51 FW commander hosts town hall meeting Published Sept. 17, 2009 By by Capt. Matthew Stines 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- Col. Thomas Deale, 51st Fighter Wing commander, hosted a town hall meeting Sept. 10 to give Team Osan families a chance to directly ask questions to him. The following are some of the questions answered during the meeting. Q: If the quality of the water in the tower is regularly checked, how do residents know the results? A: The annual reports are posted on the Osan AB Web site. In fact the results were recently completed and posted to the Web site and can be found under the library tab. The tab is titled Osan AB Consumer Water Report 2009. In the Towers specifically, lead and copper content are sampled and if there are issues or a Boil Water Notice is required, bioenvironmental notifies the command post and it is publicized on AFN and the Commander's Access Channel. Q: Who can we address concerns regarding COLA; that is, the insufficiency of it? A: There was a survey done this past April/May. The Cost of Living index is based on data furnished by uniformed members assigned to each overseas location. The Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee uses two surveys to determine the relative cost of living: a Living Pattern Survey and a Retail Price Schedule. COLA is figured on spendable income, not total income. Spendable income is total income minus housing expenses, taxes, savings, life insurance, gifts and contributions and is updated annually. More information can be found at http://www.usfk.mil/usfk/ Q: What is being done locally to help an increasing number of AD spouses find employment? A: The Civilian Personnel office is advising managers to recruit using military spouse preference and family member statuses to fill our local positions. Especially those with no PCS cost and as a way to quickly fill our position. However, these eligibles must be rated best qualified by AFPC because most of our positions request specialized skills. Reps from Army and AF civilian personnel offices are conducting working groups monthly in an effort to better serve our spouses/family members. The jobs available will be advertised on the commander's access channel as well as the community channel. Q: What is the policy on dogs that bite and how the bites are documented? If a dog has been reported to the vet clinic and housing offices for biting other dogs and/or people, what should happen to that dog? A: The first step is a warning to the owners of the dog. If there is another incident, there will be an Armed Forces Disciplinary Board where the owners are able to tell their side of the story. Both sides of the story will be heard and if the commander deems necessary, the pet owner will either have to put the pet in a kennel downtown, send it back to the states or the family will have to move off base. Residents should report animal violations (loose animals, stray, nuisance animals, animal bites, abuse, cruelty, etc.) to security forces, bldg. 1425, or call 784-5515. Security forces will investigate and file a report. If this not accomplished no action can be taken. Q: When will the family housing elevators be fixed? A: $52K was obligated for repair the MFH elevators and all three Towers are scheduled for repairs Sept 14-25. However, I need you help with this. A lot of the repairs needed are due to children playing in the elevators; pushing all the buttons, constantly opening and closing the doors and things of that nature. Help me help you by becoming a concerned citizen, if you happen to see someone abusing the elevators, please either correct the person or bring it to the attention of their parents. Q: Will security cameras be installed in the towers? A: Security cameras are projected to be installed in FY10. Q: How do you get a command sponsored billet if you are already here? A: First, contact your commander and let them know that you are interested in command sponsorship. At this time there are no open command sponsored billets. However, there is a waiting list at the force management office bldg 936, room 220. For more information please visit force management personnel or call 784-4354. Q: Tour Normalization requires better Temporary Lodging Facilities. Is anything in the works? A: We are in the process of creating TLF and the project is scheduled to be complete by next summer. The former senior NCO dorms are being renovated into family-friendly units for those filling command sponsored billets. Q: ... What about parking on Osan? I usually have to either park far away from the BX or keep circling until a spot becomes available. A: There are currently 6,000 vehicles and only 2,700 parking spots so we know there is a problem. We have plans for additional parking so please know that we are working on it. The tour normalization process is broken down into phases but we are working as fast as we can with the resources available. Bear with us as we go through these changes together. Q: I feel it is dangerous to ride bicycles on the road and bikes are not allowed on the sidewalks. Recently my children and I rode bikes to the BX and almost got hit several times. A: First off remember all bicyclist need to wear their safety gear--helmet and reflective vest. If you come into a close encounter with a vehicle, get the license plate number and call security forces. Bicyclist must remember that they need to follow the rules of the road such as using hand signals when they are turning and coming to a stop at a stop sign. Q: For those of us who are experiencing problems with on or off base housing who can we speak with? A: Please call Capt. Jason Leblanc, Asset Management Flight Chief at 784-5819.