Defense Communities Sept/Oct 2014

Defense

THE MAGAZINE OF MILITARY HOUSING, LODGING & LIFESTYLES

COMMUNITIES SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

www.phma.com

Room To

Grow

Innovative, cost-saving design relieves overcrowding at West Point

Strategies for working the occupancy waterfall page 12

Tips for boosting your brand page 18

Does your office need a social media policy? page 22

CONTENTS 22 FEATURES 12 Working the Waterfall

Military housing managers must be aware when their properties are trending downward in occupancy and take necessary action to avoid crises.

By Vicki Sharp, NALP, CAPS, CDPM

18 Boosting Your Brand

These five fundamentals can help reluctant public speakers to better market themselves and their businesses.

By Scott Topper

20 Repainting Multifamily Properties

12

When facing a large painting project, always do your homework beforehand to ensure the best return on your investment.

By Joe Kujawski

22 ‘Like’ Me, If You Please

Without guidelines on how to use social media for professional use, disaster is just a tweet away.

By Margaret Page

24 Saving With Sustainability

Sustainable practices are providing real cost savings and energy efficiency across the federal government and the Department of Defense.

By Janet Patterson

28 The Key to Secure Living

28

Self-service keycard kiosks are a reliable solution for housing managers looking to make life easier for residents—and themselves.

By Jerry Assal

Don’t miss these departments: n Housing

Spotlights, page 6 n Services Corner, page 10 2 DEFENSE COMMUNITIES

Defense

THE MAGAZINE OF MILITARY HOUSING, LODGING & LIFESTYLES

September/October 2014 u Volume 25, Number 5 u www.phma.com

COMMUNITIES A Publication of the Pro­fes­sion­al Hous­ing Man­age­ment Association Publisher Editor Production Assoc.

Art Director Ad Sales Manager

34 30 Refinish and Save

In a time of unprecedented belt-tightening, refinishing furniture rather than purchasing new can offer significant cost and time savings.

By Mario Insenga

34 Going the Distance for Heroes

The Corvias Foundation sponsored a 10K “shadow run” for deployed service members to coincide with the Red Sox Foundation’s Run to Home Base.

38 Room To Grow

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, is helping to provide improved living spaces for Cadets at West Point.

By JoAnne Castagna, Ed.D.

DEPARTMENTS 4 President’s Message

PHMA President Del Eulberg discusses thoughtful leadership for the future of installation management

40 Military Marketplace 42 C orporate Sustaining Members

48

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NEXT EDITORIAL DEADLINE:

November/December – September 24

ABOUT THE COVER:

Rendering of new barracks at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, to be constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District. Credit: USACE, New York District.

Josephine Rossi Birgitt Seymour Christine Umbrell Janelle Welch Alison Bashian

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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.

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014 3

H OUS I NG S P OT L I GHTS

First Sergeant’s Barracks Program 2020 Status Update I

n recent months, the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management (OACSIM), Housing Division, has received many questions related to the First Sergeant’s Barracks Program (FSBP) 2020 and associated enterprises, especially physical security in the barracks and the Installation Status Report for Services (ISR-S). The inquiries, comments, and feedback on these subjects reinforce the dedication of housing specialists to providing soldiers with quality housing that is safe, well managed, well maintained, and aligns with the three principles of FSBP 2020. Those principles include taking care of soldiers, using resources wisely, and supporting the mission.

We want to use this venue to provide information on what is included in the new FSBP 2020 handbook update, details on the physical security requirement for unaccompanied housing (UH), and changes to ISR-S. We are pleased to announce the release of the first annual update to the FSBP 2020 handbook—the fiscal year (FY) 2014 edition, or FY14 Handbook—with the accompanying memorandum signed by the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management Lieutenant General David D. Halverson and Command Sergeant Major Jeffrey S. Hartless. The FY14 Handbook, with a cover date of March 26, 2014, provides guidance for soldiers performing UH property management functions as well as the garrison housing staff. The new sections make the handbook more of a one-stop resource for UH information, as they include information on FSBP 2020 operations at joint bases and installations exempt from imple-

6 DEFENSE COMMUNITIES

menting FSBP 2020, as well as guidance on guests and weapons in the barracks, fire safety and prevention, physical security, installation status report for services, and energy and water audits. Much of this information is typically included in garrison policies. Rounding out the new sections is information on short-distance local moves and non-temporary storage of household goods as it applies to soldiers residing in UH. The new sections are meant to guide garrisons and military units and provide basic information on UH management.

