JBER: CE, Public Works to merge Published July 6, 2009 ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- Everyone is starting to learn about Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson combining to a single military installation. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, or JBER, officially stands up October 2010, however there are many questions that must be answered before that time. One question being asked by many is: "Will we be able to get things fixed like we always have," or in other words, "Who's going to fix my leaky kitchen faucet?" The answer is, the leaky faucet will still be fixed just as it is today. The 3rd Civil Engineer Squadron takes care of Elmendorf's infrastructure maintenance. It is responsible for everything from construction of new buildings to fixing that leaky faucet. Army engineers in the Department of Public Works do the same thing on Fort Richardson. Both organizations build things, maintain things and fix things. After the joint base stand-up, all these services will still be provided to all JBER customers. In October 2010, CE and DPW will combine into a single engineering group providing services to JBER. The current transition plan has the 673rd Engineering Group comprised of three squadrons. The 673rd Engineering Services Squadron will oversee new construction, environmental and housing services. The 773rd Infrastructure Maintenance Squadron will be responsible for facility maintenance and repairs along with snow removal from airfield and roads. The 873rd Emergency Services Squadron will be comprised of the Fire Department and other vital mission related duties. It is JBER's mandate to ensure service integration is as seamless and transparent as possible to all customers. A few processes may change in the future; however, the same job will still be accomplished: Taking care of customers on JBER and supporting the Army and Air Force missions. CE and DPW's phone numbers are not expected to change and the existing processes used by Elmendorf CE and Fort Richardson DPW will also remain unchanged in the near term. As CE and DPW continue to integrate into the new joint engineering group, standardized processes will be developed to improve efficiencies to best serve all customers. For more information, call the Joint Base Enterprise Team at 384-JBER (5237) or e-mail jber.qa@elmendorf.af.mil or jber.qa@richardson.army.mil. (Information provided by the JBER Enterprise Team)