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Home : News : News
JBSA News
NEWS | Sept. 6, 2019

Feedback Fridays

By Brig. Gen. Laura L. Lenderman 502d Air Base Wing Commander

Feedback Fridays is a weekly forum that aims to connect the 502d Air Base Wing with members of the Joint Base San Antonio community. Questions are collected during commander’s calls, town hall meetings and throughout the week.

If you have a question or concern, please send an email to RandolphPublicAffairs@us.af.mil using the subject line “Feedback Fridays.” Questions will be further researched and published as information becomes available.

Mold Issues

Q.  Will other buildings such as the CCSD building be checked for mold? The LMM/Communications Security library has black stains all over the walls and floors and it appears to be mold.

I have been told I will have to work in this room once I get the proper badge. I and another employee who will be working in that room are concerned about breathing in black mold and possibly asbestos. The individual who is usually in the room stated no action has been taken to remove the carpet due to asbestos in the room.

A.  Thank you for bringing this to my attention. The health and safety of Joint Base San Antonio members is my top priority. Our Civil Engineer team are coordinating with the CCSD Building and LMM/COMSEC library facility manager to perform a detailed inspection, looking for any signs of mold or other unacceptable sanitation conditions.

During our dorm resident inspections, there have been no instances of black mold or asbestos hazards identified. However, we will aggressively address any discrepancies found in this building, and remediate as soon as possible.

Q.  I would like to know what is the Joint Base San Antonio policy for driving Slingshots (three-wheeled vehicles) on base.

 

Currently, every Security Forces member I’ve asked is not sure of what is mandated to drive one on base.

 

One day I’m allowed without a helmet, the next day I’m almost yelled at that I need a helmet. Could someone for once please clarify this?

 

A.  Thank you for your excellent question, as there is still much confusion whether Slingshots fall within motorcycle or automobile rules of the road. 

 

The Air Force and JBSA classifies Slingshots as "autocycles," requiring operators and passengers to wear Department of Transportation-approved/certified headgear while on at least JBSA roadways (per the Oct. 15, 2018 JBSA Supplemental policy to Air Force Manual 31-116).

 

I apologize for the confusion and your experience, and I will ensure this information is shared throughout JBSA and posted on our homepage at https://www.jbsa.mil.

 

Q.  Thanks for painting the directional lines on the pavement at the corners of Truemper Street and Carswell Avenue on JBSALackland.  What an invaluable improvement! 

 

Even so, on Family Days, drivers become impatient at the traffic light. Drivers have been seen turning from the right lane, then crossing the two left lanes, to exit the Valley Hi Gate. 

 

It may be worth it to post an officer at the intersections of Truemper and Carswell periodically to discourage this dangerous practice. 

 

A.  Thank you for up-channeling this on-going traffic safety concern, as the security and safety of Team JBSA is a top priority for myself and our Security Forces Squadrons. 

 

A month ago, I received a very similar concern from an individual who cited that the occurrences happened mostly during the daily release of technical training students.  We responded by painting the lines you saw, adding a patrol to monitor and respond to these infractions and also addressing this at the leadership level. 

 

Thanks to your observation, I will ensure our patrols now also put emphasis on monitoring this corner during Family Days.  Thank you again for your continued vigilance in keep our drivers and pedestrians safe across JBSA!

 

Q.  Why do we need the two extra speedbumps at the main gate of JBSA-Randolph? One after entering and one after exiting the gate. I can see no purpose for them and feel they should be removed.

 

A.  Thank you for your question, as drivers are typically used to navigating over one speed bump between roads, both on and off a Department of Defense installation.  The additional speed bumps and their spacing are required by recent updates to the Department of Defense policy for military construction and sustainment, called the "Unified Facilities Criteria." 

 

These additional devices help better protect JBSA installations and our workforce against high-speed vehicles that don't have to negotiate barriers at slow speed when driving through the inbound and outbound lanes at the gate. 

 

You can expect to see more of these in the future, and I thank you for your patience and cooperation with these needed security measures to keep all of us safe!

 

Q. Concerning the continuing situation at the entry gates to JBSA-Lackland in the early mornings, I’m curious why some of the gates do not open until 6 a.m. 

 

Personally, I am required to be at work at 6 a.m., but it is getting increasingly difficult to arrive on time due to the gate traffic that builds up at the Luke West visitor gate.  The buildup of traffic affects the intersection near the Luke West gate and I have witnessed many potential hazards for accidents due to drivers positioning for a lane, etc., during this busy time. 

 

A possible solution that I’ve thought about is opening the other gates at, say, 5:30 a.m. to alleviate some of the congestion. If these gates are only opened for 12 hours then I believe 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. would be sufficient to allow ingress and egress during high traffic hours.

 

I also realize that some gates off of SW Military do open at 5:30 a.m. to accommodate the BMT graduation/family traffic, so in actuality, all that I’m suggesting is for an additional three duty days (Monday–Wednesday) to open gates at 5:30 a.m.

 

A.  Thank you very much for your question!  We determine each gate’s hours based on peak traffic studies, the level of protection necessary for the buildings nearest that gate, and the availability of security forces manpower. 

 

In order to mitigate the peak traffic hour of 6 a.m. that you and many others are experiencing, we open additional gates at that time and always have four 24-hour gates open. 

 

We will discuss your suggestions for hour changes to the “Luke West” gate and see if we can make changes based off of our current manpower and traffic studies. 

 

In the meantime, alternatives to using the “Luke West” gate are the 24-hour “Luke East” (Visitor Control Center) gate across the street and the 24-hour “Valley Hi” gate down the street from Valley Hi Drive at the I-410 intersection.

 

Please also check the https://www.JBSA.mil public website for all JBSA gate hours and announcements or call 210-671-6174 at any time to get real-time gate information and suggested commute routes. 

 

The serious hazards that you addressed at the Military Drive intersection are monitored by our partners in the San Antonio Police Department; however, I am aware of them as well and will ensure feedback from security forces and the community continues to be passed along so that we can ensure that our installations and the surrounding communities remain safe.

 

Miscellaneous

 

Q.  What is the current policy for using chewing tobacco while in uniform and on duty?

 

I was recently getting a visitors pass from JBSA-Randolph, and while I was getting my pass the service member who was helping me was actively using chewing tobacco, with a spit bottle on the desk.

 

This struck me as extremely unprofessional, especially when you are interacting with visitors and representing the installation. 

 

A.  Thank you for this important question, as it is certainly a professionalism issue.  Current Air Force policy does allow use of smokeless products while in uniform and on duty and – as with smoking – can only be used in designated areas.  I will ensure our leadership team and workforce are reminded of this policy.