Defense Communities May June 2012

Defense

The Magazine of Military Housing, Lodging & Lifestyles

communities MAY/JUNE 2012

www.phma.com

Innovative home design offers Wounded Warriors at Fort Belvoir an accessible safe haven

Welcome Home

Updating laundry facilities page 20

Streamlining housing referral page 22

Special section: Outdoor spaces page 26

CONTENTS FEATURES 10 Redefining Accessible

At Fort Belvoir, two radically innovative homes are bringing new meaning to the word accessible—and creating a “new normal” for Wounded Warriors.

By Hallie Groff

16

tandardization S for Success A new document provides guidance for streamlining and invigorating the Navy Housing Referral Service.

By Carol Casto

10

SPECIAL SECTION:

OUTDOOR SPACES 26 The Great Outdoors

Environmentally friendly parks and playgrounds enhance the neighborhoods at Fort Polk.

By Mark L. Williams and Elizabeth Scruggs

30 Greening the Community

Recycling, reusing, and resizing lawns are just some ways to rethink landscaping and renew local sustainability.

By Bob Mooney, PMP, MBA and David R. Cloutier

32 Making a Splash

Spray parks and splash pads make for safe, sustainable, and cost-effective recreation.

By Patricia Rotschild

35 A Carpet of Wood

26 2 Defense Communities

A new product reduces maintenance and increases accessibility for playground surfaces made of engineered wood fiber.

By Jeff Mrakovich

Defense

The Magazine of Military Housing, Lodging & Lifestyles

May/June 2012 u Volume 23, Number 3 u www.phma.com

communities A Publication of the Pro­fes­sion­al Hous­ing Man­age­ment Association

20 A Better Laundry

Updating laundry facilities— individual units as well as community laundry rooms—can bring savings in time and energy.

By Kate Holmes

22 More Than Just Classifieds

The online military marketplace SargesList helps defense communities thrive in the new economy.

By Lisa Klinkhammer

DEPARTMENTS 4 P resident’s Message

PHMA President Del Eulberg honors our leaders and their legacy.

6 C hapter News

We can learn to adapt to change—that’s the lesson members of Krystal Chapter 47 took away from PDS XXIV.

38 M ilitary Marketplace

The go-to source for products and services designed for the military housing and lodging industry.

40 A dvertising Index 41 P HMA Corporate

32

Sustaining Members

Please send your articles for Defense Communities to Birgitt Seymour at phmadefensecommunities@earthlink.net.

NEXT EDITORIAL DEADLINES: September/October - July 2 November/December - September 3

ABOUT THE COVER The

Patriot Home at Fort Belvoir, designed

by Michael Graves and Associates, offers a safe haven for Wounded Warriors and their families.

Publisher Editor Managing Editor Production Assoc.

Art Director

Debra J. Stratton Birgitt Seymour Lia Dangelico Christine Umbrell Janelle Welch

Publishing Offices Stratton Publishing & Mar­ket­ing Inc. 5285 Shawnee Road, Suite 510 Alexandria, VA 22312-2334 703/914-9200; fax 703/914-6777 defcom@strattonpublishing.com Advertising Sales Manager Alison Bashian Stratton Publishing & Marketing Inc. 800/335-7500; fax 440/232-0398 alisonb@strattonpublishing.com Editorial Office 544 Windspirit Circle, Prescott, AZ 86303 928/771-9826 phmadefensecommunities@ earthlink.net PHMA Office 154 Fort Evans Road, NE, Leesburg, VA 20176 703/771-1888; fax 703/771-0299 phmaoffice@earthlink.net www.phma.com Executive Director Jon R. Moore Defense Communities (ISSN #1088-9000 USPS #004-502) is pub­lished bi­month­ly by Stratton Pub­lish­ing & Mar­ket­ing Inc., 5285 Shawnee Road, Suite 510, Alexandria, VA 22312-2334, for the Pro­fes­sion­al Hous­ing Man­age­ment As­so­ci­a­tion, 154 Fort Evans Road, NE, Leesburg, VA 20176. PHMA mem­bers re­ceive this pub­li­ca­tion at the an­nu­al sub­scrip­tion rate of $30.

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Defense Communities, ©2012, Pro­fes­sion­al Hous­ing Management As­so­ci­a­tion. All rights re­served. All con­tents of this pub­li­ca­tion are pro­tect­ed by copy­right; how­ev­er, they may be re­pro­duced in whole or in part with prior ap­prov­al of the publisher. Prior to photocopying items for educational classroom, internal, or personal use, or to request rights to republish an article, please request re­print permission from Editor, Defense Communities, phmadefensecommunities@ earthlink.net.

Unless otherwise stated, ar­ti­cles and ed­i­to­ri­als express the views of their au­thors and not nec­es­sar­i­ly those of PHMA, the editors, or the pub­lish­er. An­nounce­ments and ad­ver­ tise­ments in this pub­li­ca­tion for prod­ucts and ser­vic­es do not im­ply the en­dorse­ment of PHMA or any of its members or staff.

