Budget cuts to affect Tinker Published Sept. 24, 2010 By Brandice J. Armstrong Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Because of the $9.3 million decrement in base operating support accounts, come fiscal 2011, there will be adjustments and modifications to the support programs and activities that the 72nd Air Base Wing provides to Team Tinker. Though some changes will be more significant than others, Col. Bob LaBrutta, 72nd Air Base Wing and Installation commander, said his team of professionals will focus their energies and resources on core mission requirements and that the service offered to customers will continue to be at the highest possible standard. "Despite the budget constraints, our commitment is to provide the best possible customer service and support to the men and women of Team Tinker," the colonel said. "We will continue to excel in all functional areas by employing lean thinking into every business activity and developing new ways of doing business so that we can lessen the impact on our Airmen, civilian work force, mission partners, and the families who call Tinker AFB home." The change in services is a direct result of budget cuts. The colonel said the resources for several well-known services were reduced by millions of dollars. These types of cuts have caused leadership to take a hard look at Tinker's options to prioritize requirements in order to sustain core support and services in the future. Since July, the colonel with his vice commander, commanders, directors and command chief master sergeant have studied strategies to lessen the impact to the installation. Colonel LaBrutta said the services that are being cut are the "redundant or non-value added, nice-to-haves" -- not the mission-essentials. For example: Some noticeable changes will be the modification to the grounds contract. Tinker will no longer have the "prestige standard" contract, meaning aside from high-visibility distinguished-visitor routes, the grass will have a 10-inch cut, instead of a four-inch cut and there will be a decreased buffer from lower grass to higher grass. Tinker will also lose its shuttle service and instead of hosting four or five Airman and Family Readiness Center retreats, there might be one or two. "We're disappointed that we can't provide all those programs and activities that we once did, but for the programs we're able to retain -- we want them to be best in class! Moreover, as we tighten our belts to meet today's fiscal realities, we're also planning for the future," he said. "We expect at some point down the road, that the fiscal landscape will change. We want to posture ourselves to take full advantage with a strong recapitalization and modernization action plan when things turn in our favor." Fitness Centers/Intramural Sports Officials Reduction of Gerrity and Fitness Center Annex hours. Gerrity: 4:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Fitness Center Annex: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays Severe reduction of cable TV at all fitness center locations. Minimum cable TV service will be provided in cardio areas only. Elimination of the Fitlinxx program at all fitness center locations. Elimination of paid sports officials for intramural sports. However, the team is currently looking for workarounds, including a plan for volunteer officials. Library Elimination of new books and learning CDs at the library for the fiscal year. Multimedia Studio photography will be scheduled by appointments only. Studio hours of operation will be 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Fridays Passports, visas, digital IDs and ISOPREP photos shall be handled on a "walk-in" basis during the studio hours of operation only. Location photography will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis with a limit of one photographer per shoot. The contractor is required to support up to two simultaneous location shoots. Location photography and video requests not meeting AFI 35-109 guidelines and requirements of the PWS shall be self-help. Video production services for customers seeking video production/duplication support shall be provided during normal duty hours. Video services shall be available three days a week with a limit of one camera video shoot capability. Family Programs Elimination of Month of the Military Child Program and events Elimination and consolidation of as many family programs as possible. The idea is to select the programs that provide "biggest bang" for the dollar and focus our energies and resources into robusting those and making them best in class. Communications Directorate OC-ALC Staff Offices, Aerospace Sustainment Directorate and 72nd ABW Only: Postage and FedEx will become a fee-for-service. All other organizations were previously reimbursing for this service. FOIA and COMSEC postage will remain free of charge to organizations. Elimination of the postage meter in Bldg. 3001 will delay processing of mail going off-base. A postage meter will remain available in the central distribution, Bldg. 23 only. Vehicle Operations Elimination of shuttle bus operations. This currently operates from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and transports 175 passengers per day -- primarily 3rd CCG and 552nd ACW dorm residents are affected. Elimination of base taxi service. Elimination of U-Drive Fleet. However, we are currently exploring a fee-for-service plan so organizations can continue to sign for vehicles, if they provide funding. 552nd ACW impact only: Elimination of 24-hour aircrew bus with a full-time driver. However, the team is currently working a plan to provide government-owned buses or vans free of charge. Drivers will not be provided. Dorms/Civil Engineering/Custodial Services/Grounds Maintenance: Elimination of replacement furnishings for the dorms in fiscal 2011. Elimination of runway rubber removal. However, the team is working with headquarters for funding. Elimination of non-reimbursed painting/corrosion control. Limited-to-no support of all non-reimbursed 332 projects such as office renovations, bathroom renovations or HVAC. Work orders for day-to-day maintenance will be provided. Reductions in the frequency of non-reimbursed bathroom cleaning and central trash location pick-up. Elimination of all non-reimbursed vacuuming, mopping, floor stripping and carpet cleaning. Elimination of litter pickup base-wide. Taller grass in the semi-improved areas, increasing from 4-inch cut to 10-inch cut.