The handbook is not a regulation.

The FY14 Handbook also provides additional information on barracks security plans. The safety and security of soldiers in the barracks is a topic of the utmost importance, and one that recently garnered Congressional interest. The OACSIM, Housing Division, worked with the Office of the Provost Marshall General (OPMG), proponent for Army Regulation (AR) 190-13, Physical Security, to include direction pertinent for safety and security in the barracks into that regulation. The OPMG drafted guidance/ language on barracks physical security as well as a checklist, which will tentatively be included in the next AR 190-13 revision.

FY14 Handbook also clarifies the subject of “unnecessary moves,” which stems from one of FSBP 2020’s three basic principles: Take care of soldiers. In terms of questions received from the field, this is one of the “hottest” installation status report for services metrics for Service 200, UH Management. Unnecessary moves occur when soldiers are directed to move to other sleeping rooms for

reasons other than safety, welfare, medical concerns, directed footprint reorganization, or maintenance and repair/demolition. This metric is linked to the “check out reason” field/ list in Enterprise Military Housing (eMH), the web-based Department of Defense housing management system. We are working on refining this list as a result of the questions and inquiries from the field to include the medical, footprint, and maintenance and repair reasons identified above.

The success of FSBP 2020 and usefulness of the handbook are key in providing UH services to our soldiers, and they depend on communications between the garrison and military stakeholders through feedback and suggestions. It is imperative for installation housing offices to continue providing oversight, support, and training to the military unit performing day-to-day FSBP 2020 operations.

The more familiar soldiers are with managing UH and the eMH system, the better we are able to uphold excellent housing services to our single soldiers and be better stewards of the Army’s UH facility and furnishings investments. It’s important that we engage command sergeants major, first sergeants, and S4 brigade staff, and train them to facilitate and inspect standards. Incorporate the FY14 Handbook as a guide or supplement to your training programs, and continue to request and provide feedback to the handbook.

When providing guidance to the military personnel who are performing the UH property management functions, please continue to stress the importance of another segment of property management: UH furnish-

ings. As caretakers of government property, unit hand receipt holders should provide cash collection/statement of charges or Financial Liability Investigation of Property Loss documentation for the damage or loss of furnishings to the garrison furnishings office. Not providing proper relief of responsibility documentation when turning in or directly exchanging furnishings at the furnishings management office can slow the issuance of replacement furnishings to the unit/ soldier.

ing reports. The system also is used to make decisions regarding facility requirements. If the information in eMH is incorrect, it feeds other Army data systems wrong information, causes inaccurate reporting at all levels, and affects leadership decisions. Please continue to monitor the data in the system for accuracy and, if needed, ensure it is corrected.

The OACSIM and Headquarters, Installation Management Command (IMCOM), and housing staffs are working with installations to correct

All of the progress and success we’ve had in the past few months could not be accomplished without increased communication and relationship building. Strengthening the relationships and links among stakeholders at all levels enables FSBP 2020 to function properly.

Another important area of property management for units to execute attentively is identifying and submitting demand maintenance orders in a timely manner, and after submission, monitoring and initiating followup when necessary. The Army’s UH facilities now rely on the military unit to raise maintenance issues and the Directorate of Public Works’ Operations and Maintenance Division to resolve those issues. As housing professionals, continue to encourage communication between these two primary stakeholders in UH management and provide needed assistance.

