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Show ACTION LINEEXT. 77000 Question on traffic survey I'm with f regards to the article in the Hilltop Times titled "Bicycle paths needed." According to the article, it said a base-wid- e traffic survey was completed. I personally never received a form to participate in the survey, and I question the figure that only 36 respondents ride bicycles to work. It's incorrect, because I for one do ride a bike to work on occasion and I'm not included in those figures. I biked to work every day for a year but discontinued riding my bicycle because the base is an extremely dangerous place to ride. Vehicle operators on base have no regard for bicycles and have a tendency to crowd them off the road. It's rather difficult to say that people who don't ride bikes now wouldn't in the future if the roadways and road systems were improved for bicycle operators. I think the point to realize is that if Hill AFB would become energy conservation oriented and would also stress and support physical activities to include bicycling by the development of paths of sections of roadway reserved for bicycles, you would see a significant increase in bicycle use. calling J Hill AFB most assuredly, supports practi-cal energy conservation measures. However, riding a bicycle on base is really a problem of safety, alertness and courtesy. In Utah, as in most other states, a bicycle is legally a vehicle, intended for the roadway and subject to all the traffic laws that cars must obey. Security police are preparing an article for the Hilltop Times, reminding both drivers and cyclists of the "rules of the road." Hopefully, this will help both to understand how to share the roads peacefully and safely. To make this sharing easier, we have widened Second Street (Wardleigh Way), and added an extra-widpaved shoulder between the East and West 4 e, areas. In the future, there is a project to widen Sixth Street and reconfigure South Gate Drive and another project to widen M Street and reconfigure the West Gate entrance. These projects all give bicyclists and drivers more room to maneuver: a wider "safety margin." Surveys are usually sent to a sample of the population in each area of the base. You evidently were not included in the survey sample, so I appreciate getting your thoughts through the Action Line. In the survey, fewer than 5 percent said that they would bicycle to work if conditions were different. Most of the base workers do not live within comfortable cycling distance of the base; others are deterred by the steep grades and lack of convenient showerlocker room facilities. Until there is a potential daily ridership of at least 1,800 people (approximately 9 percent of the population) during nine months of the year, we cannot justify the construction of separate bicycle paths or dedicated lanes. However, since the survey, Civil Engineering has designed bicycle accommodations into every road project where it could be done without raising the cost We weren't notified about fire I work in Bldg. 1515 and recently there was a fire in the building. Why did they evacuate only the north end of the building? Shouldn't they have at least notified the people who work in the south half of the building so they could power down critical equipment and be on the alert for possible smoke inhalation? There was no fire in Bldg. 1515. The fire alarm in Phase I of the building was acti vated by a series of power bumps, and Phase I was evacuated as a result. Phases I and II of the building are separated by fire walls and fire doors and have separate alarm systems which display at the security desk in the building as well as at the fire department. Your point is well taken, however, and until the two systems are combined, the security desk monitor will notify personnel in both phases of the building in the event of an emergency in either one of them. Abuse of government vehicle vehicle Recently I observed a government pull into the America First Credit Union at Clearfield. It certainly appeared to me to be abuse of a government vehicle. Would you check it out?. O July 26, 1991 HMicp Times 11 fl ACTION' LINE is your opportunity to make HJ1 AFB a better place to li e, work and play. When vou call Ext. 77000, or send on LOGDIS or OthceVision to ID "ACTION." your comments will be recorded and staffed through the agency responsible for action. Please give your supervisor and chain of command the opportunity to work with you in answering questions and solving problems before calling ACTION . i K v 1 Y J LINE. This will help me better serve vour interests through ACTION LINE. Gn. DoU W. Thompson Jr. Ogden ALC commander Moj. Your concern and report are appreciated. 4 The matter has been referred to Vehicle Transportation Division and placed into their vehicle misuse program for investigation. A preliminary inquiry revealed the organization responsible for the vehicle. The commander of the organization has been notified, the operator identified, and the incident is now under investi- gation. In the future, if you observe any use of a government vehicle that appears to be outside the official function, please report it to our Fleet Management Section, TPOA, Ext. 79099. They will respond directly to you and ensure corrective measures are accomplished. Sign at gym confusing There is a sign outside the gym that says it will close at 10 p.m. until May 31, 1991 and after that it would close at 9 p.m. Inside, a small sign was posted saying the gym would be closing at 9 p.m. beginning May 25, 1991. It doesn't make sense to have ,two, signs posted that contradict each other. It is entirely too early for the gym to close at 9. It is still being used right up to 9:30 and 10 at night by quite a few people. The fact that they just decided to close it at 9 was really unfair and I don't think the decision was