Assignment satisfaction survey yields 61 action items

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  • By Staff Reports
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  A base wide push for people to participate in a quality of life survey that began in December 2009 has yielded 61 actions for base organizations to investigate.

The assignment satisfaction survey received more than 1,100 responses and 300 comments. In the coming months, many of those items will be answered in the commander's action line section of the Web site (click here).

Listed below are some of the items that have already been addressed:

Comment: I think that the best addition to the base would be a swimming pool. With the closest one being in Mildenhall, it would be a good addition to the base.

Action: (provided by the 100th Mission Support Group) As a bit of background, RAF Lakenheath closed its swimming pool in the early 2000's because of operational costs and requirements for extensive repairs. The leadership of the 100th Air Refueling and 48th Fighter wings remains committed to providing a pool for the East Anglia military community, and have programmed a military construction project for the requirement. However, in this austere funding environment, operational requirements (airfields, hangars, dormitories) are a higher priority. In the meantime, there are a number of pools available on the economy provided by the local councils. There is the 25-meter (four-lane) pool in Mildenhall, a 25-meter pool at the Newmarket Leisure Centre, and a larger one in Thetford.

Comment: I have been here almost three years and the Northside fitness center has had the same shower curtains in the ladies' restroom. How often are these replaced? They are moldy and dirty to say the least. Also, the showers and the shower floors could do with a replacement (also dirty).

Suggested fix: The Hardstand fitness center gym should charge a small fee for the weekly rental of lockers. That gym has quite a few lockers, so it would generate some revenue plus it would be convenient for the avid gym patrons.

Action: (provided by the 100th Mission Support Group) New shower curtains were purchased Dec. 16, 2009, and replaced shortly thereafter. There is a project on the books for the Northside fitness center that will, among other things, improve ventilation, repair the plumbing, upgrade the locker rooms, and add four showers in the men's locker room. IAW AFI34-266, 100 percent of fitness center lockers will be daily use, and that prevents the base from setting them aside for weekly rentals.

Comment: please fix the pot holes on the roads (from Mickey's to Bird in Hand gate). The roads in East Anglia are bad enough without experiencing them on base.

Action: (provided by the 100th Mission Support Group): After many months, the transfer of Lincoln Road from Suffolk County to RAF Mildenhall has finally been approved, which allows U.S. funds to be expended on its repair. The 100th Civil Engineer Squadron has programmed a project to resurface the road and reconfigure the exit gate near the Bird in Hand, and is currently advocating for funding from HQ USAFE. As we wait funding, CE will perform additional temporary repairs to address the worst potholes and improve road safety. Expect this temporary repair work to be complete by August 2010.

Comment: Why can't we contract aircraft-washing out? We have a manning issue, and this would help relieve the personnel needed to wash the aircraft. I know it is possible, because we did it at my last base.

Action: (provided by the 100th Maintenance Group) U.S. Air Forces in Europe has approved the implementation of an Aircraft Wash Contract, which is funded beginning on Oct. 1.

Comment: Will American retired civil servants ever be allowed to eat lunch at the Gateway dining facility? Some time ago the facility underwent renovation and retirees (to include civil servants) were restricted due to limited capacity. Though lunch and dinner opportunities have been reinstated, I (and several other civil servants) neither come in early nor stay late to partake. The only meal that truly fits is the lunch meal. Until the restriction, the Gateway had consistently provided superior service and selection. I'm sure I speak for several others in saying we miss the opportunity.

Action: (provided by the 100th Mission Support Group) Although AFI 34-239 provides that the wing commander has the authority to allow retirees to eat in the dining facility on a daily basis, the purpose of the dining facility is to provide meals for dorms residents, emergency response personnel, TDY and duty transients. Today, the facility size is adequate to accommodate those additional patrons, but it is not manned to support retirees on a continuous basis, hence the restricted applicable times. Due to the Status of Forces Agreement with our host country, we are required to provide a place for local nationals to eat other than commercial facilities. That also further stresses limited resources. There are several places on base that will accommodate retirees at a very reasonable price with great choices and value for money.

Comment: Our biggest complaint is with housing. We arrived right in the midst of all of the spring bank holidays, so many of the estate agencies were closed. We looked around as much as possible to find a place as soon as possible. We found out we only had a few days left in the VOQ (they just started implementing the 10 days for married couples - though our single friends had 30 - which doesn't seem fair at all), so we submitted an extension because we thought it was justifiable. We didn't hear anything so we didn't move to the Shakspeare Lodge. Come to find out, it sat on someone's desk and was rejected, but we didn't find that out until it was too late. The whole ordeal cost us about $500 dollars extra. That's very taxing when you are PCSing and money seems to be tight. We chose to move off-base because we were told we could only get a two bedroom, and there was a two-year wait for the new housing at RAF Lakenheath. After we had already signed a lease off base, we went to the housing office to "officially" turn down base housing, and they asked why we said no to the first house. We told them it was because we could get more than a two bedroom off-base for our overseas housing allowance. They then said we could get a three bedroom in the new housing. This did not match up with what we had heard from the housing at the in-processing brief when we arrived. It seemed very sketchy to us and not very honest. Once settled down, we love Mildenhall and are glad we are here.

Action (provided by the 48th Mission Support Group): 1)Members could have potentially received only 10 nights of TLA authorization based upon the memo from HQ USAFE/A7D, dated June 29, 2009, "if a service member refuses to occupy available government-controlled quarters, TLA is terminated the first date Furnishings Management Office (FMO) can deliver loaner furnishings. 2)Consideration is always given to member(s) when offices are closed due to bank holidays. 3) IAW AFI 32-6001, 4.3.1. Military Family Housing bedroom requirements are authorized based upon member's grade and family composition.

Comment: It would be nice to see the gym open up 24 hours, so on days that have I have a little down time I could go to the gym, I work nightshift from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Action: (provided by the 100th Mission Support Group: Our fitness centers are not manned for 24-hour operation. The Hardstand fitness center is currently open from 5 a.m to 10 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, and 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays. It is closed Saturdays and Sundays. Based on the stated work schedule, the Hardstand gym is open 15 hours during your time off, and even a two-hour overlap of your work schedule and gym operating hours.