Postmaster: Send subscription/address changes to: Defense Communities, 154 Fort Evans Road, NE, Leesburg, VA 20176 or e-mail: phmaoffice@earthlink.net.

Defense Communities magazine is designed to keep those who operate and manage the whole spectrum of military housing and facilities maintenance informed on the industry’s latest technology, products, and services. It provides a forum for members to share lessons learned, news and events, and training opportunities and updates.

MAY | June 2012 3

| FEAT U R E |

Redefining Accessible

Fort Belvoir creates a “new normal” for Wounded Warriors

By Hallie Groff

N

estled within Fort Belvoir’s Woodlawn Village neighborhood, two radically innovative homes are bringing new meaning to the word accessible. Underscored by thoughtful design principles, customizable features, and cutting-edge technology, the Patriot and Freedom homes provide a “new normal” for our nation’s

10 Defense Communities

growing population of active duty Wounded Warriors.

And these two homes are only the beginning.

For the U.S. Army/Clark Realty Capital team, which formed a public-private partnership in 2004 that comprises Fort Belvoir Residential Communities (FBRC), accessible housing was never simply “a require-

ment to be met.” With more than 95 accessible homes already on post and its thousands of deserving service members in mind, Fort Belvoir’s future accessible housing presented a prime opportunity to innovate.

What emerged were two homes that are not just physically accessible, but universally smart, with benefits that extend far beyond their every detail.

The front façade of the Freedom home, which features a unique octagonal family room, welcomed Marine Staff Sergeant Travis Green and his family as its first residents in the fall of 2011.

An Innovative Team Understanding Wounded Warriors “He wants everything to be as normal as possible,” explained Danielle Shell, wife of Wounded Warrior and retired U.S. Army Captain Alvin Shell Jr., who suffered third-degree burns over 30 percent of his body after his convoy was ambushed in Baghdad. Among the challenges that accompany his injury, CPT Shell suffers difficulty regulating body temperature, light sensitivity, decreased muscular endurance, and emotional memories that will stay with him forever.

CPT Shell is one of 19 Wounded Warriors who helped shape the project team’s earliest design decisions for the Patriot and Freedom homes. In early 2011, FBRC assembled a team of industry leaders for a series of interviews, discussions, and workshops to gain fundamental understanding of the Wounded Warrior and lay the groundwork for the two homes’ plans.

World-renowned design firm IDEO and architect Michael Graves, who is himself paralyzed from the waist down, brought first-hand insight and understanding to the project.

“There is no one template for the severely injured,” noted Graves.

“Everyone is different in abilities and

the way they want to do things.”

With soldiers’ injuries ranging from loss of limbs to post-traumatic stress disorder, no single home can accommodate each and every returning Wounded Warrior. But purposeful and adaptable design features can make all the difference in an injured soldier’s road to recovery.

“I do realize that I have certain limitations, and bottom line is, I have to be comfortable,” explains Joe Beimfohr, who is a retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant. His left leg is amputated just below the knee, while his right leg ends at the hip. Joe’s challenges include general mobility difficulty in narrow spaces and over large thresholds, and increased temperature discomfort. Also, with a collection of prostheses and accompanying equipment, Joe and his wife Ana have struggled to find a home that would provide the necessary storage.

With more and more soldiers like Joe returning from war and making the transition to life at home, the Army is faced with a new, growing need for universally accessible housing that accommodates not only the soldier, but the family as a whole. The Wounded Warrior home is designed to encourage recovery and ease the

Fort Belvoir recently celebrated the end of its eight-year Initial Development Period, during which time the U.S. Army/Clark Realty Capital team delivered 2,106 homes all on time and on budget.

Throughout this Initial Development Period, Fort Belvoir served as a leader in innovation.

In addition to the recently unveiled Wounded Warrior homes, Belvoir boasts the first Town Center on a Department of Defense installation. The project also encompasses five new neighborhood centers, one of which became the first new construction project in the military to achieve LEED® Platinum status. In 2010, Fort Belvoir won the GreenGov Presidential Award, presented by the U.S. President for renewable energy, community engagement, resident education, and other sustainable innovations in family housing.

Testaments to Belvoir’s success are the installation’s 30 local, national, and international awards for excellence in design and planning, innovation, environmental stewardship, and historic preservation.

MAY | JUNE 2012 11

Wide doors and a level threshold make the open-air patio accessible.

The kitchen and bathrooms feature mobile base cabinets.

Those in the kitchen provide open space below the sink and next to the stove, for easy adaptation.

12  Defense Communities

The master bath features a walk-in/roll-in shower with grab-bars and seat.

Wide hallways are another feature of the Wounder Warrior homes.

A Look Inside

Totaling 3,000 square feet each, the Wounded Warrior homes at Fort Belvoir comprise unique design elements that can accommodate any number of injured service members.

Among these features, hallways boast a 360-degree turning radius for those in a wheelchair and room-by-room thermostat control accommodates those who have difficulty regulating their own temperature.

Even the trim, finishing, and door kick plates prevent the wear and tear of wheelchairs, prostheses, and high resident turnover due to frequent moves by military personnel.

