Community Newsletter
Lewis-McChord Communities | April 2020 Covid 19 and Maintenance Requests
Spouses Mixer page 3
Resident Handbook page 5-6
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To Our Military Families and Valued ResidentsAs our communities continue to feel the impacts of the Coronavirus, we think it is important to share with you what additional precautionary measures Lincoln Military Housing is taking to help prevent the spread of the virus in our communities and keep our families and team members safe and healthy. To do our part to help prevent the spread of any illness during this time, the first precautionary measure we have put in place may impact maintenance requests. We are dedicated to taking care of each family’s maintenance request. A member of our team will ask the following questions before scheduling work. Pending your response, the request will be addressed as quickly as possible. • Q1: Has anyone in the home tested positive for COVID-19? • Q2: Has anyone in the home traveled to any country within the last 45 days for which the CDC has issued a pandemic-related Level 3 Travel Health Notice? • Q3: Has anyone in the home come into contact with any individual that has tested positive for COVID-19? • Q4: Does anyone in the home currently have a fever of 100°F or more? If the answer for a household is “yes” to any of the above questions, the team will be unable to complete the request unless it is an emergency. The requests below are considered emergency service requests and will be handled as quickly as possible: • Broken Locks/Keys/Windows • Faucet running/ can’t turn off • Flood • Natural Gas Leak • Plumbing / Toilet Stoppages (1 bath only) • Sewage Back-Up • Water intrusion inside the home
• Carbon monoxide detector inoperable/ beeping • Fire • Heating/ Air Conditioning Outage in extreme temperatures/medical conditions • Power Outage • Smoke detector inoperable/ beeping • Water/utility outage
However, should a home with a quarantined or ill resident need air filters or light bulbs, please contact the district office, and we will be happy to drop by and leave them outside your front door. Additionally, we feel it’s essential to do our part to assist in government guidance on social distancing, therefore effective immediately, we will be suspending all resident events and closing all common areas (with the exception of playgrounds) for the next 30 days. We will monitor the situation daily and resume standard business procedures as soon as possible. While we do love to see all of our residents out and about in our community, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends each person do their part to contain and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Our goal is to help minimize the potential exposure for our residents and team members. Thank you in advance for your patience as we navigate through this challenging situation one day at a time and determine how to best serve our communities, our families, and our team members. Lincoln Military Housing
Living Green
In This Issue Featured Story
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Maintenance requestions and Covid 19 page 2
Living Green Community Events
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Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 with 20 million Americans participating. Awareness of human impact on the environment has grown each year with more than 1 billion people in more than 180 countries around the world celebrating!
Spouse Mixer - April Spouse Mixer - May Covid-19 and Events Employee Spotlight Maintenance Tips
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Resident Handbook
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JBLM News
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Tips and Tricks
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Calendar
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Caught On Camera
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DUE TO COVID-19 All offices are open but closed to the public. You can still reach us by phone, email or Facebook. District Office Hours:
Monday - 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Tuesday - 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Wednesday - 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Thursday - 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Friday - 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Saturday & Sunday Closed Important Numbers: Roadside America: Lincoln At Your Service:
Living Green Tips: Celebrating Earth
888-895-1744 888-578-4141
Whether you spend a day hiking in the mountains, soaking up the sun at the beach, enjoying the museums or heading to the desert for day of exploring, you can make a difference in the environment when you pick up trash along the way. Help celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd by doing your part to clean up after yourself or others when you are out enjoying your day, whatever you have planned. Head to www.earthday.org/takeaction/ and sign the Earth Day Pledge to share your “Act of Green” and how you plan to make a difference for the environment. Also, you can learn more about ending plastic pollution.
District Trash Collection Schedule Have your trash cans curbside by 5:30 AM on your designated day Please Note: If your trash day falls on a holiday, pickup may be delayed by one business day
Monday: Evergreen, Madigan, New Hillside Tuesday: Broadmoor, Davis Hill, Greenwood, Parkway Wednesday: All McChord Field Thursday: Beachwood, Beachwood II, Eagleview, Meriwether Landing Friday: Clarkdale, Discovery Village, Hillside, Town Center Centralized Garbage Container Service: • Tuesday: Parkway and Town Center • Friday: Parkway and Clarkdale
Location: • JBLM Main - Bldg. 5290 (12th and Nevada, across from the JBLM Main Commissary) •
JBLM McChord Field - Bldg. 516 (South Gate Rd., behind the BX & McChord Field Commissary
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JBLM Main - Tue - Sat 0730-1600
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JBLM-McChord Field 24/7 Electronic drop off Mon - Sat 0730 - 1600 Closed all Federal Holidays
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Community Events The safety and wellbeing of all of our residents and team members are our top priority. Due to the continued concerns about COVID-19 and as a precaution-ary measure, we have decided to postpone all events until further notice.
