ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Nearly a year after APG’s first confirmed case of COVID-19, installation leadership shared encouraging words to the community during a town hall Thursday, March 11.
APG Senior Commander Maj. Gen. Mitchell Kilgo said he is proud to be serving with the APG team.
“I think we have shown the rest of the Army and the world what we’re capable of,” he said. “Army readiness has not suffered as a result of this pandemic and it’s because of the hard work of this community.”
Additional topics covered during the town hall included updates on the COVID-19 pandemic, housing, the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program and Family and Morale, Welfare and Recation services. The town hall was held at the Myer Auditorium and was broadcasted over Microsoft Teams.
COVID-19 updates
Dr. W. Thomas Frank, chief of preventative medicine for the Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic and the installation’s public health emergency officer, shared recent COVID-19 case data and said the number of daily cases and the 7-day rolling average for the areas around APG and the Adelphi Laboratory Center have plateaued at a rate that is higher than earlier plateaus during the pandemic. The 7-day rolling averages for daily COVID cases, as of March 5, were 153 at APG and 343 at ALC.
“The plateau is too high right now. We can’t really afford to plateau at this level,” he said. “We need to get down lower and we are still in danger, at this level, of going back up.”
Despite numbers being higher than ideal throughout the greater APG area, Garrison Commander Col. Timothy Druell said workplace transmission has remained low.
“It means we’re doing the right thing at the workplace and the installation,” he said.
Kilgo and Druell also shared information on the recent changes to the installation’s mask wearing policy. With few exceptions, the wearing of masks is required at all times, including when outside in shared spaces and able to maintain a 6 foot distance from others. Kilgo said he would not hesitate to debar anyone who fails to comply with the policy from the installation.
Kilgo encouraged the community to remain patient and allow more people to be vaccinated. Local conditions will dictate when the installation’s health protection condition will improve and more of the workforce can return to the installation. As of now, 40% of the workforce can be at APG.
“Don’t walk away from the CDC guidelines,” he said. “Don’t walk away from the information we’re putting out. Don’t be that person that somebody has to constantly check and remind.”
Vaccination efforts continue to occur within the Department of Defense. While Frank does not have an estimated date for the installation to move into phase 1C of vaccine distribution, he expects it will happen in the spring.
Frank spent time discussing the science between several vaccines that are available and in production and said not one COVID-19 death has occured in a vaccinated individual, while hospitalizations are near zero.
Frank encouraged anyone who can get a vaccine to get one.
“The best vaccine is the vaccine you can get the soonest,” he said. “Our only way out is through vaccination.”
SHARP updates
Tracy Marshall, APG SHARP Resource Center program manager, shared information about the center, which provides comprehensive, victim-centered services and support to individuals impacted by sexual assault or sexual harassment through a timely and coordinated system of care.
Located on the second floor of Bldg. 4305, the center is run in partnership with the installation’s SHARP program, KUSAHC, the Criminal Investigation Division and the Office of Staff Judge Advocate.
“The leadership here at APG is committed to having an environment of dignity and respect for all personnel and I’m honored to be able to share with you all the SHARP Resource Center,” she said.
To reach the SHARP Resource Center, call 410-278-3612. SHARP’s 24-7 hotline at APG is 410-322-7153.
Housing updates
Corvias received a 52.4% response rate from APG residents in its annual tenant satisfaction housing survey, which was the highest rate in the Corvias and Army portfolios, said Cindy Hart, Corvias assistant director of operations.
The Corvias community center re-opened Feb. 22 for walk-in visitors, but virtual appointments remain available to those who request them.
Move-ins and move-outs are also available virtually, with Hart asking those who are planning on moving out to contact the community center as early as possible, in order to ensure as seamless a transition as possible.
A project to upgrade thermostats, toilets, faucets and lightbulbs in homes in conjunction with JCI Energy began in January.
Other projects expected to take place in 2021 include ongoing sidewalk and asphalt repairs, construction of a walkway between Patriot Village and the community center, preventative grounds maintenance at APG North and APG South and renovations on windows and doors at Plum Point homes.
Hart said Corvias plans to open pools under its jurisdiction, with plans being reviewed and discussed at this time.
FMWR updates
As APG Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation services continue to reopen on the installation, more patrons are using their services, said APG FMWR director Joseph Moscone, adding more than 2,100 did so last week.
“Where we can re-open and where we can provide expanded services, we will do that, but in concert with safety, policies and COVID protocols,” he said.
Looking ahead, Moscone said he is hopeful for the library to reopen by the end of the month and for programming to resume at the post theater over the next few weeks.
FMWR plans to open the Shore Park swimming pool on May 22. For more information, call 410-278-4124.
Registration is open for CYS Summer Camp, which will take place from June 14-Aug. 27. For more information, call 410-278-1233 or 410-278-7571.
CYS sports leagues will return this summer and be held in conjunction with Harford County’s parks and recreation department. Registration for flag football, cheerleading, t-ball, softball and baseball are open. For more information, call 410-306-2297.
For more updates, visit aberdeen.armymwr.com or facebook.com/apgmwr.
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