Housing, ‘going green’ key topics at 305th Town Hall meeting Published Sept. 25, 2008 By Capt. Darrick Lee 305th Air Mobility Wing public affairs FORT DIX, N.J. -- Residents from McGuire Air Force Base, Fort Dix and Lakehurst Naval Air Engineering Station military communities met with installation commanders during a town hall meeting at the Fort Dix Timmerman center here Sept. 18. More than 110 people, including military members and their families, took advantage of an opportunity to address concerns directly with Col. Balan Ayyar, 305th Air Mobility Wing commander. The meetings, which are part of the wing's internal communications program, aim to keep families abreast of the issues leadership are currently working. Colonel Ayyar discussed several topics, including the status of housing at McGuire. He stated that more McGuire families may be asked to temporarily relocate before the end of this year as the base presses forward with its plans to provide new housing. This raised concerns for some parents of school-aged students, who are worried that their children might be required to attend school in a different district. The commander said he is working with the North Hanover superintendent, and confirmed that children whose families are asked to relocate will be able to attend the same school they attended prior to the relocation. In the area of health care, Colonel Ayyar reminded the community that the 305th Medical Group is working to bolster pediatric services for the community, another area of concern for military families. Other meeting topics included the establishment of a new education center in the Falcon Courts North area and McGuire's efforts to move toward a more "green" installation. "Any place [on base] that sells or produces products that contain recyclable materials has got to recycle ... period," said Colonel Ayyar, asking for help from attendees to help reduce the base's environmental footprint. Besides recycling, the colonel asked for help to save energy. He reminded families that McGuire spends several millions on utilities each year. Though close, the base has not yet met its goal of reducing energy consumption by 20 percent. He provided some simple tips to help families reduce energy consumption, asking them to treat their energy use on-base the same as if they were paying for it personally. Attendees may have wondered why an Air Force wing would host a town-hall meeting on an Army installation. As the topic of Joint Basing was discussed, the answer became clearer. Colonel Ayyar noted that with the merging of the McGuire, Fort Dix and Lakehurst installations, the joint base could host approximately 2,000 families whose energy consumption could have a big impact on available resources. Aside from the need to work together to reduce energy consumption, the joint military community will also have need to work and creating positive living conditions in the multi-service housing areas. One spouse raised the issue of children riding bicycles without helmets ... Army Col. Ron Thaxton, Fort Dix installation commander, voiced his agreement with Colonel Ayyar's belief that all children under a certain age should wear a helmet. McGuire plans to hold more town hall meetings in the future to keep families informed. Residents who would like to communicate a concern outside of such venues are encouraged to use the Commander's Action Line by dialing (609) 754-3247 and leaving a voice message of their concern.