On Wednesday, December 8, Col. Matt Ziglar, USAG Stuttgart garrison commander, was joined by Madeleine Bates, USAG Stuttgart chief of housing, for the regularly scheduled town hall. A number of topics were covered and you can watch the full replay of the town hall by clicking the video above. All the questions and their full answers can be found below.
Housing Questions
- Karen asks
Can you briefly go over the guest housing policy for those who are having long term guests (family or friends) stay in their residences? Is the on post policy (page 21 of the manual on the Garrison app) the same as off post or is there a separate one? Thank you
Housing Says: The Housing policy stated in the Resident Handbook applies to on post housing. Off post, members of the USAG Stuttgart Community must follow local/Host Nation Laws and should check with finance and/or CPAC to ensure entitlements are not impacted. Tenants are advised to review the terms of their private rental contract for restrictions and to coordinate with their Landlord prior to receiving long term guests.
- Jason asks
The outdoor areas around housing tend to collect old grills and bikes while the common-basement areas tend to collect items left behind from past PCS’s. Some basements have old mattresses, broken items and hazardous materials like arenols, cleaners, oils and paints left behind. Therefore, are we able to get a curbside collection day to get rid of unwanted items? Maybe coordinate using the apartment building managers.
Housing Says: Residents as well as Building and Stairwell coordinators can coordinate a bulk pickup (curbside) for the unwanted or abandoned equipment and material in and around the building. We recommend that they contact the Installation Coordinator for their installation to setup an appointment. (Patch- Ty Jones, 430-5450; Panzer- Jose Bueno, 431-2806; Kelley- Dag Kregenow, 596-6280; RB- Mike Cordova, 431-2855)
- Erin asks
Why do some of our apartments lose hot water weekly? Or the multiple times a week? The plumbers and Electricians are tired of coming over as well.
Housing Says: Bldg 180 had been experiencing loss of heat and hot water for the past week and a half. Two supplemental boilers were installed Monday 06 Dec, and are being monitored. Bldg 179 also experienced a loss of heat for several hours on Tuesday afternoon. Please inform the HelpDesk if you have any further issues with heat or hot water. Heat/hot water loss DMOs are always treated as a “Priority 1” by Centerra.
DPW Questions
- Tiffany asks
Is the construction on Panzer on track and if so when is the completion date? Dealing with the people speeding through housing trying to get through that backgate is dangerous with kids walking to school.
DPW Says: Herdweg is scheduled to be re-opened before 21st December, weather permitting.
- Ali asks
Is there a timeline on the construction on Vermontstrasse?
DPW Says: This work is scheduled to be completed by early April 2022.
- Victoria asks
When putting in a maintenance request, they tell you that someone will be in contact within 72 hours. No call back. Then 3-4-8 weeks later, you get a random knock on your door or a note saying they attempted to fix our problem. Would it be possible to have maintenance call to make appointments so we know when to be home?
DPW Says: We working with Centerra, our base maintenance contractor, to improve their response to residents when they request a demand maintenance order (DMO) and with scheduling the work. This is an ongoing effort.
- Jennifer
When will the gutters be cleaned so there are no more storage units flooded?
DPW Says: Centerra is contracted to clean gutters twice a year. They are cleaning gutters right now across the Garrison. Hopefully your building will be completed soon.
Pre-submitted questions for the garrison
Health Clinic Questions
- Alejandra asks
When are the teenagers getting their booster shots?
Clinic says: Alejandra, thank you for the question. While the Germans have authorized for teenagers to be vaccinated the CDC/FDA has yet to provide authorization to boost this population. As a result, we are still waiting for guidance from those regulatory bodies. Thank you again.
- Andrea asks:
My daughter will be in quarantine when her second dose for the COVID vaccine is scheduled. She is 10 years old. What options will we have for getting the shot? Possible drive through?
Clinic Says: Andrea, great question. We are currently coordinating for resources to get a make-up drive established. Currently we will an opportunity Thursday afternoon, 16DEC2021. Thank you again for this important question.
Editors note: The clinic has said they will work with families directly if their children are in quarantine on DEC16.
- Rachel asks:
A number of students, aged 5-11, were put in close contact quarantine from today until 16 December. which means they will miss the second children’s COVID vaccination drive on 11 December. Is it possible to do a drive through vaccination at a set time for the children in close contact quarantine?
Clinic Says: Rachel, excellent question. We are looking to conduct a make-up on the 16th in the afternoon when the students are released early from school. I hope this clarifies your question. Thank you again.
Editors Note: The date was finalized for the 16th.
- Shayna asks
How does the contact tracing “actually work “can someone explain. Because children who extremely need instruction time are having their lives destroyed by this bogus contact tracing method. I honestly feel like a few kids are being picked at random. Also second half , after the 5/11 group are fully vaccinated then they will no longer have to miss said 14 days , yes that’s 14 days of school , they can simply test out as the older children who are already fully vaccinated do? Third part , if we feel our child hasn’t come in contact, but has been identified as a “close contact ” with a mate at school what are we to do ? Just sit back and say ” oh okay 14 more days for you out of school little one. ” I tried asking about the contact tracing method and my daughters principal said she was too busy to speak with me , so I searched around did my own investigation and this close contact stuff is a bit insanity ..
