During the November West Point Army Family Action Plan meetings, the Housing, Relocation and Public Works working group raised several issues about civilians living in military housing. This concern of military residents for many years was brought up again because of the reduction in housing units at West Point from 963 to 824 as part of the Residential Communities Initiative under AFAP issue 0809.
West Point housing is divided into three different categories--RCI (formerly Army Family Housing) with 963 units currently, the Directorate of Intercollegiate Athletics with 31 houses (most of which were paid for by private funds) for the athletic director and coaches, and the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation with two for the Constitution Island and Morgan's Farm caretakers.
By the end of the summer, 13 civilians whose positions are considered key and essential by the West Point leadership will be living in RCI housing.
Key and essential personnel are incumbents of designated key and essential positions as established by the garrison commander in coordination with the senior mission commander.
The list of key and essential positions is available in the offices of Balfour Beatty, West Point's RCI civilian contract partner. All the remaining housing will be occupied by military personnel. The 31 Athletic Dept. houses and two FMWR houses are occupied by civilians and were never available for military Families.
The priority for assignment of housing is also a significant concern. Balfour Beatty follows the priorities approved by the West Point leadership and included in the project's legal documents.
There are 13 priorities. No. 1 is key and essential personnel and No. 2 is active duty personnel assigned to West Point.
With the demolition of 82 Stony Lonesome I units and the continued renovation of historic units, the number of occupied RCI houses will be approximately 850 from July 2009-July 2010 and will decrease to approximately 780 from August 2010-July 2011 because of the demolition of an additional 108 Stony I units in August 2010.
When all the new Stony Lonesome units are complete, the number of occupied units will be approximately 880 in late 2011, which will decrease slowly to 824 by June 2016 after the conversion of units from duplexes to single Family units is completed.
This number is the final endstate for West Point as approved by the Department of Defense. However, the West Point leadership is actively investigating the possibility of increasing that number.
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