As we move forward, all echelons must be diligent in oversight of UH operations, including the electronic “data” aspect of the program. eMH is the housing database of record, and many Army data systems use eMH as their source for generating hous-

8 DEFENSE COMMUNITIES

information in eMH. This collaboration among all levels of housing staff improves the integrity of the data, which in turn, increases our confidence in the eMH system and ultimately results in providing better housing services to soldiers.

Related to the fidelity of information in eMH and its effects on FSBP 2020 is ISR-S Service 200, UH Management. Although we are dealing with some growing pains regarding the new metrics for the FY 2014 submission, most issues have been eliminated or will be for FY 2015. We appreciate your continued patience as the new metrics mature. Questions from the field help improve metric development, so continue to ask questions.

For FY 2015, there are no significant changes to Service 200 except for the four new metrics, which include:

documenting financial liability investigation of property loss, cash collection/statement of charges for damage and loss of furnishings; utilizing UH leases and privatized UH; and correctly executing funding under the Management Decision Evaluation Package for UH Management, QHFM. There also is an effort to strengthen the alignment between Installation Status Report for Services and IMCOM’s Common Levels of Service.

So, in addition to minor clarifications for several metrics—many of which the field was instrumental in bringing to our attention—we are removing a few redundant metrics.

All of the progress and success we’ve had in the past few months could not be accomplished without increased communication and relationship building. Strengthening the relationships and links among stakeholders at all levels enables FSBP 2020 to function properly.

Making sure that soldiers, garrison housing staff, and other stakeholders understand their roles in managing and maintaining the Army’s UH— which is home for single soldiers—is paramount. We can only function well as a team if we rely on each other to accomplish the tasks at hand. We are all stewards of what single soldiers call home: the Army’s barracks.

It has been a busy time for UH management programs, FSBP 2020, and Installation Status Report for Services—Service 200, and every question and inquiry from the field makes a difference. Please continue to provide your support and feedback.

Comments and suggestions on the FY 2014 FSBP 2020 Handbook are already being tracked for the FY 2015 update. Access the FY14 Handbook at home.army.mil/sites/operational/G4/ PW/hd/uhmc/SitePages/Home.aspx.

—By Stefanie Casey, Army Housing Management Specialist

SE R V IC E S C ORNER

DAP: Professional Development Training for Army Housing DAP participants Federico Gonzalez, Front Office Manager, Shades of Green (left) and Derrick Lee, Housing Management Specialist, Presidio of Monterey (right)

By Suzanne Harrison

A

rmy Housing’s mission is to provide exceptional customer support services to soldiers and their families, with the additional responsibility of developing Army Housing careerists. The Army Housing Academy is our primary tool to expand professional developmental training within Army Housing management. We continue to expand our courses to provide housing management careerists the ability to gain the knowledge and skills they need to close the gaps on competency requirements and ensure success in their daily operational duties and responsibilities.

In addition to the Civilian Education System, the Installation Management Command G-1 offers housing careerists the Developmental Assignment Program (DAP). The DAP is an excellent avenue to gain the depth and breadth of knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to be highly competitive for increasingly progressive housing management and leadership assignments.

The DAP is a valuable method for employees to take charge of their professional self-development. The primary focus of the DAP is to expand experience in diverse functions through various job rotations and crossfunctional assignments that enable employees to gather practical knowledge, skills, and abilities outside their common experience.

In addition, the DAP provides maximum potential for career progression. The developmental assignments provide participants the opportunity to enhance their current competencies and learn and perform new duties

10 DEFENSE COMMUNITIES

in other occupational, functional, or organizational elements. This enhances the participants understanding of other operations, systems, and relationships across the installation management community.

This year, Headquarters Army Housing brought in two DAP participants, both of whom have been able to build upon their competencies to prepare them for positions of higher authority and responsibility. Derrick Lee from the Presidio of Monterey, California, and Federico Gonzalez from Shades of Green in Orlando, Florida, performed a variety of different duties during the two-month rotation.

