Col. Jason Condrey
Commander
USAG Stuttgart
Have you ever driven by construction worker on our installation, digging deep into the cold ground, and wondered what they are up to?
Utilities and construction work, like the ongoing project at Patch Barracks, is never easy in the winter. Inevitably it causes us minor inconveniences, delaying us as we are re-routed through post to avoid the work underway or creating additional traffic back-ups.
Next time you drive past, think about it this way. This work being done is improving our garrison. At Patch, they are putting in cleaner and more efficient heating pipes. Other projects around the garrison include improvements to schools, parking, communication lines, access points, security measures and on-post housing.
We’re constantly improving the foxhole for those of us who now work and live at USAG Stuttgart and for those who will call this garrison home in future years. I ask for your patience and understanding as we undertake these improvements.
Construction also affects parking. Our numbers continue to grow and our ongoing construction efforts inevitably take spaces away. Please continue to be conscientious and follow traffic and parking rules, to keep roadways clear for regular traffic and emergency vehicles. We will do our best to communicate changes, early and often.
We continue to make efforts that improve maintenance in on-post housing. We have reduced our backlog of service requests in recent months, but have since received hundreds more. Increased manpower and streamlining maintenance response procedures will help. We will continue to work hard on this problem and communicate our efforts online, on AFN and during the March 26 housing town hall at Patch Barracks.
Meanwhile, our local community partners are also undertaking improvements. The Stuttgart airport is undergoing renovations from mid-April to the end of June. The project repairs and extends the east end of the runway. This will have an impact on us – incoming and outgoing PCSing personnel, temporary duty and military flights. Delta will suspend its nonstop Stuttgart – Atlanta service on March 29. Delta will continue to offer one-stop service from Stuttgart to the U.S., through their partners Air France and KLM via Amsterdam and Paris. Presuming no delays, Delta will resume daily direct flights to Atlanta on June 18.
Before closing, I’d like to offer my thanks to our outstanding garrison postal professionals. From Nov. 1, 2019 to Jan. 14, 2020, they processed more than 209,000 parcels, with support from U.S. European Command, 52nd Signal Battalion and volunteer family members – a great community effort.
I stand in awe of the hard work being done across the garrison. We are all working together in the spirit our motto, “I’m glad I live here.”
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Improvements to the outdated steam heating pipes on Patch Barracks will finish early
Paul Hughes
USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs
The tearing up of Patch Barracks’ Montana Street to install greener, more efficient heating systems has been ongoing since Jan. 7 and is now set to finish ahead of schedule, according to Ty Jones, Patch’s installation coordinator.
“Progress is moving right along. The good weather and faster than expected construction progress means we are expecting to be done before the end of February, as long as the weather holds out,” Jones said.
In order to begin the next phase, the temporary lights on Patch Barracks will move again further down the road, closer to K&K gate beginning at noon, Jan. 28.
Virginia Weg will become free-flow and Kansas loop will re-open. The first signal will move to the crosswalk that leads to Bldg. 2301, closest the K&K gate, and the second will be just past the crosswalk leading to Bldg. 2303. Bus stops remain at Washington Square.
The construction, originally scheduled for three phases, is now two. That means less traffic disruption for the community, said Tobias Pruefe, civil engineer with DPW engineering division.
