New clinic, shoppette, bike lanes and more

By Fort Sill Cannoneer staffJune 10, 2010

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Thomas Easterly, Plans, Analysis and Integration Office strategic planner, talks about mission media and knowledge management June 3, 2010, at the Fort Sill Garrison Town Hall Meeting. It was the first time the town hall was broadcast live on the Int... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla.--The 2010 Health Care Reform Act or "Obama Care" will not diminish health care services to DoD beneficiaries, in fact, certain services might be enhanced, said Col. Michael Rave, Reynolds Army Community Hospital commander.

Rave was one of the leaders to present at the Fort Sill Town Hall meeting June 3 at Snow Hall. For the first time the meeting was streamed live over the Internet and it featured a new start time, 5 p.m. The meeting, hosted by Col. Raymond Lacey, garrison commander, was also broadcast live by a local cable provider.

An enhanced service of the new health care law might be TRICARE coverage of DoD children until age 26, Rave explained. Currently, dependent children who are full-time students can receive health care coverage up to their 23rd birthday.

"We see every indication that it will be successful in passing in the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act and that coverage will be extended to DoD beneficiary children up to age 26," Rave said.

Rave then said Fort Sill has received a grant to open a community-based health care clinic off post in Lawton to provide health care services to active-duty family members, but neither Soldiers nor retirees. It will be staffed by civil service employees and managed by RACH.

"This clinic is not an expansion of services ... but an expansion of space," he said. The clinic is expected to open this fall.

Randy Butler, Directorate of Public Works director, spoke at length about the $1.2 billion construction projects under way or scheduled for Fort Sill.

A new Army & Air Force Exchange Service shoppette will be built on Sheridan Road at Constitution Park.

The site is ideal for serving residents and the project is expected to begin toward the end of the year, Butler said.

Because of the construction, Constitution Park will be relocated near the Field Artillery Museum. "All the monuments will be preserved and well taken care of and put in around the museum area," he said.

A new youth center will be constructed at the site of the old post theater, across from Prichard Field, Butler said. Groundbreaking is expected to begin at the end of the year.

With recovering wounded Soldiers in mind, a company-sized warrior transition unit will be built north of RACH. It will include an administrative area, a Soldiers and Family Assistance Center and barracks, he said.

Post planners are looking at putting in bicycle lanes when Sheridan Road, Fort Sill Boulevard and Mow-Way Road are expanded, Butler said. It won't be in the near future, but as dollars are available.

The bike lanes will connect with Lawton's projected bike paths, and 10-foot wide sidewalks will allow for cyclists' easier access to the post through Scott Gate (Fort Sill Boulevard) and Bentley Gate (Sheridan Road). The routes will eventually connect to Apache Gate and Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area. No timeline has been established to construct the Fort Sill bike network, Butler said.

The lone telephone call-in gave kudos for the amenities of the RecPlex, LETRA and Sportsmen Services. The caller also remarked that Sheridan Road Elementary School needs improvements to its looks, a dedicated bike lane should be added to 3-Mile Track and that there is a need for increased hours for Apache Gate.

Lacey explained that a recently passed Lawton sales tax increase will provide money for maintenance improvements at Sheridan Road Elementary a Lawton public school, which will eventually be divested by the post. In the next couple weeks, 3-Mile Track will be resurfaced, and users will see an improvment in its width and surface, Lacey said.

He added that Directorate of Emergency Services personnel monitor all gate traffic and adjusts hours as needed to better serve arriving and departing motorists.

The garrison commander gave an overview of Installation Management Command's campaign plan a blueprint for installations on how to do things right. (IMCOM is the agency which supports and operates forts Armywide.)

The mission at Fort Sill is to support the U.S. Army's overall mission, Lacey emphasized. The mission here is performed through a circle of safety, sustainability, resiliency, innovation, stewardship of resources, partnerships with the community; and active two-way communication with the internal community.

Thomas Easterly, Plans, Analysis and Integration Office strategic planner, presented on mission media.

He said the updated Fort Sill Garrison website features a link "Tell the Garrison Commander" for users to send an e-mail directly to the garrison commander and to expect a prompt response.

"[On Facebook] interact with the garrison, post comments and pictures and things of that nature. As we go through those and notice areas and issues we'll be glad to answer those," Easterly said.

Later, Easterly noted that 104 viewers logged on the town hall from the U.S., Korea, Germany and Puerto Rico.

The next town hall meeting is Aug. 8.