Spouses Mixer: Duty Station Signs For May
While we do love to see our res-idents out in the community, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends each person do her or his part to contain and prevent the spread of COVID-19. This is just one way in which we’re trying to help. We will monitor the situation daily as it develops and will resume resident events as soon as possible. The CDC suggests keeping yourself informed as new informa-tion is released and following public health advice. For addi-tional information, support your local news, your local health department, and the CDC 2019 Novel Coronavirus website: www.cdc.gov/ coronavirus/2019-ncov.
SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE TO COVID-19
Lincoln Military Housing
Happy Easter From Lewis-McChord Communities
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Maintenance Tips
How to request maintenance service for your home. Residents can request maintenance service by one of the following methods: • Calling LMC (24) hour a day, (7) days a week local & toll free number (Preferred) 253.912.3500 or toll free at 888.578.4141.
• Informing a LMC staff member in the offices • Submitting the request on-line directly into Service Track on the internet. www.lincolnservicetrack.com (Routine Only Please) Emergency Service Requests: Will be responded to the same day. • LMC will respond by phone or in person within 30 minutes of the call. • Emergency service requests consist of service issues where failure to correct deficiencies would constitute an immediate danger or health hazard to residents or threaten severe property damage.
Urgent Requests: • Will be responded to same day, within 4 hours. • Urgent: Urgent service requests consist of correcting failures that do not immediately endanger the residents or threaten property damage, but would soon inconvenience and affect the health and well-being of the residents. Routine Requests: • Are scheduled at the convenience of the residents and are completed within 5 business days. • Routine service requests include maintenance or repair actions which do not meet the criteria of an emergency or urgent service work.
How Can We Help? Family Housing Resolution Process Does your home have a needed repair? Do you have a suggestion or a concern? Lincoln Military Housing is committed to enriching the lives of military families through providing quality homes and vibrant communities. Your feedback is an important piece in helping us accomplish this goal and we want to ensure we provide you with an avenue to initially address your needed repair, suggestion or concern and the process to escalate it, should that be necessary. Below is an outline of our easy ThreeStep process for concerns and opportunities to provide feedback.
Three-Step Process for Resident Concerns Step One
Step Two
Step Three
Identify the issue and contact Lincoln Military Housing:
If the issue is incomplete contact Lincoln Military Housing:
If the issue is still unresolved contact:
Lincoln At Your Service 24-HR Toll-Free Hotline: 888-578-4141 LincolnServiceTrack.com
General Management Office 253-912-2111
Government Family Housing 253-966-2888
~ Lewis Main District Office | 253-912-3460 ~ Lewis West District Office | 253-912-3493 ~ Lewis East District Office | 253-912-3485 ~ Lewis North District Office | 253-912-3475 ~ McChord District Office | 253-589-0523 4
Parking / Traffic Control
Resident Handbook Reminders Toilets Are Not Trashcans
Parking/Traffic Control To better accommodate our residents, we have implemented rules concerning parking. Your assigned parking is your carport, garage and your driveway. On street parking, if available is on a first come, first served basis in all Lewis-McChord Communities. The street area directly in front of your home is not your exclusive parking area. You may not use your parking area for storage of any kind. Vehicles including motorcycles are not allowed to be parked on the grass, in front of dumpsters, or in any other area not appropriately marked for vehicle parking. No one is allowed to park in a marked handicap space unless the legally required handicap insignia is displayed in the vehicle. You may not park anywhere a No Parking Sign is installed. You may not use any parking space to park a vehicle that is inoperable, leaks fluid onto the pavement, is unsightly, is a safety hazard, or has an expired license plate. You may not use any parking space to perform vehicle maintenance or repair to include changing the oil. If you violate any of these parking policies, your car may be towed without notice and at your expense. Visit your District Office for more information on parking spaces.
Recreational Vehicles Recreational Vehicles Recreational vehicles are not permitted to be stored within your neighborhood. Recreational vehicle parking lots are available through MWR. Please visit the JBLM website for more information. For temporary passes for your recreational vehicle please visit your District Office for the process.
