JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
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 jbsapublicaffairs@gmail.com using the subject line “Feedback Fridays.” Questions will be further researched and published as information becomes available.
Q. The U.S. Postal Service has a post office on the west side of JBSA-Lackland. The posted hours say the office is open until 4:30 p.m. On Oct. 28, 2021, I arrived at that location at 4:11 p.m. and found the doors already locked.
At least 10 times in recent months that office has locked its doors before 4:15 p.m. Why are the doors being locked early?
A. Thank you for your question! We understand your concern and your feedback helps us provide the best customer service that we can!
The postal position at the JBSA-Lackland USPS is a one-person deep position. On occasion, the USPS clerk has to lock the doors when performing other tasks.
In the past, they would leave the door unlocked and the customer could ring the bell. However, the USPS team found that boxes, tape, and other such items that were labeled for sale were being stolen. In addition, it is necessary to ensure the security of the counter.
In order to address these theft and security concerns, they are now required to lock the door if they are away from the front counter for an extended period of time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Thank you again for helping us to make every effort to make our services to the JBSA community better!
Q. I recently did a search on the JBSA Library website for a book. The search includes all Joint Base San Antonio libraries.
The search resulted in locating the book at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston. When I asked one of the JBSA-Randolph library staff members to get the book for me, she told me that I needed to drive to JBSA-Fort Sam Houston and get it myself.
I remember doing that some time ago, and the book was available for me at the JBSA-Randolph library. When, and why did the policy change?
A: Thank you for taking the time to write a Feedback Friday for your concern.
The courier service you are referencing was unfortunately discontinued in 2018. The libraries are not funded for a courier position, so library staff members were spending several hours each week away from their duties to transport materials between the three locations, which negatively impacted the services provided onsite.
A difficult decision was made to discontinue this service, but the libraries increased inventories of the most wanted materials at each location.
Furthermore, each library has a process in place for patrons to request any materials or titles that are not available at their desired location. The library, in most cases, is able to procure the item for the patron.
Thank you again for bringing up this concern as I am sure most of the community was wondering about our process change.
Q. With COVID-19 having become endemic to American life, I wonder when service members, veterans and beneficiaries will once again be granted 24/7 access to JBSA gym facilities.
Since the gyms were closed in early 2020, fitness enthusiasts have been left without access to free weights, aerobics equipment, and basketball courts, and may be a little larger in the waist due to inactivity.
Lack of gym access is particularly disappointing to those who work second-shift and heading to the gym after 10 p.m. each night allows us to decompress with fewer co-patriots occupying these essential facilities at off-hours.
Running around a track or the neighborhood at midnight poses several challenges and safety risks that make it a poor substitute for a gym.
A: Thank you for your question!
Providing functional fitness to all of our patrons, veterans, and beneficiaries for a healthy lifestyle is our top priority.
The continued pandemic is a driving factor for restricting 24/7 access at JBSA fitness centers. Currently, there are 11 operational fitness centers across JBSA offering a variety of hours to try and meet the needs of our patrons.
In coordination with medical experts, JBSA continually assesses the health protection posture and implements changes to services with customer safety as a top priority. As health protection conditions and mask wear policies are ever-changing, we hope to offer 24/7 access in the future.
Thank you again for your suggested improvements to our fitness facility access.