Town hall Q&As continue conversation ahead of forum Published Jan. 29, 2016 By Staff Reports 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Spangdahlem Airmen and their families offered input on quality-of-life issues at community town hall meetings Jan. 22, 2016, at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. The feedback offered during the town halls will continue as part of a conversation on quality-life-concerns at the 2016 Caring for People forum Feb. 1 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Club Eifel. The full-day forum will divide participants into working groups, tackling six areas of support: housing, spouses, schools, single Airmen, health/fitness and child/youth activities. Volunteers - including active-duty Airmen, spouses, civilians, etc. - will identify the key concerns for each area, and by the end of the day, will also have a proposed solution to address the top issues. Below is a synopsis of discussion during the town hall. Some participants asked questions that had immediate answers, while others presented subjects for discussion and future consideration. Discussion at community town halls: Public Affairs is investigating the questions/comments that did not have an immediate answer and will provide an update as feedback is received. 1. Why is age 5 the cutoff for children's activities? Age 5 is not the cutoff. There are activities such as Start Smart and part-day enrichment for younger children; however, when it comes to providing opportunities for youth to develop their physical abilities and to experience achievement the difficulty comes in having enough volunteer coaches for all age groups. 2. Can these programs and the request for coaches be advertised more? Yes, we already advertise via facebook and at the School Age building. But, we will look at increasing advertising across base and in the "Heart to Heart," a monthly online publication of events found on the lower right side of the Wing website - www.spangdahlem.af.mil. 3. There is nowhere to take the kids to play in the winter on base. This is a concern of which we are aware, and we are currently looking at possible solutions to resolve this issue. At the present time a facility does not exist to accommodate a more comprehensive indoor play area. Depending on the age group and personal preference, several options exist on base for indoor activity to include the bowling center, JR Rockers, youth programs and teen programs (for enrolled members) and the community center 4. Some of the fun, family runs, such as a Color Run, have taken place in the middle of the day during the week. Is there any way these could happen on Saturday or Sunday mornings or afternoons? Some of the fun runs and daily events are offered by private organizations that plan activities throughout the work day to enhance participation and fund raise. These are often open to the entire community for participation. With regard to the fitness center calendar of events, scheduled activities (including runs) are offered on a variety of days and times through the week, month and year to appeal to a wide audience of active duty, civilians and family members to support their work schedules. We will continue to offer a variety of programs based on interest and demand. 5. There are a lot of resources for families of deployed members and single Airmen, but not for single parents. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. This is a subject that we need to explore in more detail. We welcome ideas of what resources single parents want and will be able to utilize. We know that single parents often have little time to meet together, but know they could benefit from a network and support system. We really need a forum of single parents to tell us what they want. 6. The community events tab is outdated on the 52 FW Home Page. We will get that tab updated. 7. How can we find out about events? I live on base and only get a few minutes of AFN on my drive to work. Could major events be re-attacked quarterly? In addition to AFN, there are a number of resources already available that may assist you. The Flash - a monthly publication of Force Support Squadron-related events - is available in hardcopy in any of the 23 FSS Facilities, as well as the Express, Exchange, Commissary and Post Office. The Flash can also be downloaded online at http://www.52fss.com/. FSS has e-mail blasts that you can enroll to receive updates directly; click "Get 'What's Hot' Emails" at the top of its website http://www.52fss.com/. Also, "Heart to Heart" is a comprehensive listing of programs, services and activities for Sabers and their families and is published monthly. You can find a link to this offering on the lower right side of the Wing website - www.spangdahlem.af.mil. Also, many events are posted to facebook: the official Wing facebook page - Spangdahlem Air Base; AFN Spangdahlem; 52D Force Support Squadron; or 52D FSS Airman & Family Readiness Center, etc. 8. There is a temporary lodging facility off base that tags on extra charges that Airmen often pay out-of-pocket in cash. It seems to be taking advantage of our Airmen who may not know better. Thank you for bringing this to our attention; we will look into this and act accordingly. 9. The Eifel School Advisory Board recently met; can the minutes from these meetings be shared on facebook for those who may not be able to make it in person? (The Eifel School Advisory Board meets quarterly and community members are encouraged to attend.) Yes, the School Liaison Officer confirmed that she will post them to the SLO facebook page. 10. Because childcare is not available at the fitness center, can the parent room provide something to help distract kids so their parents can work out? There used to be toys but they were taken out and the television hasn't been working since last August. Could a DVD player be provided at least where parents could bring their own DVD? Yes, we will take this for action. There has been an issue with the cable that we are still trying to work through, but we can purchase a DVD player. 11. What about the TVs built into the fitness equipment? Can those be turned on? Those will not work because the equipment, which is from the U.S., is not automatically compatible with the German system. 12. What about mounting four to five monitors where something could still be playing during workouts? That is an option, but we have run into barriers of where to mount them. Because of the windows, they would have to be mounted from the ceiling, which presents other obstacles. 13. Is childcare at the gym an option? Base run, paid childcare is not an option because the fitness center facility does not meet requirements of childcare. 