Spouse and family town hall summary Published Jan. 5, 2023 By 319th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs 319th Reconnaissance Wing GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Col. Timothy Curry, the 319th Reconnaissance Wing commander and Chief Master Sgt. Christopher Wlodarczyk, the 319th RW command chief, held two town hall meetings addressing key issues affecting spouses and family members stationed here, Dec. 7, 2022. The morning session was conducted in person, and the second afternoon session was conducted virtually. Below are a list of questions, associated answers and key themes from the discussions that took place. The 319th RW leadership team extends a thank you to everyone who attended and brought forward questions and concerns to help improve the Grand Forks AFB community. Q: Is there a way to submit questions to base leadership anonymously outside of formalized town hall meetings? A: Yes, anyone can anonymously submit a question or concern anytime, any place via the Commander and/or Command Chief Action Line found on the home page of www.grandforks.af.mil or by using the link here. Submissions will be sent directly to the 319th RW leadership team and responses will be sent directly to the requestor, if contact information is provided, or posted in the response section from the link above. Contact information is required for someone to respond back directly to you, if you put in your request to remain anonymous your contact information will not be forwarded to the leadership team and a member of the Public Affairs Office will provide their response to you. Q: Is there a way to increase the hours at the Community Activity Center and/or allow 24-hour access similar to what the fitness center offers? A: CAC hours have been extended to facilitate expanded winter season operations. Extended hours are available on Friday evenings and Saturdays. The Air Force Services Center has been contacted regarding a waiver to have the facility open 24/7, as there would not be an employee available to continuously monitor the facility. AFSC has expressed concerns regarding the liability of having unmonitored hours, and the 319th Force Support Squadron is seeking alternative options to mitigate these concerns. More information will be made available as it is received. Q: The fitness center is rumored to operate under their 24-hour access rules during federal holidays and family days. Many spouses use the gym daily and take their children with them, how can the parent and child area be open during these times? A: The fitness center operated under 24-hour access policies and procedures for the Christmas and New Years holidays. Currently, children are not allowed in the fitness center during 24-hour access. An exemption request is submitted to waive this restriction, and more information regarding policy changes will be released once a response is received. Currently, parents may take their children in the fitness center so long as they have line-of-sight on them at all times. For example, children may not be left alone to play in the field house, but parents may let their children play on the field if they are in the room. Some signage within the fitness center conflicts with this policy, signs are being reviewed and will be updated to reflect the correct verbiage. Please see the all inclusive, updated 24-hour access policies below. Q: Can Airmen have the opportunity to vote on what food options will be available at the dining facility rotating food station? A: Unfortunately, the DFAC menu is created one year in advance of implementation between the AFSC and National Account Director from Aramark. We cannot offer a voting option for DFAC food choices at this time. Q: The power in base housing went out twice in 2021, once in the summer and once in the winter. What is being done to ensure this doesn't happen a third time? A: Inspections and preventative maintenance actions have been and are being accomplished on the electrical distribution system. The winter season power outage was due to an animal chewing cables housed in a junction box. All junction boxes have been inspected and secured to ensure this doesn't happen a second time. While preventative actions set us up for success, we cannot guarantee 100% this will not happen again. Balfour Beatty Communities, the 319th Civil Engineer Squadron and NoDak Power teams have proven to provide timely responses and are prepared to do so again, should the situation arise. Q: Will the Military and Family Readiness Center or Civilian Personnel Office offer more opportunities for spouses to learn the hiring process on USAjobs.gov? Training or a briefing would be beneficial. A: The M&FRC can and does offer these classes, specifically related to preparing resumes and hiring procedures for USAjobs.gov. Contact the M&FRC at 701-747-3241 for more information. Q: What is the best way to find out what's happening on base? A: We recognize much of the Grand Forks AFB community uses differing methods of communication and information sharing. The Grand Forks AFB app, available for free in the Apple App Store and on Google Play, provides a variety of important information for anyone stationed here. Additionally, a community calendar featuring free events on base, and links to downtown events and 319th Force Support Squadron events is available here. There are a variety of clubs and private organizations on base that both service members and family members can join, you can find the frequently updated listing here. You can also follow the official 319th RW social media pages for base updates: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grandforksairforcebase/ Instagram: @grandforksafb Recurring themes/concerns: A second Family Child Care home is set to open in January 2023 Spouses and family members living off base are eligible to be FCC providers in addition to those living on base One additional infant room is scheduled to open at the Child Development Center in January 2023 Steps are being taken to open additional pre-toddler and infant rooms at the CDC Direct care providers working for 319th FSS Child and Youth Programs receive free childcare for their first enrolled child The CDC is working to expand childcare hours with the hiring of more staff, this will allow for the facility to open 30 minutes earlier or close 30 minutes later General comments: The Commissary's self-checkout option for Mondays is very popular The base library offers a variety of free and low-cost services, and the staff is very helpful in finding resources for both parents and children Trivia night at J.R. Rockers is very popular; you can find more 319th FSS events (like trivia night) here The Grand Forks AFB app is very useful to the community The 319th FSS Instagram does an excellent job at advertising base events, follow them @319fss If your comment was not included, or you have questions regarding any of the topics listed above you can contact the Integrated Prevention Office at 701-747-7183 or 701-747-5046. Updated fitness center 24-hour access information/policies Effective immediately, children under the age of 18 will be allowed in the fitness center during 24-hour access periods, so long as they have adult supervision at all times. The below guidelines must also be adhered to: Ages 16 - 17 Permitted in: cardio room, weight room, group exercise room. sport courts, field house, pool, locker rooms and sauna with adult supervision in the facility Children ages 16 and under are not permitted in the eSports lounge at anytime Ages 13 - 15 Permitted in: cardio room, weight room, group exercise room, sport courts, field house, pool, locker rooms and sauna with interactive adult supervision Not permitted in the eSports lounge at anytime Ages 6 - 12 Permitted in: sport courts, field house, pool, locker rooms and parent and child area with interactive adult supervision Not permitted in: eSports lounge, cardio room, weight rooms, group exercise room or sauna at anytime Ages 5 and under Permitted in: sport courts, field house, pool and parent and child area with active adult supervision Not permitted in: eSports lounge, cardio room, weight rooms, group exercise room, locker rooms or sauna at anytime Additional 24-hour access considerations: The rock wall/climbing area is strictly prohibited for all patrons during 24-hour access Patrons entering the fitness center during 24-hour access agree to adhere to good standards of conduct and discipline Surveillance cameras will be recording activities during unmanned hours within the fitness center Violations of rules and guidelines will not be tolerated, and active-duty members/sponsors will be held responsible for their dependents' actions Common Access Card sharing for 24-hour access is strictly prohibited Patrons will ensure the front doors close securely during 24-hour access for safety, and will not hold the door open for other patrons to enter Patrons acknowledge during 24-hour access there is not someone available within the facility to respond to an emergency, and can utilize emergency phones in the weight rooms, cardio rooms and at the front desk or dial 9-1-1 on personal devices Violations of rules and policies will result in loss of privileges and service members are subject to punishment under the UCMJ The wingman concept is highly encouraged for patrons utilizing the fitness center during 24-hour access, especially in the pool and sauna areas