Combat Center launches Resident Advisory Board

TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, UNITED STATES

02.26.2015

Story by Lance Cpl. Julio McGraw 

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - The Combat Center is promoting community in base housing with the creation of a Lincoln Military Housing Resident Advisory Board for housing areas both on and off the installation. The purpose of the board is to facilitate open and productive communication between base housing residents and Lincoln Military Housing.

“The Board gives the residents a voice,” said Col. John Kasperski, assistant chief of staff, G 4 Instillation and Logistics. “The residents can provide input for improvements on military housing.”

The first RAB meeting is scheduled for March 19 at the Ocotillo Heights community center at 1 p.m. and is meant to solicit and encourage family housing residents to become RAB members.

Periodic meetings will be scheduled throughout the year to discuss the status of the housing program, along with tracking the needs and trends of service members and their families. Additionally, RAB meetings will promote the sharing of information to resolve issues and facilitate positive changes, to improve the quality of life for service members and their families who live in base housing.

“We are doing this because this type of board has been successful on other Marine Corps installations,” said Ken Tinquist, housing officer, Military Family Housing. “This is a chance for residents to have a voice and be part of the solution for problems that are perceived.”

Meetings are scheduled six times annually on a rotational basis in various family housing community centers, but can be done more frequently based on the needs of the board.

With the creation of the RAB, multiple volunteer positions are open for residents of the LMH community. The volunteer positions will be comprised of members who will represent all of the housing districts.

“This is long past due and now we are seeking members of the community who are committed toward this initiative,” Kasperski said.

To fill a volunteer position, residents must meet eligibility standards, which include: Residence in the respective community with at least one year remaining on station, have no housing violation reports on file with the MHO, LMH or Provost Marshall’s Office, and must volunteer to speak for the community as a whole at the RAB meetings.

“If a volunteer has had experience on a housing board in the past that is helpful, but the positions are open to anyone who is willing to be a voice and also a part of the solution for the community,” Tinquist said.

With the creation of the RAB, the Combat Center hopes to find committed and enthusiastic family members to participate and improve the quality of life for residents who live aboard the combat center by enhancing the communication between the communities and Lincoln Military Housing.

For more information about the RAB, contact Ken Tinquist via email at [e-mail]

• Date Taken: 02.26.2015
• Date Posted: 02.26.2015 16:03
• Story ID: 155496
• Location: TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, US