Fitness Center Equipment

  • Published
Ellsworth AFB, S.D. --  The Commander's Action Line is a forum for the Ellsworth community to make suggestions or voice concerns about Ellsworth directly to Col. Mark Weatherington, 28th Bomb Wing commander. 

QUESTION 

Sir,
It seems the Bellamy Fitness Center needs some senior staff intervention. Many of the electronic machines are out of service, with some of them having been down for months. For instance, there are two recumbent stationary bicycles at the gym (near the north wall with the TVs). One has been out of operation for a "Short in the Screen" since December (to the best of my recollection). There has been a sign on this bicycle for months with an estimated date of being back in service that just keeps getting pushed back (currently to March 10). The second similar bicycle is now out of service (for over a month) with a sign that says the seat adjustment will not work. I would suggest putting the good seat mechanism on the bicycle with the good screen and returning one of them to service.
Similarly, there are two stationary bicycles that sit side-by-side. One is down for short in screen. The other is down for short in power cable. It would seem that moving the good power cable to the machine with the good screen could return one of them to service as well. There are other machines also tagged as "Short in screen." There is a good possibility that the screens do not actually have shorts (direct path to ground), but may be inoperative for other reasons. If we are losing that many screens, there could be a problem with grounding or a lack of protection from voltage and current spikes. The situation deserves the attention of someone with electronics expertise.
There might be more than meets the eye, but it seems that the gym staff isn't putting forth much effort to keep the facility fully operational. I very seldom see any of the gym personnel out and about in the facility except for the first-term airmen who seem to be employed only to wipe machines down. No one seems to be watching patrons to make sure they are taking care of the precious resources there or even wiping off machines after their use. To this patron, anyway, it seems the NCOs are disengaged.
I would suggest detailing a maintainer to the Fitness Center to teach the staff about maintenance, especially preventive maintenance, and a proactive approach to keeping the entire facility fully mission capable. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Col. Mark Weatherington
Col. Mark
Weatherington		   RESPONSE

Thanks for your interest and for your own physical fitness efforts. The annual equipment maintenance contract was not fully funded this year, which resulted in a lapse of maintenance coverage before funding was restored and a new contract negotiated. Fortunately, we awarded a new 12-month contract on 3 March and have begun repairing and even upgrading equipment (to include most LCD monitors on the aerobic equipment).
Factory warranty requirements further limited the work our fitness center staff could perform to only minor repairs. Changing components or troubleshooting internal diagnostics requires a certified technician or the warranty becomes invalid. As a regular "gym rat" myself, I see the hard work the staff puts in to maintain the "best fitness center in Air Combat Command" for 2011 and I am confident that the staff is well led and engaged. I also intend to keep my maintenance professionals on the flight line where they can make the most of their training and education generating combat airpower.