News

Town hall meeting addresses hot issues

  • Published
  • By AIrm
  • 14th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. --  Over 100 BLAZE Team members came out to share their concerns and ask questions of the panel of wing leadership. 

Education and housing privatization were the main topics of discussion at the Town Hall meeting Aug. 23. 

The leadership panel members were Col. Dave Gerber, 14th Flying Training Wing commander; Col. Susan Hall, 14th Medical Group commander; Col. Mark Brown, 14th Mission Support Group commander; Lt. Col. Mike Murphy, 14th Operations Group deputy commander; Gene Kinion, DynCorp division manager; and Chief Master Sgt. Ron Bowlan, 14th FTW Command Chief Master Sergeant. Colonel Jeff Dunn, 14th FTW vice commander, was the moderator for the evening. 

The Town Hall meeting questions kicked off with school choice issues. As discussed in previous Silver Wings articles, the local school districts have been trying to reach an agreement to allow children who reside on Columbus AFB a choice between Columbus Municipal School District and Caledonia school systems. Questions about transportation, the stability of the solution and how soon this change will take place were all presented to the panel. With representatives of both the Columbus and Caledonia school boards present at the meeting, an agreement is hopefully close. 

For more information on education issues, please call the Mission Supprt Group commander's office at 434-7094. 

With Columbus AFB family housing scheduled to switch to privatized housing Oct. 1, it was another main subject at the meeting. After a short presentation by Lt. Col. Robert Germann, 14th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, the questions began pouring in.
Many of the concerns concerned how utilities and rent would be paid. The servicemember's Basic Allowance for Housing will cover both the rent paid to the developer for the house and for the utilities used. Housing residents should not be alarmed though, the estimated time for payment of utilities to begin is 18 months.
Most of the housing residents will not see a change in the way their BAH is now handled. Allotments from the member's paycheck will be set up to pay the developer. There will also be a five year window for construction to be done in housing. The housing office will work with each member to sign the lease and any concerns that they may have. 

For those who have questions about housing privatization and that could not attend the Town Hall meeting, e-mail any questions to 14ces/hp@columbus.af.mil.
For on-base residents, the town hall meeting will be aired on Channel 64 daily Sept.  4 through 7 at 5 p.m. 

For any further questions on any issue at CAFB, please call the Commander's Straight Talk Line at 434-7058. Also, watch for future Silver Wings articles addressing issues at Columbus AFB.