Housing town hall set for July 15

  • Published
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  There will be a town hall meeting at 2 p.m., July 15 at the base theater to provide Airmen and their families with information about base housing privatization and upcoming changes.

Base housing privatization involves an agreement between the government and a business corporation that typically entails constructing new and enhancing existing family housing areas on military installations.

BBC will be taking over the government's role of the ownership, management, maintenance and construction of the houses in Prairie View Estates, Rushmore Heights and the future Black Hills Estates.

With housing privatization closing scheduled to occur Aug. 1, all military members currently living in base housing must sign a lease with BBC prior to closing. A target date of July 19 has been established to complete the signings to ensure a smooth transition and provide adequate time for processing members' basic allowance for housing and allotment paperwork. BBC staff will be available to provide walk-in lease signing services between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. July 16 and 17 to help meet the July 19 target date.

Members who signed a lease last year will receive a notice from BBC informing them of the new effective date; no other action will be needed to make lease effective/binding. Members who have moved into housing within the last year and who haven't signed a lease with BBC will be notified.

Any military member not wanting to sign a lease with BBC must inform the base Housing Office at (605) 385-2570 and completely clear their quarters by July 30.

Jeffrey Brzezinski, chief of the 28th Logistics Readiness Squadron Personal Property office, noted that military members need housing orders before a move can be processed. He added that this is the busy season for moves and most carriers are booked, which means that a military member's only option if no carrier available is to perform a personally procured move -- known formerly as a do-it-yourself move.