“Real Talk” connects Fort Meade command team with community

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. — During the Real Talk event Friday at the Post Exchange Starbucks, the only thing on the menu was honesty.

Garrison Commander Col. Yolanda Gore and Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Moore sat down with service members, families and Fort Meade employees to discuss the real issues on their mind.

Real Talk is a series of casual meetups designed to bring the garrison command team directly to the Fort Meade community – an opportunity for the community to share feedback on garrison services, ask questions about projects and offer suggestions on how to make Fort Meade a better place to live and work.

Gore opened the event by discussing the importance of this new effort to provide community members with a less formal opportunity to speak with the command team.

“We can have real conversations and talk about things that matter on the installation,” Gore said. “I would love to hear your comments, your concerns, your suggestions or anything that you feel will make this community better.”

One of these real conversations focused on visitor passes and the length of time they can be issued. Gore and Director of Emergency Services, Maj. Joseph Smith, explained to a service member who had this concern that passes cannot extend past 90 days due to previous abuse of installation access and visitors passes.

“I found it helpful to learn about the reason behind the decision,” the service member said. “The policy makes sense for safety.”

Another community member, Sgt. Robert Spaulding, spoke to the command team about the need for a more robust BOSS program (Better Opportunities for Single Service Members) .

“I’m trying to get information on how the command can get more integrated in the environment and community,” Spaulding said. “It’s important to get Soldiers out of the barracks and enjoy life.”

The conversation sparked suggestions on how to get BOSS events publicized to the enlisted population, and the idea of partnering with MWR for potential events with wider appeal.

Spaulding liked the chance to see things from a different perspective.

“I absolutely found it helpful,” Spaulding said. “It’s interesting to see how everything looks from the top-down.”

Rob and Allison Miller, residents here, shared concerns about snow clearance from the recent snow and ice storm we experienced.

“With snow clearance, there was not a definitive plan regarding parking,” Miller said. “We ran into parking issues because of plowing.”

By talking to the command team and Corvias Operations Director, Brittney Dabney, the Millers learned more about the current snow plans and struggles the garrison faced with the way this snowstorm evolved.

“We found this helpful because we could raise the concerns to the commander level.” Miller said.

For those who missed the first Real Talk, the next conversation is scheduled for March 13 at 10 a.m. in the Starbucks at the PX mall.

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Upcoming Real Talk Events

• Friday, Mar. 13 | 10-11:30 a.m.
• Friday, Apr. 3 | 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• Friday, May 8 | 10-11:30 a.m.
• Friday, Jun. 5 | 10-11:30 a.m.
• Friday, Jul. 3 | 10-11:30 a.m.