What Is Flushable? According to JBLM DPW, there is an increase in nonflushable items in the #JBLM sewer system in recent days. Hygiene products, disinfecting wipes, paper towels and facial tissues can clog sewer pipes. This causes backups and may cause severe damage to the sewer system. Even items labeled as “flushable� will clog pipes. The same holds true for people who live off-base. Flushing other items down the toilet can be costly to homeowners. Remember, property owners are responsible for the part of the sewer line that runs from their house to the public lines. Property owners on a septic tank have full responsibility for maintenance and repair.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Landscaping Landscaping Landscaping services are currently included in your rent. On your lawn service day, you will need to ensure that your lawn is free of toys and personal belongings so the mowers can cut your grass. You can have one large non moveable item in your yard such as a swing set or trampoline. Please see your District Office for Outdoor Policies. The mowers will cut within two (2) feet of the item. You will be responsible to cut the grass under and the two (2) feet around the item. You may choose to maintain your own lawn if desired. Contact your Community Office for a sign to put in your window. If the home you live in has a fence either provided or installed by you, you are responsible for the maintenance of your yard. All flowerbeds adjacent to your home are your responsibility to maintain weed-free. Failure to maintain may result in fines. 5
Playground Facilities
Resident Handbook Cont.
We want you to enjoy our playground facilities. Only you, your occupants and guests are allowed to use the playground facilities. You agree that you, your occupants and guests will avoid conduct that we deem inappropriate or disruptive. You, your occupants and guests assume all health risks and all risks of personal injury, death, property loss or other damages that may result from the use of the recreational facilities and release us from liability for injury or loss. It may also be necessary to occasionally close facilities for maintenance. While we have chosen to close our Community Centers, we have decided to keep our community playground open. We do love to see our residents out in the community, the CDC recommends each person do her or his part to contain and prevent the spread of COVID-19. We want to assure you that we are still here to assist with maintenance concerns and questions you may have. Please contact Lincoln At Your Service, 888.578.4141. Please practice all necessary precautionary measures to keep you and your family safe. As a reminder, you can find helpful health tips on the CDC’s website here: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov. Additional updates and information will be sent to residents as it becomes available.
Pet Responsibilities Pet droppings are odorous, unsightly, and a nuisance. More importantly, they can be a health hazard, especially for children. Therefore, pets must be kept under control so they do not defecate on parade fields, playgrounds, troop formation areas, sidewalks/walkways, common areas, miniature playgrounds of the housing areas, and neighbors' yards. You will immediately clean up droppings when your pet defecates outside of your residence yard. Droppings in your residence, including your yard, will be removed daily. Pet owners are responsible for disposing of their pet's waste, whether the pet is on a leash or in a fenced area. A pet owner who does not properly dispose of his/her pet's waste will be subject to a fine of $25 for each offense plus $5 per day that the violation persists. With the spring season comes heavy rain. If you have a pet that spends time in the fenced yard, make sure you are taking the best care possible of your four legged family member. * Make sure your pet has shelter from the elements * Make sure your pet has food and water. * Bring your pet in when the weather is extreme. 6
JBLM News
SPRING CLEANING & ACTIVITIES ON JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD By Cathy Hamilton-Wissmer, Directorate of Public Works
It’s spring! The weather is warming up, time for spring cleaning, playing outside and starting the garden. A typical home contains dozens of products that can harm human health or the environment. Products used in cleaning, home improvement, automobile maintenance, lawn and garden care, hobbies, and many other tasks. Household cleaners should never be poured down the drain, on the ground, into storm sewers or thrown in the trash. It is not accepted at the Thrift stores or at the Recycling centers. As a resident of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, when you clean out your home, or get ready to move, you can dispose of cleaning products by bringing your household hazardous waste (HHW) to Building 1210, Mon-Thurs 1300-1600, Fri 1300-1500. Please call Environmental Services at 253967-4786 with any questions on acceptable materials. For your safety and ours, please keep products in their original containers, and protect against spills during transportation. When you are done cleaning, get outside and play! There are many fun places to explore in the Pacific NW, including in your own JBLM backyard: • • • •
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Morey Creek on McChord offers a small pond with interpretive signage. McKay Marsh, across from the Lewis Army Museum, is a nice walk (2.1 miles) with an overlook and a bridge over the pond. Sequalitchew Creek is a nice walk to the beach. Trailhead is located at the Dupont City Hall. It has lovely tree cover, and a nice gravel path. Take the kids and the dog and enjoy a peaceful walk. Interested in birding? Join the monthly bird walk at Eagles Pride on the third Thursday of each month, year around, 0800-1200, rain or shine. Amateurs are welcome! Meet at the Eagles Pride Driving Range Tee structure parking which is building #1514 (down the road from the Eagles Pride Clubhouse (bldg. #1529) off Mounts Road, exit 116 off I-5. Eat healthy, save money and get outside join the Community Garden, 4’x10’ garden plots are available. For rates and details: McChord at 253-982-2206, or Lewis North at 253-967-7744, to reserve yours!
