Commander answers Airmen's questions at all call Published July 15, 2010 By Col. Jamie Crowhurst 22nd Air Refueling Wing commander MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. -- The following statements are taken from the commander's call July 7. Exercise: 1. "What's the NORE feedback?" A: The hot wash will be next Tuesday and we will have more feedback then. Both myself and the chief of XP are satisfied with our performance. Captain Vanagas said, "We learned some valuable lessons in terms of incorporating all generation aspects of the wing in order to deploy rapidly and employ forces at a forward location," in an article by PA (please click here for full story). Traffic: 2. "When will they be done with Rock Road construction?" A: Sedgwick County Public Works understands and is trying to minimize the disruption to our base. Asphalt work should be complete this week and striping should start next week (weather permitting). The Engineering Flight asked the city to keep the main gate clear during peak hours. The West Gate is also open; folks should feel free to use it to avoid congestion at the main gate. 3. "Due to the construction on Rock Road, why don't they open the back gate out of base housing?" A: Our goal during the construction period was to ensure the safety of MFH residents by permitting unimpeded emergency police, fire and medical response across Rock Road while allowing residents to enter and exit as normally as possible. The SFS did consider absorbing the extra manpower needed to open an additional gate, but after receiving assurances the contractors would not close the entrance and would do most work around base peak traffic times, it was determined not to be a wise use of scarce SF manpower or other Wing augmentees. Upon noticing an issue at lunchtime on June 30, we spoke with the contractors who agreed to monitor the situation and, as much possible, to allow normal flow of traffic without impeding construction progress. The city/county appreciates all of our patience during the inconvenience and the SFS will continue to closely monitor and are prepared to adjust entry procedures, if necessary, as they work to improve our road conditions. 4. "As you go out the main gate, toward Derby, are there plans/can 'they' re-paint the lane lines (line between the right turn lane and the center lane, going off-base, out the main gate)?" A: The lanes are scheduled for repainting this coming spring on our normal cycle and have budgeted for the painting to be accomplished next year. 5. "Are there plans to make the crosswalk between building 1 and 32 stand out more, i.e. Bigger crosswalk sign, push to cross button, flashing lights, etc.?" A: There are no plans to put a light in at the crosswalk due to the low foot-traffic and the impact to the 'main drag'. There are clear lines of sight and open area around the crosswalk. We wish to remind drivers to obey Kansas driving law and yield to pedestrian traffic. 6. "Are there plans for a more permanent location to do the self-test motorcycle course rather than by hangar 1107?" A: SE has taken a look at this; however, currently, there are no plans to renovate the lot. - Not many parking lots on post are large enough to accommodate the Motorcycling Safety course needs. - The big abandoned lot east of B342 is large enough to accommodate the training and there is ample space in the nearby lots for parking when the motorcycle training is underway. - There is some inconvenience to folks, but we're trying very hard to minimize impact to the greater population. Other Construction: 7. "When will the construction at the FCC building be done so that Playgroup can move back?" A: Construction at the Playgroup facility is expected to be completed by the end of October. Improvements include replacing windows and the interior ceiling, installing new fire alarm and sprinkler systems and improving the site drainage. There is a possibility that additional funds will allow us to further improve the facility for our children. AMC is reviewing our submission to include an interior renovation, with new plumbing and major electrical re-work. Our goal is to do as much of the additional work concurrently with ongoing efforts, but if the project is funded, it will delay the "move back" date. The benefits of a completely renovated facility for our staff and children will be worth extending the closure period. 