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Show HILLTOP TIMES TIMES March 26, 2009 OO-ALC's Commander's Call questions Courtesy of the Ogden Air Logistics Commander's Action Center Group Editor's note: The Ogden Air Logistics Center Commander's Call was held by Maj. Gen. Kathleen Close at three different times between March 10 and March 12. At the end of each session Maj. Gen. Close answered questions posed by the audience; not all questions were answered due to time constraints. For the benefit of those not at Commander's Call, several of the questions are addressed here in the Hilltop Times. Q My tempory duty roundtrip plane ticket cost •approximately $1,300 to Sheppard Air Force Base through the Commercial Travel Office. I saw the same ticket on a discount travel Web site for approximately $500. That's $800 that the Air Force could have used elsewhere. Can this contract with the CTO be re-examined? A: First, let me thank you for being a good steward of government resources. It's important that we all watch for places where we can save time, money or materiel. Let me also expand on the answer I provided at one of the Commander's Calls. I agree that $1,300 to Sheppard AFB would seem a bit much, and there may be circumstances under which you can look for other methods of procuring your airline tickets. However, all personnel must use CTO for official travel. Please keep in mind that if your trip is cancelled, you are not charged for the cancelled airfare on the contract carrier — that is usually not the case for personally procured tickets. If you're doing a comparison of travel costs, check what the price is for a refundable ticket. You may find the contract fares are quite low, after all. Here are the caveats to traveling with other than the contract carrier.Tiill details can be found in Air Force Instruction 24-101: 1. The fare must be available to the general public. You must be checking for publicly available fares, and NOT fares set aside for government travelers. 2. You must secure advance approval to use a noncontract carrier. This approval has to be on your orders or you may not be fully reimbursed. There is a standard process to gain this approval and the CTO can help you. 3. You must still use the CTO to book your travel even if you are personally procuring your airline tickets. The CTO can assist you with filing the necessary paperwork to secure approval for noncontract airfare. 4. If you personally procure tickets and your TDY is changed or cancelled, you will not be reimbursed for any cancellation or reticketing fees. In most cases the fee is $100 or $150. This is a risk you take on if you personally procure airline tickets. As you can see, you may book travel outside the contract carrier, but it is not without risk. While the contract carrier may not have the lowest price for one particular city pair (such as Salt Lake City to Sheppard), there may be other places we travel to more commonly at a very low price (such as SLC to Dayton). Overall, we awarded the contract because it was the best value to the government based on our expectations of future travel. Your lowest-risk option is always to use the contract carrier through the CTO. If you have any questions, please contact the CTO at 7774247. Q:. We're seeing a lot of downsizing across the industry and the president has stated he wants to reduce the defense budget. Are we going to see another early out? A: With our current manpower levels and projected budget there are no plans for an early out (VERA/VSIP) or a Reduction inFo£Ce. While it's impossible to predict future budgets or manning requirements, Hill Air Force Base has an excellent reputation for avoiding major RIFs. Q: Is there a possibility of working 10 hours a day, 4 days a week, called 4/10s, in the works? A: Hill AFB has many years of experience with the 4/10s com- pressed work schedule, which is one of several alternate work schedules currently in use. Each organization sets work schedules to balance mission requirements, efficiency and economy of government operations and employee needs. At one time the base had a work schedule in place that allowed'most organizations to close one Friday every pay period. This was not effective or efficient in meeting customer expectations, and it resulted in changes for most organizations to limit how many employees can be off on the same day. Studies on our various work schedules have generally shown them to be cost and savings neutral. There are currently no plans to make basewide changes. Serving customers, especially our warriors on the battlefield, will continue to be our top priority in determining appropriate work schedules. Q: Will the West Gate redesign accommodate bicycles and foot traffic? Right now it is very dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians. Please consider a bus and TVax stop. People should start using more public transportation for the sake of air quality. A: The new gate will have a pedestrian entrance and a sidewalk leading to and from the off-base commercial area. The master plan has allowed for a TVax Station to the southwest of the West Gate and it is anticipated that Utah Transportation Authority bus service will be available through the'development with stops near the gates. Q: Solar panels on base? What are they for? A: The solar panel project north of Wardleigh Road is Team Hill's effort to increase our emphasis on renewable energy. The panels you see going up will provide 225 kilowatts of electrical power to the base to help offset a small portion (less than 1 percent) of the power we purchase from the local utility. This is enough electricity to support approximately 150 homes and is on track for a June 2009 completion date. If this project proves successful, we may expand our solar panel efforts. THE EASY WAY TO BUY NEW OR GENTLY USED ITEMS DINETTES FROM SOFAS OR LOVESEATS FROM $50 PICTURES FROM tn&rtainment •tenters FROM LEATHER BENCH When handed adversity, this woman served I BY MARY LOU GORNY i Hilltop Times editor "eanine LaRue, vice president of Public Affairs, Rutgers ! University, was pretty • sure she had her life all ; mapped out just as she Iwas approaching the lend of high school. She •had good grades and ; thought she might go |to college. She could alIways enroll in the military to pursue her edu; cation. She had strong lvalues and a clear head land she was eager to be •on her way. ! Then, as the speaker I at the Women's History j Month luncheon indicated ; at Club Hill, adversity ; stepped in her way. I The young woman, • daughter of a Pentecos; tal minister, was raped I by a family friend, and I she became pregnant. • Her mother, the minister, ; convinced her an abor: tion was not the answer '• and her father told her, . • "We give away things, not ; children." I When her high school ' boyfriend stepped into ; the picture to marry her ; and raise the child, abuse I resulted. After the birth I of a second child, LaRue ; called a local university I admittance counselor and '< said, "If I don't go to col• lege, I am going to die." -; Even after they re- viewed all the obstacles that stood in her way, the young, now-separated mother, affirmed her need to enter the university and begin classes without waiting for the next natural break to enter coursework. The counselor responded to her request. LaRue believes that there are two importantdays in everyone's life. The day you are born and the day you discover what you are here to do. As she struggled to succeed in her college curriculum, all of the pain and all of the baggage seemed to interfere with her efforts to succeed. But once she found the power of serving others she began to find success. LaRue discussed her stepping stones along the way in her career and the many lessons she learned. She became a vice president for a health care provider and became very informed about the challenges many face. She was assigned to the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and had the time of her life. She even served in politics. But one of the lessons she emphasized most was that some of the best leadership skills for herself and others came through lessons she observed they gained through adversity, hurt or pain. She urged all present to honor leadership no matter what level of service is offered, whether it be serving others lunch, serving at the highest levels or elsewhere. "Why are you here?" LaRue said to her listeners to consider as she urged them to consider their own lives. "Why are you here on Planet Earth." And her last example was of serving a young mother and her kids dinner at McDonald's when her initial reaction was that she was simply being approached by a panhandler. The woman had been two days without food for herself or her kids. "Jesus blessed me, indeed," LaRue said, just as the young boy who first approached her suggested, when he asked her for money. The realization of what was really important was once more before her. QUALITY CONSIGNMENTS Warehouse Outlet 548W-300 N., Ogden . www.qualityconsignments.net Transportation available from TWO MEN AND A TRUCK. "Movers Who Core." Serving Northern Utah 444-9213 WINTER HOURS: MON-FRI: NOON-6PM SATURDAY: 10AM-2PM 300 N. IOIUUTT Cowitwuuwn i 34t W. 300 N. BDO Ogden -'• 2ND STREET f _. 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