Clinic says: Shayna, thank you for the question, and I am sorry for your frustration with tracing and its consequences. With that being said our processes seek to identify potential exposures within the community and given the current rapid spread within the community there is low threshold for being a close contact. The reason for this is to ensure we do not miss any cases within our community that would propagate spread that could lead to further restrictions. As our children are not fully vaccinated they can’t be tested out quarantine currently, but once fully vaccinated they will be able to test out like any other fully vaccinated individual. While these measures seem random they are not and they have proven beneficial in limiting spread and protecting our community. Thank you again for the question and sorry for your frustration.
FMWR
- Stephen asks
How many options for Santa are there?
FMWR Says: With MWR, there is one remaining option to visit with Santa. He will visit the Patch Arts and Crafts Center on 18 Dec from 1pm to 3pm. No sign-up or reservations required
Editors note: AAFES will be offering Santa events at the exchange, check their pages for more information.
- Jake and Teresa ask
It’s December. When will the Gym be 24 hour access? (RB)
FMWR Says: Work is in progress for RB unmanned access. The replacement of the main entrance door is complete. Work is underway to install needed electronics and safety measures.
- Lacey asks
Is there any plan on bringing back hourly care? Childcare is extremely hard to come by here, especially with there being no FCCs either. What is in place to help spouses of deployed service members?
FMWR Says: Ultimately, the overall plan is to offer hourly care and reopen other CYS Programs which closed at the onset of COVID. Having the capacity to deliver those services which have been curtailed requires additional staffing increases and HPCON levels to be reduced. We are currently operating under HPCON BRAVO measures. In order to mitigate and minimize COVID, our programs are operating under the “POD” concept which has reduced the number of childcare spaces offered.
Schools
- Kel asks:
1. Will there ever be before school care available for school-aged students through the CDCs?
FMWR Says: HPCON Levels and staffing shortages are still determining factors to the number of programs/services offered through CYS. The overall intent is to resume all CYS operations when conditions permit.
- When will we be able to enter our children’s schools/daycares? Surely, this is no different than going to church or walking around the PX.
FMWR Says: When conditions permit normal operations within the CYS Programs, then we will allow parents to enter the CYS facilities. CYS’s focus is to minimize and mitigate COVID-19 to the best of our ability while preserving the integrity of the classrooms by limiting outside contact.
DODEA Says: Hello Kel, Thank you for your question. We understand and share the desire for parents to be able to visit the school. To ensure the health and safety of our staff, students and the community, however, it has been determined that schools continue the protocols outlined in DoDEA COVID-19 Operational Guideline and Protocols V7 which restricts access.
DES
- Nadine asks
Would it be possible to have a schedule for the pedestrian BACK gate for Kelley barracks? It would enable us to use nearby grocery/bakery/buses out of the back gate and have confidence that we won’t be trapped outside the base on return. Thank you very much.
DES Response: The Enhance Security Pedestrian Gate (ESPG) is a 24/7 unmanned access control point. As long as the system is fully operational the Kelley Community has access to the installation.
- Brianna asks
The pedestrian gate recently has not been working on patch. To leave base the door will not close all the way their for you can not exit.. or when you are trying to come back on you can not even enter because the door isn’t completely closed. Is there no way to have a night gate guard?? Sometimes I have my 4 year old and walking all the way around to the main gate at night while raining is difficult
DES_Response: The Enhanced Security Pedestrian Gate (ESPG) has been operational except for the mechanical issues that you described that started on Saturday evening. This was quickly addressed and the ESPG was operational by Monday morning. The ESPG is monitored 24/7 and our PONDS’s CSG can address issues if you are inside the vestibule, unfortunately if the ESPG is out of service the only way to gain access afterhours is through the Patch Primary ACP.
- Nadine asks
Is there a way to make receiving mail and deliveries easier to our base apartment? Delivery guys aren’t always accepted on base even with our sponsorship because of the country they are from, and mail gets returned to sender regularly.
DES Response: Installation Access Control and %100 vetting of all personnel allow for the safety and security of our community aboard USAG Stuttgart. USAG Stuttgart follows the regulatory requirement given by USAEUR-AF, which follows the Department of State guidance on citizens from countries designated as state sponsor of terrorism. These individuals require approval by the Garrison Commander for Installation access.
DHR
- Krista asks:
Why am I not receiving my mail in a timely manner and how come some people have mailboxes at two bases but others, like myself, can’t even receive one?
DHR RESPONSE: Krista, essentially, customers need to pick up their mail so that incoming mail can be processed for collection. Postal Customers are not authorized two mail receptacles at the same time. Boxes are issued to the Sponsor and the sponsor’s name is put into the directory service. The directory would identify a sponsor with two mailing addresses within the community and make proper corrections.
Garrison
- Grant asks:
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
PAO Says: in 1988 the Associated Press asked New York State Wildlife expert Richard Thomas this question. He reasoned that since a woodchuck clears about 35 cubic feet of dirt for their underground burrow, the equivalent in wood would be about 700 pounds. So the answer is about 700 pounds of wood on a good day with the wind behind his/her back.