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Base residents address housing, safety concerns with base commander at Town Hall meeting

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Danielle Johnson
  • 305th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MCGUIRE AFB, N.J. --  McGuire and Fort Dix housing residents had an opportunity to speak face-to-face with the base commander at the Team McGuire Town Hall meeting Feb. 5 at the base theater.

Col. Balan Ayyar, 305th Air Mobility Wing commander, opened the meeting by sharing his vision for the base - to be the Premier Joint Warfighting Base and Air Mobility Center of Excellence - and providing information on the privatized housing construction and relocation plans.

The colonel urged residents to communicate openly during the meeting and expressed his desire to make the housing and joint base transitions as smooth as possible.

"We've all got to work together to develop the best game plan for our future," Colonel Ayyar said. "This is the beginning of a renaissance for this great installation."

"Each one of your families is important to us," the colonel said. "This process will be very challenging, but I'm sure you'll be satisfied with the end result."

Before opening the floor for questions, the colonel also shared his standards for the housing neighborhoods, both old and new. He addressed the issues of recycling, conserving energy, policing by Security Forces personnel and safety standards such as obeying speed limits and dressing children in proper safety gear for bike riding and playing outside after dark.

The colonel urged residents to take pride in their neighborhood and hold each other accountable for meeting the standards. "We've got to create a culture of personal responsibility," he said.

Meeting attendees took the opportunity to as questions about various issues, including safety issues in housing areas and housing privatization concerns.

Safety concerns included an area in housing near the youth center which does not have street lights, potentially dangerous intersections, and speed limits in housing areas. Colonel Ayyar assured residents these issues will be addressed, perhaps with more street signs announcing playground areas and larger speed limit signs, and expressed concern for the safety of children.

Housing privatization concerns included: the quality and timeliness of maintenance work, school changes upon relocation to different housing areas and whether the housing contractor, United Communities, will be held accountable for the maintenance work.

The colonel was receptive to all questions, promising to take action on many of the issues raised. He also urged all residents to bring these issues to the attention of the Resident Review Board. The RRB reports directly to the command-level Management Review Committee, by which leadership helps UC improve by providing feedback and incentives.

All housing residents who were unable to attend the Town Hall meeting Feb. 5, or those who would like to address issues not previously discussed, are encouraged to attend a second Town Hall meeting scheduled for Feb. 7, 7 p.m., and the Fort Dix Timmerman Center.

For more information on the Resident Review Board, or to provide feedback on housing issues, e-mail McGuire_FtDixResidentBoard@mcguire.af.mil.