SIERRA ARMY DEPOT, Calif. -- Throughout the country, substandard living conditions in some privatized Army housing has garnered national attention and prompted immediate corrective action, inspections and town halls with residents.
Sierra Army Depot, however, has only one set of official military quarters and small barracks which is used as bachelor quarters. Nonetheless, Lt. Col. Benjamin Johnson, SIAD commander, was equally obliged to conduct inspections of the properties to make sure residents enjoy a reasonable quality of life. He also held a town hall meeting with residents and public works officials to make sure any existing issues had been addressed appropriately.
Things went well.
The "commander's house," which is occupied by a noncommissioned officer, is in excellent condition and meets and exceeds all inspection requirements.
The one work order outstanding for that set of quarters is for a faulty carbon dioxide detector.
"We are truly blessed to have been afforded the opportunity to reside in the commander's quarters. It is the only stand-alone residence on the installation. Every evening after all the employees have left the depot, it is like having the entire depot to ourselves. The quiet serenity and the abundance of wildlife make it a one of a kind, once in a lifetime U.S. Army residential experience," said Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Bennett, who lives in the quarters with his wife, Yolanda.
At the bachelor quarters, Rebecca Durocher, the Family Advocacy program specialist, said her apartment arrangement is more than adequate. She had no problems to report and was not present when Johnson came to inspect.
"Living in the SIAD barracks apartments is a unique experience. Availability to the base can't be beat. It is re-affirming that our SIAD command pays attention to residential housing accommodations and needs," Durocher said.
"Delivering an exceptional living experience for our tenants and their families who call Sierra Army Depot home is our top priority," said Jim Lumibao, acting garrison manager.
"For the Garrison, this means providing a safe, quality home, well-maintained amenities, responding promptly to residents' maintenance requests and resolving them quickly and completely, and consistently delivering a high level of customer service. We are active with our housing inspections and all related initiatives and requirements with regard to Army Family Housing. We introduced a town hall with the aim of improving maintenance responsiveness and ensuring our residents are being heard, receiving the same information they need, and getting all issues promptly resolved to their satisfaction."
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