Leadership hosts June town hall meetings
By , 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
/ Published May 26, 2011
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- The 52nd Fighter Wing leadership will host two town hall meetings June 21 and 22. One will be at the theater on Bitburg Annex and the second one at the theater here.
People who have issues they'd like addressed during this meeting can e-mail the 52nd Mission Support Squadron executive officer at 52msg.cce@spangdahlem.af.mil. Wing leadership will also answer questions at the town hall meetings.
Some of the questions asked at the January 2011 town hall meetings did not have immediate answers. Here is a list of some of the more frequently asked questions from those meetings and their answers:
Q. The school age program play area in Bitburg is no longer in use. Can we take the fence down and provide an open play area for the community?
A. The 52nd Force Support Squadron has formally requested the subject facility be returned back to the 52nd Civil Engineer Squadron. CES will adjust property records to identify the subject playground as a community activity area and will open up the gates to allow access by residents. A safety survey will be conducted prior to opening the gates. FSS indicated the equipment was inspected and certified for compliance last June.
Q. Will the Army and Air Force Exchange Service facilities in Bitburg remain open until the new facilities are open at Spangdahlem?
A. The base exchange and shoppette will remain open until the new mall is open at Spangdahlem. We will do a turnkey where the Bitburg BX closes one night and the grand opening of the new mall is the next day. Keeping the movie theater open depends on customer usage, which is currently very low - fewer than 25 people per showing. Keeping the food court open also depends on customer usage, and breakfast hours from 9:30 - 11 a.m. have an average of eight people. The gas station will be closed prior to the September 2012 new mall opening and customer usage will drive the date.
Q. The high school cafeteria is not big enough to accommodate all the students. Will the food court at AAFES stay open for those students if other AAFES facilities close?
A. The primary location and responsibility for feeding the Department of Defense Dependents School children is the high school cafeteria, and if the current facilities are not large enough, DODDS would need to address this issue. AAFES simply operates the service on behalf of DODDS.
Q. Why can't I get my child into the Spangdahlem School Age Program? Are they really at capacity?
A. The school age program currently has capacity for 132 children. Currently, there are 60 children enrolled in before/after school care, 52 children enrolled in after school care only, and 19 children enrolled in before school care only. Therefore, depending on when care is needed, drop in care may be available. However, on days school is out, the school age program has only one vacancy at this time. Once the renovation project is completed, an additional 24 spaces will be available for daily care. We hope the new spaces will be available beginning May 2011.
Q. Why does the commissary have a surcharge?
A. The surcharge is used for renovations, new registers as well as new commissaries. A perfect example of the 5 percent surcharge at work is the $100,000 sales floor expansion into the warehouse and the new $22 million commissary that will be completed in 2015.
Q. I am a civilian. If weather conditions are unsafe for me to come in to work, am I still expected to come to work, or do I have to use my leave?
A. Civilian employees, but U.S. and non-U.S., should be prepared to report to work every day and make adjustments to their schedules to assure they arrive on time and safely. Any delays must be coordinated with their supervisor. This is consistent with the Office of Personnel Management guidelines, German Labor Law and the Collective Tariff Agreement.
Q. The child development center on Bitburg only offers full-time care, but the Spangdahlem CDC offers part-time. Is that a manpower issue?
A. The Bitburg and Spangdahlem CDCs offer both full-time and hourly care. The Spangdahlem CDC also hosts the part-day enrichment program. This is for children 2 to 5 years old. Classes are offered as follows: 2-year-old class is Tuesday and Thursday in the morning; the 3-4-year-old class is Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning; and the 4-5-year-old class is Monday and Friday afternoon. There is no manpower issue that drove the move of the program. The program moved because of customer requests. Unfortunately, the waiting list for the PDE program does not support opening another classroom on Bitburg.
Q. Why don't local national employees work at the CDC?
A. Currently, there is one local national employee working at the CDC. There was a second caregiver on staff, however, she has moved with her active-duty spouse. Due to the high cost of payroll, the program is not able to sustain additional local national employees without increasing fees to cover the additional payroll.