14. What if parents volunteered to babysit in a co-op? That would be different as long as no money was exchanged, and it would need to be parent organized. As a reminder for those who babysit for pay, only licensed providers may provide care in on-base housing. It is illegal for anyone in base housing to provide more than 10 total hours a week (# of children multiplied by # of hours) or any amount of care on a regular or recurring basis. Failure to comply could result in loss of base housing privileges or possible personal liability suits. For more information, visit the 52D FSS Family Child Care facebook page. 15. When is the Commissary going to open? The new Commissary is slated to open in May. 16. Will they be asking for volunteers and paying to help DECA with the move? DECA will not be hiring any extra personnel for the move. 17. The bathroom at the Exchange continuously does not have paper towels or a way to dry your hands. I've addressed this with the store, but it hasn't fixed the problem. The Exchange has stocked the bathrooms with paper towels. Hand dryers have also been ordered and will be installed in the near future. 18. We need to provide martial arts to children - is this possible? The School Age Program has been discussing this with a certified teacher. Not having enough space and time is a barrier. The activity must take place in a child-controlled room. Other activities are already booked in these rooms during optimal times for such activities. 19. Is there a way the base can contract with a local pool where base members can use it or have a reserved swim time? Is there a way to coordinate swim lessons with the base? In the past, when youth programs has inquired about having a swimming pool/facility reserved just for our children/programs, it was not possible. If someone wanted to coordinate with an off base facility on their own to offer swim lessons, it would be considered a personal business. They would need to go through the proper channels, and the base cannot publicize for private businesses. 20. Why did the shopette change hours? There was not enough customer demand to justify staying open 24 hours. Therefore, we adjusted our schedule to be more financially responsible. 21. What about shift workers who relied upon the shopette for food? There are other facilities on base that are available to them. The Dining Facility offers its midnight meal, and Lodging is open 24-hours and has sundry items available for sale. 22. A list of nearby Esso stations that are open 24 hours may be helpful. A full list of all ESSO stations in Germany can be seen on the AAFES Exchange Store Gas Program website here. 23. Could we pay at the pump with credit cards, so gas could be accessible 24 hours? Because of Status of Forces Agreements and needing to verify registration, paying at the pump is not a viable option. 24. What is the process for selling food from home? I often see people post this on Web Sales. Selling food from home is illegal on base. Public Health must inspect food providers who sell food on base. 25. The volume of Taps in housing is really loud and wakes my kids up soon after they fall asleep. I have no problem with Taps being played, but is there a way to turn down the volume in the housing area? Public Affairs is investigating the questions/comments that did not have an immediate answer and will provide an update as feedback is received.This request has been forwarded to 26. Also, when speakers are being tested on Friday afternoons they are also very loud and interrupt nap time. Public Affairs is investigating the questions/comments that did not have an immediate answer and will provide an update as feedback is received. 27. No one knows the quiet hours in stairwell housing, and you can hear everything. Quiet hours are not posted in the building. Housing will print flyers with information on quiet hours and post them in stairwell housing. 28. Building 423 also has brown water, and I have to run it for almost 45 minutes to get clear, warm water in the morning. The Civil Engineer Squadron is aware of this concern in Building 423 and is working to resolve the plumbing issue. 29. Dorm fridges are too small; you can't even fit a frozen pizza in them. The Fire Department gets BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence) because of shift work, but they have to share the kitchen with the entire building. Building 225 is the only building without a shared kitchen suite. Building 226 is being remodeled for suite style (one kitchen, one common room, four bedrooms per four Airmen). So, change is coming. 30. I'm a German, and as a new military spouse, I was never told about newcomer's. Information would have been helpful to help educate me on military life. The Airman & Family Readiness Center offers Heartlink, which is designed for spouses with less than five years exposure to the military. It is designed as a military 101 class that discusses the structure and customs and courtesies of military life, as well as resources available to families. 31. There are programs that target single Airmen who are enlisted, but is there a single officer's group that would include Company Grade Officers and Field Grade Officers? Airmen are recognized if they are single Airmen regardless of rank. The Air Force Single Airman Program definition is: An Air Force Active Duty or Air Reserve Component officer or enlisted member without a spouse. We give registration priority to E1-E4 but typically there are additional slots for trips and events that are not filled by single officers. 32: Planning too far in advance for trips, like ITT weekends, can sometimes be a barrier for single Airmen, who don't plan that far in advance, or for those who work shift hours because they can't be gone for two days in the weekend. So, maybe smaller trips versus grand weekends might be an option. Because of the requirements for renting a bus and the cancellation policies associated with it, we do need lead time for trips. ITT recently had a trip planned for families of deployed members with a $200 discount, but we had to cancel the trip because only one family signed up. However, ITT and Outdoor Rec are willing to work with you. If you have enough people who would like a trip in specific timeframe, talk to them. Trips can be customized for your work unit or friends if you have enough people interested. 33. During the winter break, School Age Program trips were cancelled due to poor sign-ups and no one knew about. We were disappointed that those trips had to be cancelled. All our activities are included in e-mails sent to parents and in the Flash. The Flash is also available online at www.52fss.com. For more information or to get involved in this process, contact Helena Palmer, 52nd FW community support coordinator, at helena.palmer@us.af.mil or DSN 452-5314 or 0656561-5314.