From attending headquarters strategic meetings and contributing to the Army Family Housing budget submission to preparing the strategic communication plan for HOMES.mil, which is a vital part of our effort to improve service members’ relocation services in our Army Virtual Housing Experience, the assignments helped expand their understanding of how headquarters works.

Those who are fortunate to be selected for a DAP assignment return

to their organizations with a diverse understanding of the Army Housing program and how it operates with additional knowledge and skills to assist with the general mission of the local housing office. These assignments not only provide a benefit to the selectee, they also provide valuable opportunities for the hosting location to learn from those in the DAPs. The DAP will continue to play a significant role in developing the future leaders of the Army Housing, and will provide alternate training opportunities to housing professionals who want to learn something new. Those interested in an alternative training opportunity should contact their local garrisons for more information on the DAP. Contact Army Housing at army. acsimhousinghq@mail.mil.

Look for Services Corner articles from OSD and service housing leadership in future issues of Defense Communities. If you have an idea for a Services Corner article, contact Melissa Cooper at mkcooper@earthlink.net to help you get in touch with your service's point of contact.

| FEAT U R E |

Working the Waterfall Providing the best outcome for residents despite changes in your community requires planning, communication, and transparency

By Vicki Sharp

T

oo many times, we hit crisis mode before even thinking about the so-called occupancy waterfall. When your property is trending down in occupancy or you hear of mission changes or base losses, the waterfall plan should already be in place.

First of all, keep in mind that maintaining high occupancy in military family housing is an ongoing responsibility of both the government and the partner. No one wins when occupancy is down, and the people that hurt 12  DEFENSE COMMUNITIES

the most when this occurs are our military families.

Second, we, in military housing, can’t forget that the primary source of income is the Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH. Privatization partners do not have magic money trees at their offices, and budgets were created with specific occupancy rates at carefully calculated BAH rates (based on occupancy by pay grade) in mind. This is just like your personal budget. If you have less money coming in than you had anticipated, you must cut back on expenses.

As a reminder, any time cash flow is negatively affected, there is less money available for maintenance, renovations, or new construction. When less BAH is received, either through occupancy losses or actual reductions in annual BAH amounts, cuts to services and reductions in planned renovation or construction projects must be made to account for the difference.

Whether you are a government housing employee, a member of command, or a private partner employee, everyone must understand that, when funding is down, it is the military family that suffers. This is why it is so important to work together to keep occupancy as high as possible.

Working Together No one likes to go down the occupancy waterfall, but it is everyone’s fiduciary duty to keep the project as highly occupied at optimum rental rates as possible. This is a fairly new concept to the government partners, as they have never had the income from the BAH to run their sites.

So all parties must work as a team to achieve the common goal.

As you discuss the process with other team members, there are a few important things to consider. First, be open about the project’s financial situation, and demonstrate the effect of the loss of occupancy to the project, including the out year effects. Make sure everyone understands the difficulty of “catching up” when occupancy has been allowed to slide. Finally, the privatization partner should create a full marketing plan, along with timetables and costs for all efforts, and the government housing partner should understand the plan fully and be willing to assist the private partner in defending the case to command.

Involving Command You must be prepared to present your case succinctly and passionately, assuring the command that no one wants to implement the waterfall but that significant steps must be taken in order to maintain the viability of the project.

Generally, installation commanders want to avoid conventional marketing tools, such as additional signage or banners on their sites. However, it is up to the government partner to help find a way to make marketing work, as it is imperative to build/increase occupancy.

Be cognizant that you will not be successful without command on your side, so be prepared to brief them early and often. The privatization partner should prepare short but very clear handouts for each briefing that achieve the following: • Identify the current occupancy status and the anticipated occupancy and revenue situation for the next 30-, 60-, and 90-day windows.

• Show the effect on the project for the next five years based on anticipated revenue losses. Address this issue as homes lost not just dollars.

• Provide a brief synopsis of the outside market as compared to your project. Keep it simple, as command is usually not interested in the details.

