The White Falcon - 19.05.2004, Qupperneq 2

The Naval Media Center’s radio program, “Talk of
the Town” airs Wednesdays at 2 p.m. on K.104FM,
Thunder 1530, and Roller Channel 9. Wednesday,
May 12, JOCS(SW) Patricia Huizinga from the
Naval Media Center and JOCS Vince Dickens from
the Public Affairs Office were the guests. Here are
some of the community issues they discussed:
I was wondering if someone could look into get-
ting a relay for life program going here. I think
it is a great cause and would be something a lot
of people would support. I don’t know what all it
would involve but I think it would be worth look-
ing into. I also think this base has a lot of positive
things going for it and people complain too much
about the base. You guys are doing a great job.
[From NAS Command Master Chief]. There are
many great causes out there. The ones that get sup-
ported are the ones that are promoted by passionate
volunteers. If you want to conduct an effort to sup-
port a program and don’t know where to start contact
the NAS Command Master Chief.
Comment Cards: [From NEX General Manager
Dan Cougevan] If anyone has any comments, sug-
gestions, accolades, questions or complaints, they
can use the comment cards which are in all locations.
We have ordered new comment card boxes and we
expect them to arrive soon. In the meantime, our
customers can submit their comment card to any
NEX associate or drop it in one of the comment card
boxes in the Mini-mart (near the front entrance) or
the Main store (near the shopping carts). We need
customer feedback to improve our service and assort-
ment. We also use them as a motivational tool for our
associates.
Why does it take an excessive amount of time
to renovate the family housing? Did you know
that in the time it took to completely renovate one
existing building here, two multi-level buildings
(twice the size) were constructed in Hafnarfjordur,
and now have residents in them? [From ROICC]
There are various items impacting the amount of
time it takes to complete any construction project
here at NASKEF. For the housing renovation there
are three primary factors: The first is the housing
renovation projects are “whole house” renovations.
Each housing unit is entirely gutted and signifi-
cant alterations are made to the floor plans. The
only original item in the unit is the structure itself.
Renovations tend to take more time to complete than
new construction. The second is for U.S. construc-
tion projects in Iceland there are different construc-
tion standards, safety requirements, materials and
acquisition methods we are required to follow by law
or regulation than what is used off base. Frequently,
these requirements add additional time onto the con-
tract length. The third is construction scheduling. If
we demanded a compressed construction schedule
from the contractors, we would have to pay a pre-
mium. Therefore, we prefer a reasonable construc-
tion period, which also provides greater flexibility in
scheduling and construction coordination.
I’ve noticed a lack of daycare availabilities for
Category I (single/dual military) families. With
the high number of births and the large turnover
rate every year, it seems like the daycare people
who forecast openings could leave some open-
ings for Category I people who transfer here, and
not fill openings with Category II or III people.
I’m not suggesting holding openings for four or
live months, but certainly one or two if neces-
sary. There are two Category I members in my
command who have been waiting for daycare for
at least eight months and have been switching
their children among different providers as one
provider would leave and another would come.
While this was happening at least two Category
3 members from our command were given open-
ings for their children of the same ages. Iceland
is a wonderful country and this tour is a fantastic
opportunity for military members and families
alike. Let’s see what we can do to alleviate the
daycare issues so our military members can focus
their full attention on the mission. [From MWR
and the CDC] The CDC does not have any children
in CAT III enrolled at the CDC. All of the children
enrolled are in either CAT I or CAT II (military
married to employed spouse). Once viable care is
accepted in a home or center the parent can put their
child’s name on what is called the “Preferred List.”
If a spot opens in the CDC, the first child on the list,
depending on the age group, is offered that spot and
the next child waiting for first available care then
fills the vacated spot in CDH. Parents only have one
time priority. Dual or single service members who
chose to remove their child from the wait list cannot
go back on as CAT I. There are CAT I’s on the base
that need care. Therefore, holding spots for one or
two months is not an option. For more information
contact Rhonda at the CDC.
Talk of the Town: Talk of the Town is a ques-
tion-and-answer show. When a question comes into
the email, it is forwarded anonymously to the person
we think can provide the best response and then
we work with them to help you get a good answer.
The questions are taken seriously and effort is put
into answering them. It is not a letter-to-the-editor
or open discussion group. There are three points
that will help us out for both the questioners and
the responders. First, the White Falcon version is a
rough transcript of the show, edited only for space.
Second, try to keep your questions short and to the
point. The longer the questions are, the less space
I have to print the answers. Third, both this radio
show and the White Falcon column are put before
the public. Some of the questions we get have an
emotional element to them. Perhaps the questioner
is frustrated. But 1 would ask that you keep your tact
and respect in mind when you’re formulating your
question.
Look in next week’s edition for the results of the
next “Talk of the Town.” E-mail your questions to
nmcfeedback@naskef.navy.mil or call the Naval
Media Center during the broadcast at 4615.
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May 19, 2004
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The White Falcon