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How to Entertain Your Young Children During a Quarantine
Tips and Tricks
In many places, schools and daycares are closed. Here are some tips on how to entertain your little ones, and on how to talk to them about Covid-19. In areas that have been most affected by the coronavirus outbreak, schools and daycares have been closed, and small children have been sent home. Even though our kids’ lives rotate around social gatherings—birthday parties, playgrounds, public libraries, zoos—we have to keep them isolated from other humans, large and small, in the interest of public health. So what can you do with a toddler if you can’t bring them to a playground and let them lick all the available surfaces? We consulted Victor Carrion, Stanford’s vice chair of psychiatry and director of the Stanford pediatric anxiety program, and parents living through quarantines for their advice on how to educate your kids about the current situation, and how to keep them intellectually stimulated while they’re stuck at home. Takeaways? Confront the topic head on, reassure your young children that someone will always be there to take care of them, and get creative. Looking for more kid ideas? Check out our favorite kid podcasts and the best strollers.
How to Talk About Covid-19 Advice from a Pediatric Anxiety Specialist Carrion emphasized that you should only talk about Covid-19 if your child asks. Otherwise, he said, “they won’t listen to you anyway.” For small children, being separated from their parents is scarier than abstract concepts like sickness or death. Emphasize that adults are here to protect them and that you, their adult, also know how to protect yourself. Find fun ways to teach them good habits and give them a sense of control. For example, you could turn hand-washing into a game. For an illustration of how to broach the subject with a child who has just overhead a potentially scary Covid-19 fact, he suggested this sample script: “There’s an illness going around and everyone’s being careful, and so are we. When we get home, let’s talk about what we’re going to do to be helpful.”
Keep a Schedule Carrion notes that it’s important to maintain your child’s usual routine. While it’s tempting to declare a quarantine a holiday and park yourself in front of the television, drastically changing your child’s schedule can also be a source of stress. I spoke to Cindy Marie Jenkins, a parent who was quarantined with her young children in China, who wrote out the day’s schedule on a whiteboard every morning. You might not be able to be that detailed, but it’s important for your child to have clear expectations of what will be happening that day—when you’ll have play time, reading time, and rest time.
Keep in Contact Jenkins also noted that, for her children, it was important to keep in touch with their school friends. You might also want to explore remote options for staying in contact with vulnerable family members that you want to protect from Covid-19. FaceTime is a popular option, but you can also use videochat services from Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, or WhatsApp. Whatever your thoughts on Facebook’s policies, Facebook’s Portal is still my two kids’ favorite way to stay in touch with my parents. We may have canceled our flight to visit them over spring break, but they can still put on an augmented-reality pirate hat for Grandpa.
Play Outside Depending on your comfort level, play dates can still continue. If you have access to outdoor space, letting the kids running around can burn off their excess energy, but Carrion notes that you might want to consider creative ways to reduce touching. “Instead of tag, try a game that’s the opposite of tag,” he said, like Flashlight Tag or hide-and-seek. Hiking is a fun, contact-free activity. You can also try looking for birds. I have also buried small toys in the backyard and made a map for my child to have a pirate treasure hunt. You can also plan a scavenger 8 hunt for “things that are smaller than a hand” or “things that make noise.”
Tips and Tricks Cont. Have a Dance Party If the weather is still too cold to go out, or if you don’t have access to a safe space, other parents suggested indoor dance parties. My then-3-year-old liked the Freeze Dancers game when I tested the Amazon Echo Dot for kids. Other contact-free games might include Limbo or musical chairs. For finding music, you probably know that most online streaming services offer their own kid-friendly playlists if you’d prefer to not have to personally vet every Katy Perry song. You can also draw out the fun by enlisting help to make decorations, like streamers or posters, while you select festive lighting on your smart bulb’s mobile app.
Use Screens Judiciously Like many parents, I’m leery about giving my small children too much screen time. But I’ve been testing a new iPod Touch for a week now with my 5-year-old, and it’s proven a useful device for keeping track of her own apps and games while keeping them off my own phone. For example, I moved the Moshi Twilight app that I use to put her to sleep during naps, so that I can play the soothing stories over a Bluetooth speaker without using my phone. I also use the iPod Touch to play her kids’ podcasts (her favorites are But Why and Circle Round). We find educational shows she likes on PBS Kids, Noggin, or Netflix (like Brainchild), and one favorite on YouTube is Cosmic Kids Yoga. My colleague Scott Gilbertson says his children enjoy documentaries on CuriosityStream.