14 DEFENSE COMMUNITIES

•P repare an outline of the marketing plan with timelines and goals. The timeline must include when each phase of the waterfall will be implemented and what triggers that event. The final page should include what happens when the occupancy status improves and waterfall steps are closed. Command will want to know that their base can go back to military-only.

Keep in mind that, in virtually all cases, we are “partners,” not “contractors.” Now that privatization has become the norm on most U.S. installations, most commanders have not had the necessary training that took place early on and they have many other issues on their plates. Therefore, you may find that incoming commanders still think of this as a typical government-contractor arrangement and lack specific and detailed understanding of the partnership relationship.

It is essential that all parties understand that the government has a stake in the success of the project and that losses are project losses, not simply “contractor losses.” In many cases, today’s command does not understand the second-order effects of a poor occupancy situation. They may be unaware that these losses translate into delays and/or reduction of construction of new homes for their Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines.

As the government partner, it is important that command knows that you have reviewed the need to implement the occupancy waterfall, that you have been involved with the waterfall plan, and that you endorse the plan.

Most importantly, involve the enlisted leadership of the installation in the process. Never underestimate their influence, commitment, and loyalty to their peers.

If they were not present during your installation command meeting, personally visit with the Command Master Chief or Command Sergeant Major of the Installation.

Share the same briefing you used with installation command, ask how you can help explain the process to their staffs, and solicit their help in referring incoming families to your project. These leaders really do not want “civilians” living in “their” homes and will work hard to get more military residents in order to avoid the waterfall.

Engaging With Residents

Many times, there is reluctance to inform residents about changes in their neighborhoods. However, it is far worse to have them see the first waterfall tenants move in without prior knowledge. Once the rumor mill gets going, the stories grow exponentially worse with every contact. Pretty soon, it can get out of control. It is far more advantageous to make sure residents understand how the waterfall works and why it is necessary.

What has worked for other housing managers is to prepare a very short handout for all residents explaining the waterfall levels, providing a breakdown of where the BAH goes during the process, outlining the requirements that each waterfall resident is expected to meet, and emphasizing that command approves of and is engaged in the project. Clear and concise charts often are effective in com-

| FEAT U R E | municating this information. Additionally, the top private partner and the top government housing official on the site should sign the handout. When residents see that you are working together they will be more likely to accept the situation.

While time-consuming, you also might consider having a neighborhood town hall meeting each time a new level of the waterfall is implemented. At this time, you can answer residents’ questions and concerns and further demonstrate the benefit of the waterfall through detailed handouts and PowerPoint presentations. Both government and private partners should participate in this event.

Be ready for pushback from residents and always remain professional. Not everyone will like this idea, and you cannot please everyone. The goal is to have the majority of residents come away with a better understanding of why the waterfall is necessary and to reassure them that all new residents will be thoroughly screened prior to occupancy.

Training Your Staff This is the most important aspect of leasing down the waterfall. Leasing to conventional residents takes different skills than those required for leasing to military families, and most government housing employees have never had to learn these techniques.

Because most military communities have relied on

referrals from the military partner to fill their homes, true leasing skills have not been necessary. When going down the waterfall, these skills need to be taught and continually honed for the best performance.

Government housing and private-partner leasing teams will have to acquire the following skills. Although the government housing team will not be doing the actual product demonstration and closing the lease, it is very helpful for them to understand what the private partner does.

Therefore, it is essential for everyone to attend training that covers the following: •T he impact of vacancy loss on the project. Staff should understand this and be able to demonstrate how to calculate vacancy loss.

• Telephone techniques, including how to get appointments.

• Internet skills to draw in traffic from Web-based leasing sites.

• Greeting and demonstration skills, including interviewing the prospective residents to determine wants and needs and learning to showcase the home using techniques to emphasize the positive aspects and downplay the negative.

• Overcoming objections is extremely important in the leasing process and it is something that most military

A special thank you to our Air Force, Army and Navy military partners for their leadership and guidance in working with us to create world-class communities for our country’s most deserving.

