WHEELER ARMY AIRFIELD, Hawaii - In a previous edition of "Ask the Garrison Commander," I talked about the importance of customer feedback to our garrison and how the Interactive Customer Evaluation system, or ICE, is an excellent way of telling garrison service providers if we're meeting your needs.

Another community forum is the Installation Action Council, or IAC. This council is formed by service and family member representatives from each major command, garrison directors and other senior leaders who are subject matter experts, and I chair the council.

The purpose of the council is to consider and prioritize issues and concerns that broadly impact our local military community. The council is not intended to address individual problems, those are better served through the ICE system. Rather, the intent is for council members to hear issues that affect our entire community.

At the last council meeting in August, several issues were discussed. I'd like to share some of those issues with you.

Child care and teen issues:

1. Can child care be provided at the gyms so that parents can work out'

A: Child, Youth and School Services and the Kids-on-Site program, formerly Short Term Alternative Child Care, offer an hourly, child care program for parents while they work out at the local gyms. The service is at the CYSS Outreach Building, Schofield Barracks, and runs 8-11 a.m., Monday through Friday. Children must be registered with CYSS. The cost is $4 per hour, and it's free for Blue Star Card holders. Call 808-655-8628.

2. Computers at the teen centers are old and need updating.

A: The Teen Center at Schofield will be moving to the Bennet Youth Center in the very near future. Once the move occurs, the computers will be replaced with brand new units.

3. The unavailability of child care causes difficulty for Soldiers with dependents.

A: Additional Child Development Centers are scheduled to be built from now through fiscal year 2011, for both Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter. A new School Age Center opened on Schofield Barracks in June, and includes a before-and-after school program. A new CDC for children up to 5 years old will open in January 2011, and a school age/teen center at Fort Shafter will open during the first quarter of 2011.

Construction, maintenance and road repair issues:

4. There appears to be an excessive amount of potholes around our installations.

A: The Directorate of Public Works is actively addressing road conditions throughout our garrison. An extensive plan is in place throughout the next year that will address street repair issues. A schedule of road closures and construction can be accessed on the garrison website, <a href="http://www.garrison.hawaii.army.mil">www.garrison.hawaii.army.mil</a>, under "Post Information" and "Traffic Updates."

5. Parking at the Hale Kula Elementary School is very limited and needs expanding.

A: Part of the parking area near the Hale Kula Elementary School is the property of the Department of Education. Part of it, however, belongs to the garrison. U.S. Army Garrison-Oahu and DPW will make an assessment of the area to determine which area is under the control of the garrison, and if improvements can be made to increase parking, such as paving and striping. More on this issue will follow.

6. The air conditioner at Fort Shafter Bowling Alley is not working. The bowling alley is hot and uncomfortable for both customers and employees.

A: The air conditioning unit has been identified for repair. DPW is currently awaiting prioritization and funding so that repairs can be completed. More on this issue will follow.

7. When coming from the intersection of Waianae and Heard avenues on Schofield Barracks, drivers can't go straight across Foote Avenue to Soldiers Chapel or on towards the bowling alley. This hinders traffic.

A: DPW performed a traffic assessment of this area. There are three streets that intersect: Heard Avenue, Foote Avenue and Trimble Road, as well as access points in and out of parking areas. DPW has concluded that changing the traffic pattern would cause the formation of a five-way intersection, creating undue safety hazards and impeding traffic flow.

Miscellaneous issues:

8. Army service members and families who are assigned to U.S. Pacific Command don't receive timely enough information from the garrison.

A: The PACOM Army Element commander has been added to the U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii community bulletin distribution list to facilitate improved information flow to PACOM Army personnel and their families. Additionally, PACOM will be invited to attend all town hall meetings, as well as the IAC.

9. Individuals who volunteer on post are hindered from performing a full-range of duties because they are not entitled to a Common Access Card to access government network computers.

A: The Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation has been participating in a pilot program to allow volunteers CACs for computer use only. The program has not yet been successful because of the necessity of security clearances, which can be a lengthy process. This issue impacts more than just the volunteers here in Army Hawaii, therefore, it will be forwarded to the 2011 Army Family Action Plan conference for consideration.

These are only a small sample of the issues that were addressed recently at the IAC. A log of all issues can be accessed on the <a href="http://www.garrison.hawaii.army.mil/sites/services/iac.asp">garrison website</a>. If there are issues you would like to offer for consideration, you can submit them on the garrison website or via e-mail. I urge you all to stay involved with our community and participate in the many forums that are offered by the garrison. Your feedback and suggestions are always welcomed.

More Information

To submit an "Ask the Commander" question, send an e-mail to <a href="mailto:AskTheCommander.usaghi@us.army.mil">AskTheCommander.usaghi@us.army.mil</a>. For more information, call Ophelia Isreal (808-655-9033) at Customer Management Services.