Housing residents express concerns in town hall meetings

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ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Town hall meetings were held Oct. 21 and 23 for those members residing in privatized family housing. The meetings were co-chaired between 3rd Wing senior leaders and Aurora Military Housing leadership. The intent of these meetings was to pass on pertinent issues related to family housing, receive tenant concerns and provide answers. A panel of professionals was available to answer questions and discuss tenant concerns on a one-on-one basis following the meetings. Tenants that attended were asked to share what they learned with their neighbors. The following represents the first in a series of questions and answers addressed during the meetings. 

1. Can housing residents install satellite dishes in privatized housing? 

Tenants must complete an Aurora Military Housing Form 001, Self-Help Work Request with a detailed sketch depicting the proposed location of the dish and wiring entry into the housing unit. The approved forms must be returned to the Aurora Administration Office for site management approval, prior to the installation process. Installation must be conducted by a professional installer only and will be inspected by Aurora personnel upon completion. 

Installation is limited to one dish within the fenced rear yards only. The installation location in the rear yard must be at least 15 feet from the unit. If the fence in the rear yard does not allow for 15 feet or more, the satellite dish will be placed as far from the unit as possible within the fenced area, but not attached to the fence. 

The satellite dish must be mounted on a self-standing, resident provided four foot-by-four foot wood post or self standing tri-pod that do not exceed five feet in height. No digging will be permitted without the tenant acquiring the required dig permits and proper utility locations. The tenant is solely responsible for any damage to underground utilities associated with installation of the dish. Satellite dishes are limited to 1.2 meters or less in diameter. 

The tenant is responsible for removing the satellite dish and the self-standing wood mounting post/tri-pod pole prior to the tenant's final move-out inspection. The grounds of the yard must be returned to the condition they were found in prior to termination of the unit. 

The tenant accepts all liability and responsibility for any damages that may occur in the installation or removal process. Not all housing units are located in areas that will allow access to satellite service. The lack of satellite signal access will not be a factor for turning down a housing unit as inadequate.

2. Some drivers on the Grady Highway are creating safety issues when they slow down or stop their vehicle to watch wildlife. What is being done is prevent this hazard? 

The 3rd Security Forces Squadron is updating Wing Instruction 31-204 to address slow moving/stopped vehicles that are impeding traffic. In addition, security forces will increase patrols along this area at dawn and dusk since these are the periods of greatest wildlife activity.

3. Can lighting be added to the Grady Highway to help compensate the dark road conditions? 

A project for this requirement has been identified but funding has not been secured. It will continue to be listed as a base requirement but due to the austere funding environment it is unlikely to be constructed in the next two years.

4. Several houses in our neighborhood have low water pressure at varying times and dates. Can this be corrected? 

Aurora and the 3rd Civil Engineer Squadron Operations Flight identified a regulator valve that wasn't functioning during hi-flow periods and made necessary repairs to correct this problem. Tenants may contact Aurora at 753-1051/1091 if this problem occurs in the future.

5. Mud build-up is restricting delivery to mailboxes. Also, there are no outgoing mailboxes in Cherry Hill housing. 

The base postmaster was unaware of this issue and assured the problem will be resolved. Tenants should address future mail delivery issues through Aurora at 753-1023 who will work with the base postmaster for resolution.

6. Will the ATV (all-terrain vehicles) trails be open for the winter? 

ATV trails are only open during the summer months. Snowmachine trails will open when the snow on the trails reaches at least one foot in depth. ATV trails should reopen next summer.

7. Will the playgrounds be kept up during summer months? Will some of the playgrounds be improved? 

Aurora has 85 playgrounds for our 2022 residential homes. Playground assessments and repairs are conducted annually. Tenant and community improvement surveys are ongoing and encouraged. The Tenant Association representative for your area is a viable resource to voice your comments, concerns or suggestions or by contacting Aurora at 753-1023.

8. There is a long waiting list for RV storage. Are we allowed to use Fort Richardson's storage lots? 

We currently have three RV storage lots (Maple, Vandenberg and Persimmon) with a total of 1,678 RV storage spaces. As of Oct. 31, there were 58 people on the waiting list. Eleven of the people on the list are waiting for any spot they can get, 47 want a particular lot or a drive-thru space and won't accept anything else. 

In October, the 3rd Services Squadron added 55 spaces to our Maple Storage Lot. We have two additional projects on the books to add more RV storage spaces. One of the projects is to further expand the Maple Storage Lot, which is scheduled to happen in the summer of 2009 and should add 125 spaces. The other expansion project is at Vandenberg Storage Lot and could net an additional 300-400 storage spaces. 

Elmendorf personnel are authorized to use the RV lots on Fort Richardson but they also have a waiting list.

9. Will more overflow parking be added to housing to help ease snow removal from streets? 

At this time of year, vehicle parking in all residential areas is extremely congested. Designated overflow parking areas are to be used for overnight transient and daily parkers and not to be used for long-term storage. Parking on the streets is allowed but it's extremely imperative for tenants to move their vehicles from the streets into their dedicated driveways so snowplows can clear the streets.

10. Can the rain gutters on the Dallas houses be installed to drain in the gardens instead of the driveways? 

 Aurora is monitoring the rain gutter output this winter in the Dallas subdivision and will look into reconfiguring in the spring if deemed essential. Additional ice melt will be made available to those tenants experiencing beyond normal winter ice build-up. Residents are encouraged to contact the Aurora office at 753-1023 should they have any questions.

Residents' suggestions and questions will help Elmendorf and Aurora continue to make improvements to housing and the quality of life for our residents. The next town hall meetings will be held in the spring of 2009.