Balfour Beatty Communities proudly cares for over 150,000 military members and their families across 55 Army, Air Force and Navy installations.

BalfourBeattyCommunities.com

16 DEFENSE COMMUNITIES

housing employees have not been exposed to in the past.

•C losing techniques should be taught along with follow-up skills for those who choose not to lease on the first visit.

Maintenance and “make ready” teams need to understand the importance of the quality of the make ready for the leasing process. What has traditionally been acceptable for the military family probably will not meet the standards of today’s waterfall tenants. They expect impeccable.

These members of your staff must understand vacancy loss and how it is calculated, as noted above, as well as the value of quality customer service and current vacant home condition standards. Everyone needs to keep in mind that they are competing against the conventional market and our make ready homes must be truly move-in ready.

Inspect What You Expect

Someone once said that what gets inspected gets done.

Managers must ensure that their teams are working at their peak performance by consistently monitoring their performance. It helps to listen in when leasing and maintenance staff are talking to prospective and current residents and provide constructive coaching tips on an on-going basis.

Managers should regularly inspect model and targeted homes, especially prior to move in to ensure they meet standards and correct deficiencies. They also should take a close look at the exterior of the entire community on a regular basis.

While mystery shopping the private-sector partner is common, you should occasionally secret shop the government housing team as well. Keep in mind that maintaining high occupancy is a team effort, and this will provide an opportunity to improve their skills as well.

In summary, everyone would love to have enough military families to keep all military family housing fully occupied.

Unfortunately, with various mission changes and troop strength changes, this is not always possible. As you navigate the waterfall process, remember that it is important to plan ahead, engage with residents, and involve the whole team, making sure staff is fully trained and well equipped. And, of course, celebrate your successes together. Implementing and working the occupancy waterfall is a laborious and stressful effort. Once you have succeeded as a team and the project is back on financial track, it’s time to pat yourselves on the back. n Vicki Sharp, NALP, CAPS, CDPM, is an Army veteran who has worked in the property management industry for nearly 40 years. Find more information at www.thesharpsolution.net.

Reach her at 512/550-2021.

Editor’s Note: This article is part of a two-part series by the author. The first article, “10+ Years Later,” appeared in the July/August 2014 issue of Defense Communities on page 14.

4 Tips for Maneuvering the Waterfall

1.

Set up several “mini models” in various hard-tolease floor plans and locations. Mini models need to be fairly substantial; it is not enough to put one towel in a bathroom and a rug in the kitchen. Typical mini model budgets range from $300 to $500 each. Discuss the benefits of using the mini model items as move-in gifts as an incentive for an immediate lease.

2.

Choose targeted homes and only show these homes until they lease. Make sure the government partner is aware of these targeted homes. You need at least two target homes in each floor plan and/or neighborhood. These should house your mini models. As one home is leased, choose a replacement target home so that you always have several available.

3.

Create contests and themes for your teams. Put a leasing incentive on all target homes. This doesn’t have to be a significant incentive, and should be gifts rather than cash. As target homes are leased, the leasing agent is awarded the gift at the time of move in. Vary the gifts, with the most expensive one being attached to the hardest to lease or the home that has the most days vacant.

If your leasing team is large enough, or if it is spread across different offices, create contests between them with a group award presented to the team that achieves its goals first. Be sure to include maintenance and make ready teams in this group award, as they have a significant impact on the team’s ability to lease.

4.

Celebrate your successes. Make every lease a big deal in your offices. Give an email “shout out” within the team and do the “leasing dance” in the office. Make sure to always include the government partner on this “shout out.”

Some specific ideas include pinning up leasing stars around the desk of the person who leased the home; buying a trophy and awarding it to the leasing star of the week; having a corporate-level “shout out” identifying your top producers by name; and hosting a lunch or brunch to celebrate the team when large goals are met.

