Fort Bragg town hall addresses customers' concerns

By Tina Ray/ParaglideMarch 3, 2011

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - The Army Family Action Plan is a program that allows servicemembers and their Families to bring issues to the attention of leadership and work together for the likely resolution of those issues.

More than 100 people attended the quarterly town hall meeting Feb. 23 at the Yntema Club on Gruber Road, to address several issues with Col. Stephen Sicinski, Fort Bragg Garrison commander, and other leadership.

Also attending were representatives from various directorates, including logistics; human resources; emergency services; Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation; and public works. The Department of Defense Education Activity, Womack Army Medical Center and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service also provided representation, among others.

Dan Ahern, director, FMWR, answered a concern about replacing carpeting with tile in dining rooms. Carpet is only required to be steam cleaned semi-annually and takes less time to maintain, Ahern said. Carpeting also reduces the risks of slips and falls associated with tiling.

Another concern raised pertained to leaving lights on in the Forces Command headquarters building at night. Officials said that the contractor also works at night, necessitating the need for lights. Conservation remains the mark of any Fort Bragg construction project as the building will be designed and constructed to meet or exceed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver standards.

The late dissemination of information regarding closings due to snow or ice conditions was also discussed.

Information about weather closings is posted on social media websites such as the Fort Bragg, Paraglide and XVIII Airborne Corps Facebook pages, Sicinski said. Also, Soldiers have an additional source of information.

"If you are a Soldier, you will get your information from your chain of command," said Sicinski.

Congestion on Knox Street at drop-off and pick-up times for Irwin Intermediate School could be eased by parents choosing to walk their children to and from school rather than drive them, said Michael Thornburg, education operations chief of Fort Bragg Schools.

On the subject of Fort Bragg Schools, it was brought to light that no one associated with Fort Bragg currently serves on the Cumberland County School Board.

A seat on the board is open to anyone who is a resident of Cumberland County who would choose to run and win the election, Sicinski said.

During the open forum, a Fort Bragg employee enquired about the establishment of a cell phone policy to eliminate usage while employees should instead be taking care of customers.

Sicinski said that the policy already exists at the Defense Commissary Agency and at the Directorate of Human Resources.

Ahern said a policy would be forthcoming from FMWR.

Other issues discussed during open forum include the building of a water park off Smith Lake in fiscal year 2014; offering of bike training classes for students who would consider biking to and from school and the future development of sports fields at Linden Oaks.

For more information about Fort Bragg town halls, call the Army Family Action Plan office at 396-4447.