Ask for Household Help The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that children as young as 3 years old can benefit from including chores in their routine. Personally, I’ve noted that the younger the child is, the more they enjoy doing chores alongside me, whether that’s pulling laundry out of the dryer or vacuuming with their own personal hand vac.
Board the Potty Train Several acquaintances have suggested that being quarantined in your home is a convenient time to potty-train my reluctant 3-year-old. I don’t particularly want to cover my home in urine while dealing with the anxiety of a worldwide pandemic, but for some of you, this might be the perfect opportunity. This is the potty training seat we have. My son has never used it.
Pillage Your Closet Nearly every parent that I spoke to used goods around the house for crafts. Washi tape and cardboard boxes were recommended, as was the strategy of raiding your recycling bins for funky things to cut up and repurpose. I like the versatility of wrapping paper, especially considering that we always have extra on hand. One parent said that their children made dresses, origami, and collages; used sheets as walls for forts; and when they were completely unrolled, used the paper rolls as swords. Small children seem to find the idea of unlimited supply to be alluring.
Bust Out the Toy Box Almost every parent I spoke to had one toy that keeps their child occupied for hours. Some mentioned an indoor toddler trampoline. Others mentioned dice or board games like Dinosaur Escape. For my children—and possibly yours—that magical toy is the basic Lego bricks set. Not only do they have fun building and destroying each other’s creations, they also like to sort them by color into organizer trays. I also give them challenges to keep them busy, like asking them if they can build a Lego tower that can reach the ceiling. 9
Lewis-McChord Communities / April 2020
Events Calendar 2
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April Fools Day! 5
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Peanut Butter and Jelly Day 9
Crazy
Palm Sunday
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World Party Day 10
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Good Friday
Caramel Calendar Days Popcorn Day
FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY
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Easter Sunday
National Peach Cobbler Day
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Titanic Rememberance Day 22
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Crazy Calendar Days FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY
National Garlic Day 26
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Tell A Story Day
Great Poetry Reading Day
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National Honesty Day
DISTRICT OFFICES LEWIS MAIN
LEWIS NORTH
MCCHORD FIELD
Lewis Main District Office
Lewis West District Office
Lewis East District Office
Lewis North District Office
McChord District Office
Broadmoor, Town Center and Clarkdale
Parkway, Davis Hill, Greenwood and Hillside
Discovery Village, Evergreen and New Hillside
All McChord and Madigan
BLDG 5133 - Lewis Main Phone: 253-912-3493 lewiswest@lpsi.com
BLDG 60100A - Lewis Main Phone: 253-912-3485 lewiseast@lpsi.com
Meriwether Landing, Beachwood North, Beachwood South and Eagleview
District Manager: Amy VanPevenage Maintenance Supervisor: Patrick Hecox
District Manager: Lesley Bonnell Maintenance Supervisor: Patrick Hecox
BLDG 5133 - Lewis Main Phone: 253-912-3460 lewismain@lpsi.com District Manager: Angela Cardosa Maintenance Supervisor: Sean Ryan
BLDG 10400 - Lewis North Phone: 253-912-3475 lewisnorth@lpsi.com District Manager: Jessica Flansburg Maintenance Supervisor: Sean Ryan
BLDG 3209 - McChord Field Phone: 253-589-0523 mcchord@lpsi.com District Manager: Kimberly Trammell Maintenance Supervisor: Joe Mavega
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Community Services
Caught On Camera - Home Pride Quarterly Winners
Would you like to participate in the Home Pride Contest and a chance to win a $1000 weekend get away? Click here to download the enrollment form to nominate yourself of another deserving family. Community Services Email: lewismcchordcommunities@gmail.com Office Hours: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Closed Saturday and Sunday Community Services Coordinator: Hope Schwickerath Community Services Director: Marcia McDowell
join the conversation Like us on Facebook, find us on Twitter, look for us on Instagram and Pinterest, you can even find us on snapchat. Lincoln Military Housing is not responsible for information from other organizations published in this newsletter.
Community Services Mission Statement Our mission is to improve the quality of life for our military residents through programs designed to strengthen personal connections between neighbors, and to partner with like minded local organizations to support this goal.
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