very well thought out. Could it be reconsidered? fef fk Participation in the Hess Fitness Center PsL drops drastically during the summer months; therefore, the decision to cut back during the slower evening hours was made. We apologize for the sign confusion; it has been removed and will be updated to reflect the correct hours. Unfortunately, financial and personnel contracts determine the hours of operation of the center and all our Morale, Welfare and Recreation Division operations. With the change of seasons, each activity is evaluated for usage and the hours adjusted to best utilize the available funds and resources averaged throughout the year. The use of the fitness center drops while outside activities increase; therefore, we focus our resources on those activities. If you have future concerns, please call the athletic director at the fitness center at Ext. 79377. Telephone lines always tied up dfik I've read several articles about outside telephone lines being hard to get, and it yf seems like the same explanation is given every time. Why don't you take the bull by the horns, address the problem head-o- n the way it should be addressed, instead of ignoring the problem and trying to appease the people? The real problem is that there are too many employees socializing and personal doing their baby-sittinbusiness on the phone during work hours because management is afraid to supervise. Everyone wants to be a nice guy, and as a result, this generally means very little or no supervision. Consequently, many employees have the attitude that they can do as they please. They even go so far as to tell their supervisor they are going to take leave rather than requesting it because after all, it's their leave and nobody is going to tell them how to use it. If management would show some leadership and take charge, employees would respect them more and things could change. Isn't it time to act PSQpM rather, than, appease 4 g, The Department of Defense and Air Force policy on personal telephone calls is that they may be made for such purposes as to speak to a spouse'child or arrange for emergency repairs to residence or car, as long as they are consistent with the following: They do not adversely affect the work of the employee's organization; B They are reasonable in duration, frequency; and B They cannot reasonably be made at another time. Personal calls are currently adversely affecting Hill AFB organizations because they are saturattrunk lines. In line with this policy ing and in light of the adverse impact of personal calls, I expect employees to limit such calls to only those that strictly fit the above criteria. On the subject of management and leadership, I must point out that because of the heavy demands on our supervisors and managers, it is extremely difficult for them to know if employees are misusing either phones or time through too much socializing or visiting. Nevertheless, when they do become aware of such problems, I expect them to take appropriate action. Concerning leave, I expect them to make sure that employees understand that time off is requested and not taken simply by telling the supervisor they will be off. Also, employees should help with such problems as phone misuse, abuse of time, etc., by bringing the problem(s) to the attention of their supervisors. Working together, employees and management can make a difference. Thank you for your interest in correcting these problems. off-bas-e Why is there a waiting list? I dT went to the hobby shop to register my SZ- car for sale on the used car lot. I was informed there would be a waiting period of three to four weeks before I would be able to put my car on the lot. I noticed on my way back, however, that only 1 1 of the 24 available spaces were being used. Why is there a waiting list when there are open spaces? - Although there appears to always be open spaces, the 23 slots available in the lot are almost always completely rented out. They are rented out for periods and often renters use their slot only on weekends or after work. The rental agreement requires that the auto hobby shop be notified if the vehicle is sold, making a slot available for others. Additionally, the lot is checked twice weekly and renters of vacant slots contacted to ensure the vehicles haven't sold and slots are still required. People interested in renting when the lot is full are placed on a waiting list and then called when space comes available. Over the past few months, the waiting list has been turning approximately every 10 days. 14-da- y Questions on hospital concerns Would it he possible to get some information out to help clear up the general con fusion that has arisen with the termination of the hospital obstetrics partnership with the University of Utah? We need information regarding plans for continued care for OB patients during the months of July, August and September. I also have a concern about the growing list for vasectomies. Can something be done to pare down the waiting list? I know it is elective surgery, but it could possibly eliminate the expense of added family members if the waiting period could be reduced. It is true that OBGYN services will be changed due to the departure of the University of Utah partnership, and I appreciate the opportunity to further advertise the fact. The hospital has been working diligently to get the message to our people via meetings, letters, notices in the base bulletin and an article in Hilltop Times. Regarding the availability of vasectomies, the hospital is awrj-- of the extensive backlog for this elective procedure, and is taking appropriate steps. In the near future, they will increase the number of physicians qualified to perform the procedure, but it will still take a while to pare down the backlog. Naturally, active duty personnel receive priority. Also, please note that a e |