Visit www.woundedwarriorhome.org to explore the unique features in the Patriot and Freedom homes.

difficult transition as injured service members return home to discover their “new normal” within the family dynamic.

Reflecting on his ongoing personal recovery, CPT Shell noted, “Sometimes you need that space away from everything else … very few people can do it in their head.”

This alone time must exist harmoniously with therapeutic time with loved ones. “When you get those moments together, you’re going to say something loving, you’re going to do something loving. As little walls as possible so it brings everybody together,” said CPT Shell.

“For me, those are the times you remember.”

The personal space to allow reflection—what CPT Shell calls “me time”—with the ability to foster equally therapeutic family moments creates a delicate balance within the home. Among other spaces, the private therapy room and open living areas serve to meet this indefinable dual need, providing a retreat in conjunction with a thriving social space.

In the Patriot and Freedom homes, standard accessibility codes provided only a starting point in designing for this new normal.

Looking beyond At the ribbon-cutting ceremony in late 2011, the completed Patriot and Freedom homes appeared uniquely normal. Without a ramp in sight, they easily blend in with the rest of the block in Fort Belvoir’s largest village. Their cheery yellow and red façades and clean white trim boast a contemporary look and incorporate elements of style common among the neighboring homes on Dairy Court. The homes maintain their residents’ dignity to provide a set-

MAY | JUNE 2012 13

The Green family, seated in the front row at the Wounded Warrior homes ribbon-cutting ceremony in November 2011, became the first residents of the Freedom home.

ting in which both family and service members can grow and thrive within the larger neighborhood.

Marine Staff Sergeant Travis Green, the project’s first resident, sat in front of his Freedom home at the ceremony. A double amputee, SSG Green lost both legs in combat in the Sangin district of Helmand Province in Afghanistan. He returned home to begin the road to recovery alongside his wife and five children. Fortunate to be back, he and his family now face the task of rehabilitation and adjusting to a changed life.

Active-duty Wounded Warriors like SSG Green have served as the inspiration behind the Belvoir team’s ambition to revolutionize accessible housing throughout the installation. The Patriot and Freedom homes are the first of 21 state-of-the-art Wounded Warrior homes to join the nearly 100 other accessible residences on post.

The future Wounded Warrior homes will serve not as mere replicas of their predecessors, but as evolved and refined versions. The Wounded Warrior Home Project team is continuing to learn from these two prototypes by collecting input from residents like the Greens and facilitating continued academic research through another partner, the University of Buffalo’s Universal Design program.

Under a federal grant, the university will 14 Defense Communities

actively study the home over the course of the next year, researching broader applications of universal design for the military and all those living with disabilities.

Fort Belvoir’s Wounded Warrior homes have laid the framework for adaptable, smart design and feature those hardto-define principles that truly reshape

accessible housing. Perhaps the greatest testament to the project’s early success is the response from SSG Green as voiced through a military spokesperson: “It’s the nicest home I’ve lived in.” n Hallie Groff is a Creative Associate, Clark Realty Capital. Reach her at Hallie. groff@clarkrealty.com.

Wounded Warrior Home Project team members from U.S. Army Fort Belvoir, Clark Realty Capital, Clark Builders Group, Michael Graves & Associates, IDEO, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Buffalo IDeA Center in front of the Patriot home.

Advertising Index Company, Contact

Phone

Balfour Beatty Communities, Kathy Grim

610/355-8206

www.bbcgrp.com

1

Coit Worldwide, Shawn Aghababian

800/367-2648

www.coit.com

18

Cort, Peggy Moore

301/324-8606

www.cort1.com

15

Davey Commercial Grounds, George Gaumer

800/447-1667 x 225

www.davey.com

24

HD Supply Facilities Maintenance

877/610-6912

www.hdsupplysolutions.com

C2

Kaba Multihousing & Institutional, LaShawnda Robinson

248/837-3700

www.kabamultihousing.com

19

Kidzpace Interactive, David Meyer

800/594-9184

www.kidzpace.com

18

Landscape Structures, Megan Andrada

888/438-6574

www.playlsi.com

C3

Microfridge Inc., Benjamin Otte

508/660-9200

www.microfridge.com

7

MilitaryByOwner Advertising, Dave Gran

540/446-4676

www.MilitaryByOwner.com

28

Oakwood Corporate Housing, Mary Jacenich

888/268.9998

www.oakwood.com/government

31

Picerne Military Housing, Bill Mulvey

401/228-2800

www.picernemilitaryhousing.com

23

R.J. Thomas Manufacturing Co. Inc., Bob Simonsen

800/762-5002

www.pilotrock.com

36

Safeplay Systems, Eric Torrey

770/591-7000

www.safeplaysystems.com

37

Salsbury Industries, Ricardo Alva

323/846-6700

www.mailboxes.com

34

University Loft Company, James Jannetides

317/631-5433

www.universityloft.com

C4

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Customer Service

800/644-8083

www.wellsfargo.com

47

Yardi, Spencer Stewart

800/866-1144

www.yardi.com

5

Zeager Bros. Inc., Bob Zeager

800/396-8524

www.zeager.com

33

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