If your military partner has assisted in getting you leads or done other things that have helped the partnership achieve their goals, include them in the “shout out.” When this assistance becomes significant, ask corporate-level supervisors to inform their command.

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014 17

| FEAT U R E |

Credit: USACE, New York District

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District is constructing a new barracks for the cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The new structure will relieve overcrowding and be energy-efficient.

This is a rendering of what the barracks will look like by the Summer of 2016.

Room To Grow New Cadet barracks will provide more living space and cut costs at West Point

By JoAnne Castagna, Ed.D.

N

ot too long ago, dozens of Cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, became very ill and missed classes.

According to the Academy, this was caused by the fact that almost half of the Cadets were living in uncomfortable, crowded dorm rooms, and it was decided that additional barracks were needed to relieve the situation.

It tapped the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, to construct a new barracks since the agency had a proven track record of successfully building numerous structures on the historic campus.

Presently, the District is blasting more than 100,000 cubic yards of rock to make way for the new barracks. The look of the new structure will fit in well with the rest of the 200-year-old campus, and the facility will be energy efficient and provide taxpayer savings of approximately 38 DEFENSE COMMUNITIES

$44,000 annually.

“A new barracks that meets current Army standards is needed to relieve overcrowding in the existing barracks,” said Richard Mandra, project manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District. “Right now, the entire firstyear class and part of the second-year class is housed with three Cadets in rooms designed for two cadets. This project will allow assignment of two Cadets per room.”

The new Cadet barracks is being designed and constructed by Army Corps contractor Walsh Construction Company of Chicago, Illinois, and its subcontractor, Clark Nexsen. The barracks will be 287,000 square feet in size and will have six floors. Each floor will accommodate 130 Cadets in two-person rooms. The entire barracks will provide living space for 650 Cadets, including latrines and showers, a laundry area, day rooms, office areas, study and

Unlike the other buildings constructed at West Point, the barracks will be LEED Silver certified. collaboration rooms, trash and recycling areas, and offices and storage rooms.

The barracks, like the surrounding buildings, will be constructed in military gothic revival architecture. The design will include granite veneers or overlays, gothic arches, sally ports or secure entryways, and crenellated parapets with embrasures and limestone accents. Parapets are structures that were constructed on the tops of castles and forts centuries ago that have openings for shooting from the top of the structure.

“The project is located at the Central Post of the

main campus, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960,” said Matthew A. Ludwig, team leader, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District. “The barracks will be constructed of granite from a local supplier to match the existing buildings.”

The design also will incorporate modern architectural features, such as a curtain wall in the center of the façade.

A curtain wall is an outer covering of a building that keeps the weather out, such as precipitation.

Unlike the other buildings constructed at West Point, the barracks will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certified. A solar hot water system and a radiant heating and cooling system will contribute to the building’s energy efficiency.

During the heating season, the radiant system that is being installed will circulate heated water through tubing in the floor. During the cooling season, the radiant system will circulate chilled water through the same tubing.

Construction is expected to be complete by Summer 2016. Cadets should be able be able to use the new facility by the end of December 2016. n Dr. JoAnne Castagna is a public affairs specialist and writer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District. Reach her at joanne.castagna@usace.army.mil. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/writer4usacenyc.

One thing the House easily agreed on:

Saving 84% on the cost of new furniture.

Here’s what the House had to decide.

Spend over $1 million on brand new furniture? Or refurbish existing furniture “as new” and save $935,000 with The Refinishing Touch, an award-winning company with an eco-friendly process that reduces pollution, cuts expenditure, manages assets and frees up funds. The House voted for the latter, cutting their Cost Benefit furniture expenditure Analysis by 84%, renewing U.S. House of Rep. their commitment to New furniture: $ 1,023,232.63 sustainability and restoring our faith in Refinished by TRT: $ 169,030.60 government. The Savings of 84% rest is history.

