Interactive Customer Evaluation Responses

Comment Regarding NAS I ECP Construction:

My question is regarding the NAS I ECP construction project. During construction (or at least during high traffic times), can the annex gate be used as the entrance? In past situations, the annex gate was used as the entrance, with three lanes set up with cones--two for cars and one for school busses. Then the main gate was used as an exit. I am asking because I have been here four years and this has only been done twice. From a driver’s perspective, the system seemed to work really well and I wanted to see if it could be considered as an option. Thank you.

Response:

Thank you for thinking creatively and proposing an idea for consideration. As you might expect, there are many factors at play when it comes to securing and manning the ECPs, including safety, manpower, and logistics. Please know that every effort is made to consider all options and minimize the inconvenience on the community.

The previous traffic configuration you are referring to was during a drill simulating a higher force protection condition. During these heightened security drills, manning was doubled which allowed us to temporarily increase the number of traffic lanes. Due of the length of the NAS I ECP project, doubling the manpower at the Annex gate would not be sustainable. The new traffic pattern has been in action for a couple of weeks now, and our security team has identified the biggest back up times as being between 0720 and 0745. So, if your schedule permits it, I would encourage all incoming personnel to try avoid arriving during that window to lessen your wait time. I understand that this is frustrating now, but traffic volume will lessen once the school year ends in mid-June.

Thank you for your continuing patience during this construction project to make Sigonella safer and better. For future suggestions or concerns, please contact the Security Officer, LCDR Richmond, at DSN 624-6392.

Comments Regarding NAS I ECP Construction:

There have been mixed reviews regarding the handling of the recent NAS I gate changes while the main ECP is being worked on. Some have praised the Security department for minimizing delays, and others have suggested that changes be made to the annex gate to allow for smoother passage. Please allow me to address this important topic.

Response:

Thank you to those who have taken the time to complement our hardworking Security department. It is sometimes a thankless job, and I definitely agree that our Masters-at Arms and Auxiliary Security Force personnel are doing an excellent job processing vehicular traffic in a safe and courteous manner.

In response to suggestions received to move barriers at the annex gate and/or to repave the surfacing of the annex gate roads, I’d like to take a minute to explain why the current setup is necessary.

Part of fully securing any ECP includes setting up serpentine traffic patterns with barriers. The current annex gate setup is a critical part of our effort to maintain an effective security posture. Unfortunately, as a U.S. military installation overseas, we are always a potential target for groups and individuals that wish our country harm. The serpentine traffic pattern helps prevent bad actors from simply running through the gate and driving straight onto the installation. With this in mind, I am sure that all would agree that the safety of our community more than outweighs the inconvenience of an indirect route exiting the base.

Regarding the surface of the exit lanes at the Annex gate, while I know it’s a rough ride, unfortunately that part of NAS I is on leased land. This provides challenges to both paying for and receiving permission to make improvements. I have, however, asked our Public Works Officer to look into “the art of the possible” to see if we can fix potholes. Again, I thank you all of you for bearing with us as we complete the improvements on the NAS I ECP.

Comment Regarding Postal Service:

Bravo Zulu to NAS Sigonella post office clerks LSSN Rochester, LSSN Gomez, and SGT Wilson for a great experience last week. I was running late and the weekend was closing in fast! A huge thanks to Rochester who was quick and responsive in locating my package that was lost. Also a big shout out to Gomez and Wilson who made a valiant team effort to deliver the item into my possession right before the weekend. Thanks again!

Response:

Thank you for the BZ for our postal team members. Positive feedback like yours helps us to constantly improve our customer service by letting us know what we are doing correctly and what we can continue to improve on. I’m always happy to hear when customers have a positive customer service experience. I will make sure to pass along your comments to them and the rest of the postal team.

Thank you again for taking the time to send us your feedback. For any future comments, questions, or concerns, you are welcome to contact the Fleet Mail Center leadership team directly at:

Postal Officer: Mr. Ajaka Chesterfield Ajaka.chesterfield@eu.navy.mil DSN: 314-624-5558

Leading Chief Petty Officer: LSC Christopher Strehl Christopher.strehl@eu.navy.mil DSN: 314-624-2023

Comment Regarding NAS II Gym Equipment:

The state, condition, and variety of equipment at the NAS II gym is terrible. There are currently six pieces of equipment that are inoperable. Instead of updating the equipment and maintaining it on a regular basis, signs are posted stating the estimated repair date. Some equipment has had signs like these on them for six months. It is unfathomable that even when 80% of active duty units are located on NAS II, they are stuck with substandard fitness equipment, while NAS I gets the newest and nicest facility. This is doing service members a disservice. Please let me know your plans to invest in the NAS II gym.

Response:

Thank you for your feedback regarding the NAS II gym. I am sorry to hear that your experience was less than satisfactory. We know that keeping our fitness facilities in good working order is an important part of morale and mission readiness, especially for our overseas personnel. Both CMC Estrada and I are dedicated to improving the gym conditions at NAS II. We recognize that the NAS II gym sees almost 10,000 visits per month more than NAS I. As you can imagine, this puts a lot of stress on the equipment. Monthly maintenance is performed on equipment in an effort to keep it fully functional for everyone’s use and our staff will also conduct repairs or maintenance on equipment when a discrepancy is brought to their attention. In order to help you understand some of our constraints, it can take weeks for replacement parts to be received and sometimes much longer depending on what is broken and where the parts need to come from. We will continue to do everything in our power to keep up with the demand placed on the NAS II gym equipment. Please continue to let us know of any issues that arise while utilizing the fitness facilities. For any future concerns or suggestions, feel free to contact the fitness director, Elizabeth Leonard, at elizabeth.leonard@ eu.navy.mil or DSN 624-0504.

Comment Regarding NAS II Gym Hours:

The fitness center hours at NAS II are too short. As aircrew, we often land late and are unable to make it to the NAS II gym before it closes. I request gym hours be extended to 0500-2359 all days of the week.

Response:

Thank you for your patronage and feedback. As an aviator myself, I understand the challenges of fitting in a workout after a flight…especially after a late night event. The gym condition, size, and availability is at the top of CMC Estrada’s and my quality of life priorities. Believe it or not, the NAS II fitness center is actually currently operating on extended hours. We are funded and manned by Commander Navy Installations Command for 90 hours a week. We currently operate a total of 109 hours per week (M-F 0500- 2200 & Sat-Sun 0700-1900). BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP TO CONTINUE TO JUSTIFY EVEN THOSE HOURS. Unfortunately, the facility currently averages less than five patrons per day during the later hours. With that level of usage, our funding for expanded hours could actually be reduced. Please know that the command understands the need expressed in your ICE comment and is exploring all feasible options for expanded equipment and services with our limited resources. For future concerns or suggestions, please contact the fitness director, Elizabeth Leonard, at elizabeth.leonard@ eu.navy.mil or DSN 624-0504.