Photo By Michael Strasser | The Fort Drum USO is closed May 20-24 while staff and volunteer move from the Heritage...... read more read more
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (May 20, 2024) -- Fort Drum Soldiers and family members visiting the Heritage Center will notice the USO has closed its door this week.
Phoebus Lazaridis, Fort Drum USO operations and programs manager, said this will give staff and volunteers time to move into their temporary location behind Magrath Sports Complex and resume services on May 28.
The Fort Drum USO will undergo a renovation project that includes expansion into the old museum space inside.
“We’ve been talking about renovation for a long time, and there has been a great desire to see this space expand and maximize its use,” he said. “Of course, there’s always going to be challenges putting together a project like this, but we’re excited that it’s finally happening.”
Lazaridis said preparations began as soon as they received confirmation that their temporary facility would be the combatives center, Bldg. 10052, near the Staff Sgt. Truman Cool Ball Fields.
“We had monthly dialogues with garrison leadership, Public Works engineers, and everybody seemed confident this was going to happen,” he said. “I’ve just been blown away over the last few weeks with all the work that has gone in on both the civilian and military side of the house.”
The combatives facility is smaller than the USO center, but it is still within the brigades’ footprint to make it convenient for Soldiers to use its services.
“Because it’s a short distance from our current facility, we’re hoping that the move won’t change too much the battle rhythm of the Soldiers and family members who visit us,” Lazaridis said. “Obviously, the reduced space means a smaller amount of clientele we can have at one time, but we’re not going to see too much of a reduced ability to respond to and support Soldiers and family members.”
Lazaridis said, on average, approximately 250 to 300 Soldiers visit the USO daily, which fluctuates with the division operational tempo.
The temporary location will provide all of the services patrons are familiar with, including computer and printer access, video game consoles, and billiards. Regular activities like USO Game Night and USO Storytime also will resume.
“PW just knocked it out of the park because they took a building that had really been beaten up – I mean, it was a combatives center, so people were literally fighting in there – and they did an amazing job,” Lazaridis said. “It feels welcoming.”
Lazaridis credits a dedicated team of volunteers who are helping with the move.
“It’s a great team effort,” he said. “Over these four days that we’re moving, we’ll be completing network installation, reestablishing our information technology resources, and just working really hard to ensure that all the amenities we provide are replicated over there.”
At the same time, they are still providing USO services for the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade during its deployment and supporting Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation events such as the Army Ten-Miler qualifiers and Mountainfest.
When the USO reopens inside the Heritage Center in 2025, Lazaridis said it will have more dedicated space for specific activities.
“So now we no longer have to worry about having so many gaming activities and how it impacts other people using that space,” he said. “Now we can space where people can play billiards or ping pong without necessarily interfering with people doing admin work on the computers. We can have a dedicated dining area and an area for children’s activities. We’ve always tried to make this a facility where there’s something for everybody. This allows us to do that.”
Lazaridis said that their partnership with the 10th Mountain Reception Company ensures in-processing Soldiers are familiar with USO services, and its new location. He said they will spread the word at other venues as well.
“We are here to support the service members and their families,” he said. “We thank them for their patience as we get through the process of moving, and we look forward to seeing them, working with them, and supporting them. And we thank the garrison team for all the work they’ve put into this so that we are able to do even more when we come back home to the Heritage Center.”
To learn more about the Fort Drum USO, visit https://newyork.uso.org and follow www.facebook.com/USONewYork.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2024 10:50 |
| Story ID: | 471715 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 41 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fort Drum USO continues mission of support during facility renovation, by Michael Strasser, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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