Brig. Gen. Glen VanHerck |
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RESPONSE
Holly - Thank-you for your question. You're correct that substantial
cuts to the Department of Defense budget has forced Air Force installations
to take aggressive actions to reduce spending in the last year, eliminating
non-mission critical expenses in order to preserve the resources needed to
execute our national defense mission. However, I'd ask you to take a
serious look at what has really changed with regards to services offered for
families here at Dyess. Not much! We have worked hard to protect
family-support programs to the extent feasible, and I still believe that
Dyess has a lot to offer our families. Our 7th Force Support Squadron, in
particular, has stretched its dollars to continue providing activities to
our base populace, many of which are discounted, especially for club
members, or even free. Our Youth Sports Programs and the Teen Center, for
example, provide outstanding activities for our young Team Dyess members.
The Fitness Center is a great option, as well, as its equipped with a
parent-child room, basketball and racquetball courts, cardiovascular and
strength training equipment, indoor and outdoor running tracks, and an
indoor swimming pool available for use, provided they use the buddy system,
as there are no lifeguards on duty. And while the items I've just listed
are free for use by Airmen and their families, the Fitness Center also hosts
a variety of fitness classes for a small fee. Also, Dyess Lanes, our
bowling alley was recently recognized as having the best bowling program in
Air Combat Command, and we just cut the ribbon on a brand new archery range
last month. The list goes on, so I encourage you to take a look at the 7
FSS website, www.dyessfss.com, for complete information on the programs I've
listed and others, as well as a monthly calendar of planned activities. I
would also suggest that you follow them on Facebook by searching "Dyess
Force Support Squadron" and liking their page, because they do, at times,
offer free tickets to off-base events. I appreciate your question, Holly,
not only because it gives me an opportunity to highlight a few of the
fantastic programs we do offer, but also because it opened the door for me
to foot stomp the role that club membership plays in funding Morale, Welfare
and Recreation programs - the programs you're talking about that, as a
result of budget cuts, have been shut down or can no longer be offered
freely to our Team Dyess members. This is a topic that I covered in-depth
in an article published earlier this month - I'd like for you to read it at
http://www.dyess.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123375792. The bottom line is
this - MWR programs are funded, in part, by club membership. Are you or
have you considered becoming a club member? As I say in my commentary, if
you aren't a member, then you haven't bought the right to complain when
services like the library, swimming pools, bowling alley, golf course, auto
hobby shop, outdoor recreation, family camp, archery range - go away. The
budget isn't going to get any bigger any time soon, which means if we want
these services, we must be willing to support them by joining the club
and/or by volunteering our time. The base library, for example, may be
reopened if we can get enough volunteers to keep it staffed. We are looking
at doing this right now, are you interested? If so, please contact the FSS.
Also, I have asked the FSS to attempt to find a way to open one of the base
pools this summer. To make this feasible we will undoubtedly have to raise
the admission fee but to be honest, that will only cover a small portion of
the cost to operate the pool. So we have to make tough decisions. To open
the pool we will have to utilize more than 10% of the Civil Engineering
Budget for FY14. That means we will stop doing things like replacing water
mains on base and doing preventative maintenance on base infrastructure.
Doing so just adds cost and risk to our base today, in the years to come.
If you're interested in helping to support or even to utilize our MWR
programs, then I hope you will step up to volunteer, and I sincerely hope
that you will consider - not only the benefits of club membership - but the
contribution you're making to our community by joining. Thanks again for
your question. |