8. "Why's the base theater closed? When will it be open again?" A: Since the new air conditioning system was installed it did not effectively dehumidify, therefore, mold was found in the base theater. While no threat to health was determined, we chose to close the theater until the problem is resolved. We are awaiting the contractor's appeal to our warranty repair requests. CES is meeting with the AAFES senior management to discuss which portions AAFES will pay to renovate, and which portion we (22 ARW) must pay to renovate. The warranty is under review at legal to determine if this is even something that we can put under warranty. Once that determination is made, CONS will determine if the contractor is liable for the mold, i.e. the mold is a direct result of a failure or shortcoming of their work or they didn't complete the project IAW the statement of Work, i.e. directly their fault. CES Estimates the theater should be back in operation by late winter/spring 2011. Fitness: 9. "Since the indoor pool is closed, can the outdoor pool expand its hours, or create more lanes for lap swim?" A: Beginning Tuesday, July 13, from Tuesday to Friday 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., the Outdoor Pool will be open for lap swimming only.* Due to the lack of additional lane markers, there won't be clearly marked lanes available but this should not pose a problem as there is plenty of room available on the shallow end of the pool. Once the deep end is vacuumed each morning, it will also be made available for laps. Thanks for the questions. Based on the question, we've made a change that might benefit others as well. 10. "What is the FAC schedule plan, because three civilians are not enough to test the whole base?" A: According to AMC's Fitness Assessment Cell (FAC) implementation guidance, the FAC is only authorized to hire 3 civilians, based on our base population. According to AFI 36-2905, each FAC rep is authorized to test up to 12 members at a time. The FAC is currently working with UFPMs to establish a fitness assessment schedule to evenly distribute testing over the next 6 months. With 112 potential testing days between July to December 2010, the FAC will need to test 24 people per day (Monday through Friday) and the plan is to offer up to 18 appointment slots for the two testing times scheduled each day. As such, the FAC will never exceed the testing limit for the assigned FAC representatives. From a customer service perspective, evenly distributing the number of people testing over the available appointments should facilitate improved fitness testing flow and ensure members are granted safe and equitable assessments. Comm: 11. "When will Flash Player problems with ActiveX be resolved?" A: The CS Network Control Center is currently working with INOSC-West technicians to resolve the issue. Mission Critical concerns may be addressed by calling the COMM Focal Point at 759-2666, Option 1 (duty hours), Opt ion 2 (off-duty hours). Finance: 12. "How can members of the three trial squadrons provide feedback on the CSA program? i.e. the long time it takes to get their money." A: For anyone participating in the Controlled Spend Account (CSA) pilot feedback can be sent to AFGTC.IBA@pentatgon.af.mil. In August Citibank and the Air Force Banking Office will be releasing formal surveys as well as returning to McConnell AFB to conduct focus groups with the Controlled Spend Account pilot organizations. Public Affairs will soon begin advertising more information to the base populace. For further questions or comments regarding the program, please contact Finance at 759-5873. Medical: 13. "Can we/why don't we have at least one pediatrician at the base clinic?" A: The 22 MDG has been actively engaged in hiring a Pediatrician. The Pediatric vacancy is currently a GS position and we cannot attract a recruit from the local market due to civilian pay guidelines. The Medical Group has requested (is awaiting final approval by HQ AF/SG and AFPC) that position to be converted to Active Duty. It has been tentatively programmed for FY12. The Medical Group is currently trying to secure a funding for a "gap-fill" contractor until the position is converted. As we've always stated, all of our Family Health providers are trained and credentialed to see/treat children. 14. "How can some personnel go on a profile right after receiving a deployment tasking? Can we prevent people from doing that?" A: Every time an active duty member is seen at the clinic, medics try to determine if that member is medically safe to deploy (especially during the annual PHA). If an Airman has a disqualifying or limiting condition, this is expressed in a profile (now called Duty Limiting Condition or DLC). Occasionally an Airman will fail to report or minimize a disqualifying condition to their Provider. They are never placed on a profile and appear medically ready to Unit Deployment Managers. When these Airman later get tasked with a deployment, the condition comes to the surface and a short notice profile (DLC) is generated. Important note: If a deployment is canceled short notice because of a new profile for a previous chronic unreported condition, that Airman will require a Medical Evaluation Board (MEB). This does not apply to unforeseen acute injuries/illness like broken leg or head injury. The medical group is always trying to minimize the number of short notice deployment profiles (DLC). It is a team effort between providers and active duty patients. We encourage Airman not to minimize or hide significant health problems from their Doctor. We want to help keep everyone fit to fight.