GSA Approved Vendor GS-29F-0002M

www.TheRefinishingTouch.com 800-523-9448 SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2014 39

PHMA CORPORATE SUSTAINING MEMBERS SURVEYS

WALLCOVERING & PAINT/REPAIR

SatisFacts Research Doug Miller 2360 W. Joppa Road, Suite 322 Lutherville, MD 21093 866/655-1490; fax 866/655-1491 E-mail: dmiller@satisfacts.com

Fibreworks Sean Voyles 2417 Data Drive Louisville, KY 40299 866/459-4976; fax 502/271-5954 E-mail: sean@fibreworks.com

TEMPORARY QUARTERS

WHOLE ROOM PACKAGES

uCORT Furniture Rental Peggy Moore 801 Hampton Park Boulevard Capitol Heights, MD 20743 888/472-2678; fax 301/333-3530 E-mail: govsales@cort.com Web site: www.cort.com

uCapitol Supply Inc. Robert Steinman 1000 Sawgrass Corporate Parkway, Suite 452 Sunrise, FL 33323 954/485-5000; fax 954/485-0022 E-mail: robert@capitolsupply.com Web site: www.capitolsupply.com uRT London Abbi Adams 1642 Broadway Avenue NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504 877/613-2012; fax 616/364-1131 E-mail: customerservice@rtlondon.com Web site: www.rtlondon.com

TRAINING

Were you or your company featured in

Defense Communities?

Ask about our reprint services!

Alison Bashian at alisonb@bashian.com.

uCallSource Laura Bavetz 31280 Oak Crest Drive Westlake Village, CA 91361 818/673-4779; fax 888/299-0182 E-mail: lbavetz@callsource.com Web site: www.callsource.com

UTILITY SUBMETERING & BILLING SERVICES Byram Laboratories, Inc. Monte Prince 1 Columbia Road Branchburg, NJ 08876 908/252-0852; fax 908/252-0822 E-mail: mjprince@byramlabs.com Minol USA Tammy Cragg 15280 Addison Road, Suite 100 Addison, TX 75001 888/766-1253; fax 877/791-4775 E-mail: tcragg@minolusa.com YES Energy Management Brigitta Eggleston 2150 Lelaray Street Colorado Springs, CO 80909 719/632-9100; fax 719/632-4526 E-mail: Brigitta.eggleston@yardi.com

ADVERTISING INDEX Company

Contact

Phone

Web Site

Page

Balfour Beatty Communities

Kathy Grim

610/355-8206

www.bbcgrp.com

16

Coit Cleaning & Restoration

Shawn Aghababian

800/367-2648

www.coit.com

19

Cort Business Services

Peggy Moore

301/324-8606

www.cort1.com

7

Corvias Group

Amanda Filipowski

401/228-2800

www.corvias.com

C3

Davey Commercial Grounds Management

Don Joy

330/673-9515 x 8318

www.davey.com

25

EnTech Supply

Don Smith

800/221-4785

www.entechsupply.com

19

HD Supply Facilities Maintenance

877/610-6912

www.hdsupplysolutions.com

C2

Kaba ADS America

Mark Allen

336/723-1331

www.kaba-adsamericas.com

Microfridge

Lea Tuccinardi

800/637-7567 x2121

www.microfridge.com

11

MilitaryByOwner Advertising

Dave Gran

540/446-4676

www.MilitaryByOwner.com

29

Oakwood Corporate Housing

Mary Jacenich

888/268-9998

www.oakwood.com/government

33

The Refinishing Touch

Mario Insenga

770/642-4169

www.therefinishingtouch.com

Salsbury Industries

Ricardo Alva

323/846-6700

www.mailboxes.com

Universal Storage Containers

Rod Bolls, Vice President

720/263-5687

www.universalstoragecontainers.com

Valley Forge Fabrics

Jason Gans

954/971-1776

www.valleyforge.com

1

9

39 Insert C4

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

Customer Service

800/644-8083

www.wellsfargo.com

31

Yardi Systems, Inc.

Spencer Stewart

800/866-1144

www.yardi.com

35

48 DEFENSE COMMUNITIES