiness. Those with the city also said an IGSA reduces cost to the citizen through contract savings. "If we didn't have this Intergovernmental Support Agreement, we'd have to bid out contracts for even small projects, which takes months at a time. And now that we'll have this agreement, we'll be able to call in the City of Fountain, they'll bring their already vetted contractors to the installation, and we'll be able to deliver services a lot faster for our soldiers and families," explained Col. Nathan Springer, the Garrison Commander at Fort Carson.
The General Facility Construction IGSA is directed at small construction projects, like electrical work, plumbing, or remodeling. Examples of these projects include a minor remodeling of a training room, or electrical work in barracks. "Our school districts are combined, our cities are combined, our soldiers and their families work and live here, and now your contractors support this installation. I'm not sure that there's an installation and a city with a closer relationship across the Department of Defense or the United States," said Col. Springer while speaking at the Fountain City Council meeting.
The IGSA is tentatively scheduled to begin service in October 2021.
Col. Springer said there are over 70,000 soldiers, family members, and army civilians who either live or work on Fort Carson. The post is the third largest employer in Colorado, according to Col. Springer.
