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Backed by fellow Team Bliss senior leaders, Col. Steve Murphy, the Fort Bliss garrison commander, pledged continued action to a crowd of more than 200 at a housing town hall meeting at Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. 28.
Hosted by Maj. Gen. Patrick Matlock, the Fort Bliss and 1st Armored Division commanding general, the local Senior Commander Housing Town Hall meeting was held as part of an Army effort to address issues with the living conditions of Residential Communities Initiative housing, as well as government quarters, worldwide. RCI public-private military neighborhoods account for approximately 87,000 homes across the Army.
Army Inspector General personnel visited Bliss last week in regard to housing concerns here and Matlock and Murphy both said the local visitation schedule has been adjusted for what the general called a “second round of visits” to best serve all families at Bliss.
Command teams returned to base housing neighborhoods Monday. While all housing area visits are voluntary, commanders are focusing on 100-percent contact over this concentrated period.
Balfour Beatty Communities representatives were on hand to not only field questions from the audience Feb. 28, but schedule work orders with guests and work out any previous service shortfalls. BBC manages almost 4,500 homes in 17 neighborhoods at Bliss. In all, BBC manages approximately 43,000 homes across the DOD.
Brian Beauregard, the BBC project director at Bliss, addressed the audience on several topics, including the industry-standard procedures taken year-round to identify lead-based paint concerns for families who live in the more than 900 homes at Bliss that were built prior to 1978.
Thursday’s town hall also was held to ensure tenants know their rights in privatized housing, how to report housing issues, and what contingencies are in place if issues remain unresolved. Leaders also shared the Army’s directed actions in relation to RCI housing reviews, as well as Team Bliss’ plan to locally implement those actions.
Earlier this month, Army Secretary Dr. Mark Esper, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel Dailey traveled from the Pentagon to nearby Fort Meade, Maryland, to visit privatized Army housing and found “unacceptable” conditions there.
Army Under Secretary Ryan McCarthy also made a firsthand inspection of RCI homes at Fort Eustis, Virginia, and Fort Jackson, South Carolina, recently, to also find examples of substandard housing at both locations.
America’s other military branches are taking similar measures to investigate public-private housing projects on DOD installations worldwide. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein joined Air Force Sec. Heather Wilson in a directive for a "100 percent review of the condition and safety of all military housing,” which was due last week. Also, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russell Smith mandated that all sailors will have an opportunity for a house visit by their commanders no later than April 15. The three services’ leaders have also called for conversation on a “bill of rights” that would offer residents more legal protection against RCI partner companies when there is a conflict.
“We’re with BBC to help them get the ball moving forward -- that’s what I get paid to do,” Murphy told the audience in closing Feb. 28. “[BBC] has demonstrated a willingness to make some changes, but now I have to push the momentum to make those changes and make them stick over time. If I’m in the audience (tonight), I’ve heard a lot of ‘we’re going to look into and we’re going to follow up.’ If you’re in the audience, you’re probably thinking, ‘put your money where your mouth is.’
“We’re going to have to prioritize some of these issues, but they’re all important,” he said. “It’s on us to make the changes.”
| Date Taken: | 02.28.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 03.05.2019 13:57 |
| Story ID: | 312972 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 227 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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