Commander to discuss new housing move plan today

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Brad Kimberly
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The 95th Air Base Wing commander is set to discuss the new housing move plan affecting Pacific Winds and Palo Verde Heights at a town hall meeting at 11 a.m. today. 

The meeting between Col. Bryan Gallagher and the Edwards community, which will be held at the Conference Center here, will detail the plan to move the residents of these areas as part of the completion of the housing construction program. 

"Moving people out of the old homes and into the new is part of the natural progression of this monumental housing project," Colonel Gallagher said. 

According to the housing office, all of the homes in the Palo Verde Heights housing area, which includes senior officer quarters, are slated for demolition with one notable exception. The home of Maj. Gen. Curtis Bedke, Air Force Flight Test Center commander, is only scheduled for a whole house renovation. The other homes in Palo Verde will be rebuilt. 

"Officers in this area will move into homes in Tamarisk Plains on a temporary basis," Colonel Gallagher said. "The Palo Verde rebuild and renovation will be completed in early 2009." 

In conjunction with the new homes being built in Tamarisk Plains, the residents in the Pacific Winds housing area can expect to move to homes in the new area or in the enlisted housing areas -- Juniper Ridge, Joshua Acres, Mountain View and Mesquite Meadows. 

"Inbound residents are no longer being moved into the Pacific Winds housing area," said Melody Couch, the housing management chief. "For instance, because Test Pilot School students are required to live on base, we are already assigning inbound students to homes in the enlisted areas." 

The assignment of officers into an enlisted housing area doesn't change an enlisted member's priority for getting a home in that area, Mrs. Couch said. 

"Right now, there is no waiting list for enlisted housing," she said. "However, if an enlisted member arrived on base needing a house, that Airman would have priority on the enlisted homes." 

Officers relocated from their homes will receive a partial dislocation allowance and be moved at the government's expense, Mrs. Couch said. 

"The partial dislocation allowance should be more than adequate to cover the expenses of transferring utilities like cable or telephone," Colonel Gallagher said. "It's important that we take care of (our people)." 

Although moves are not scheduled to begin until late 2007, officers wishing to move off base may do so at any time. 

"These homes need to be vacated by during 2008, but if an officer finds an off-base home now, we will go ahead and pay for their move as well," Mrs. Couch said. 

In preparation for the demolition of Pacific Winds, the housing area was divided into four zones starting on its northern edge. Zone 1 encompasses the homes on Lindbergh Avenue north of Post Street, all homes on Post Street itself, and most of the homes on Gatty Drive. 

"People in the first zone will need to move by February 2008 so that demolition can begin," Colonel Gallagher said. "We've already compiled the list of residents living in Zone 1, and we'll be making those notifications very shortly." 

The move schedule for Zones 2 to 4 has not been determined except that all Pacific Winds residents should be relocated by December 2009, he said. 

"If there are residents in Pacific Winds who want to volunteer to move as quickly as possible, we ask that they come to the housing office and sign up," Mrs. Couch said. 

Keeping inconvenience at a minimum is key, Colonel Gallagher said. 

"Even though people will be relocated, our hope is that we can keep inconvenience and turmoil to a minimum," he said.