The Presidio of Monterey's unique civic partnerships left good impressions with San Angelo, Texas and Goodfellow Air Force leaders after a visit Feb. 11-12.

The Monterey Model saves the Army money by sharing resources with the nearby cities of Seaside and Monterey, California.

"This all started with an elevator maintenance contract. It expanded from there," said Col. Paul Fellinger, PoM garrison commander.

The arrangement also benefits the cities, adding capabilities and improving the efficiency with which the city can provide services to both its military and civilian customers, local city officials said.

"I have a civil and mechanical engineer on staff, because of the Army," Danial "Dino" Pick, deputy city manager of public works for the City of Monterey, said.

Air Force officials said they came to PoM to learn more about the Monterey Model because installation management budgets are shrinking across the military, and leaders are searching for innovative ways to preserve services without cutting costs.

"We have a lot of the same concerns, like energy efficiency. Locks (and locksmith services) are a big expense for us," said David Sulhoff, commander of Goodfellow's 17th Civil Engineer squadron.

The City of Monterey maintenance team provides locksmith services on PoM, including electronic keycards for barracks, and often takes a lead role in identifying opportunities for energy efficiency improvements in areas such as hot water systems, HVAC (heating, ventilation, air condition and cooling), and lighting.

During a tour of the city's on-base maintenance facilities, Col. Michael Downs, 17th Training Wing commander, said he was impressed by the quality of the customer service provided by the city partners.

"We don't know what it will mean in our community, but our hope is it will lead to something great," he said.

A 2000 Army Audit Agency review validated the cost savings, confirming Presidio of Monterey saved 41% over the cost of reimbursements to the Navy (which also operates a small military installation in the area) under a previous agreement, a total savings of more than $2.5 million annually.

The installation estimates the contract costs 22% less than a fixed price contract for those services with a private company.