Contents

• Message from the Business Director
• Want to know what is happening in your community?
• Upcoming events
• Corvias Foundation $5,000 spouse educational grant
• AER educational scholarships for military dependents
• A temporary change to your drinking water
• Daylight Savings Time
• Spring flower bed cleanup continues
• Getting ready to PCS?  Deploy?  Retire?  What to do when you’re ready to move
• Green corner

Message from the Business Director

Dear Fort Bragg Families,

Have you ever wondered how military housing companies use your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) dollars? The infographic below shows a broad overview of housing costs associated with BAH and how Corvias Military Living operates.

But let’s take a closer look.
When you live on-base with Corvias your rent includes maintenance services, average use of electricity and/or natural gas, water, sewer, lawn care, pest control, access to community amenities, trash/recycling services, plus other resident services and events. These services and amenities are not always included in the off-post community. We use the BAH funds to cover expenses such as maintenance costs, payroll, fire and police emergency service fees to the installation, utilities, capital improvements, service contractors and the financing fees for the project.

Any remaining BAH dollars are then placed in a reserve account for future projects and upgrades to on-base housing for each project/installation. The Army or Air Force must approve the use of reserve account funds which are to be used for future renovations, capital improvements (roofing, road repairs, or mechanical equipment replacements) or new construction. This step is very different from traditional real estate developers, whose extra income is company profit. It is also different from the way government housing was funded prior to privatization. Prior to these public/private partnerships in military housing, there were no savings accounts for future improvements.

How does Corvias make a profit?
Corvias earns a profit through management and performance-based fees, as determined by both business partners (Army/Air Force and Corvias Military Living) before the beginning of the project. This fee for service is common practice in the property management industry. In order to earn the full fee, Corvias must achieve benchmark goals. These goals include items such as budget, customer satisfaction, occupancy percentage and on-time services. In other words, Corvias does not make money outside of those fees. For example, if money is saved through renegotiating a service contract such as lawn care or pest control, those savings go back into the program through the reinvestment account.

How do BAH rates impact military housing programs?
The uncertainty of force structure, future Base Realignments and Closures and BAH reductions does make it difficult to plan and invest enough for future improvements while maintaining all current services (i.e. expenses). When BAH goes down, we have fewer funds available to maintain and sustain the current level of homes and services. We are looking at options to reduce expenses without a major impact to current quality of life to our residents. What ideas do you have for us to reduce our expenses?

Sincerely,

Mark Foraker

Business Director

Want to know what is happening in your community?

Your community calendar  can help you stay up-to-date on trash, recycling, lawn care, resident events and community activities.

You can even sync your community calendar with a personal Google calendar by clicking on the +Google button on the bottom right-hand corner of the calendar.

Click and Follow us on Facebook! 

Upcoming events

March 5-March 20 – Cape Fear Regional Theatre Presents DOWNRANGE Voices from the Homefront

March 9 – EFMP and Corvias Military Living Story Hour presents “O Say Can You Seed?”  Join us at the Ardennes Community Center from 3-4PM for story hour, snack, and craft activity. 

March 13 – Daylight Savings begins – don’t forget to “Spring Forward”.

March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day

March 19 – 2016 Annual CYSS Easter Carnival at Tolson Youth Activities from 1-3PM. 

March 25 – Operation Imagination Explorers at Throckmorton Library from 10AM-3PM.

March 27 – Easter Brunch at the Iron Mike Conference Center from 9:30AM-2PM.

Corvias Foundation $5,000 spouse educational grant

Are you a military spouse with dreams of completing your college degree? Visit corviasfoundation.org for more information and to apply for a $5,000 educational grant.

AER Educational scholarships for military dependents

Army Emergency Relief also maintains two scholarships that provide financial assistance to eligible dependents pursuing their first undergraduate degree. The Spouse Education Assistance Program is designed to support spouses while the MG James Ursano Scholarship Program supports dependent children. Scholarship applications are accepted from January 2 to May 1 each year for assistance for the following academic year. Applicants can access the applications at www.aerhq.org. 

A temporary change in your drinking water

During the month of March, Fort Bragg residents may notice a stronger chlorine smell and discoloration to their water. These are the results of changes to the disinfection of our water and the annual flushing of the water lines by Old North Utility Services (ONUS) and Harnett County. These measures help to control bacteria growth and alleviate any potential bacteriological problems in the system.

This process will require individuals on kidney dialysis machines to implement certain changes to their procedures and to consult with their doctor. Additionally, owners of tropical fish or other aquatic life will need to take certain precautions to ensure the health of their fish.

During this time, you may experience periods of discolored water. You can help alleviate this discoloration through turning on your faucets and running the water until it starts to clear up. If your water does not clear up within a reasonable time, please contact ONUS by submitting a service order request through the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) at (910) 396-0321. Linden Oaks residents can contact Public Utilities Water Treatment Plant Supervisor Allan O’Briant at (910) 893-7575, extension 3238. 

If you have any questions about this temporary change in disinfection processes, please contact Amanda Owens, Environmental Health & Safety Supervisor at 910‐495‐1311.

Daylight Savings Time

Sunday, March 13, 2016 starts Daylight Savings Time. Don’t forget to “spring” forward one hour at 2AM on March 13. Local fire departments and FEMA recommend that, as you adjust your clocks throughout your home, you should also replace the batteries in your smoke alarms as a safety precaution.

Here are some survival tips to help adjust to the change:

• Prepare yourself! Make the time change incrementally beforehand by setting your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier and earlier for five days prior to daylight savings.
• On Saturday – get some vigorous exercise midday as exercise helps advance the body clock
• On Sunday Morning – get up at your regular time. Also, spend an hour or more outside in the sunshine as sunlight, just as exercise, is helpful in advancing our body clock. Experts recommend getting some moderate exercise midday. 

Spring flower bed cleanup continues

Brickman is continuing their spring flower bed clean up throughout the communities.  During this process, Brickman will complete the following: 

• Re-define mulch bed line by mechanically edging bed.
• Cut down or remove excessive weeds in flower beds. (Mechanical means may be used)
• Cut back any shrubs and perennials that need attention.
• Apply a grade A hardwood mulch.

If you have any items in your mulch beds or shrubs, please pick them up prior to your scheduled date. Also please pick up all pet waste from your mulch/flower bed area and fence line.  If you have special plant material, mulch, yard ornaments, or do not want us to touch your mulch beds, please notify your neighborhood center as soon as possible.

For you community Spring cleanup schedule, please visit your neighborhood calendar. 

Getting ready to PCS?  Deploy?  Retire?  What to do when you’re ready to move

PCS season is right around the corner and many families will be packing up and heading off to a new adventure.  To help make your transition from Fort Bragg a little less stressful, we would like to provide you some helpful tips to make moving out of your home an easy process for you and your family:

• Set up your transportation at the Soldier Support Center (If PCSing)
  • If you are doing a ditty move, you must still attend the move out briefing at the Soldier Support center
• Visit your Community Center to submit your “Notice To Vacate”
  • Remember, you are required to provide a 30 day notice- you may reach out to the center even before you receive your orders to advise of the upcoming move and begin receiving information that will assist you.
  • Attend the move out briefing or you may ask for a pre-inspection if you have concerns
• Start throwing away or disposing of those items you don’t want to take with you
  • You can put these items out on your regular trash day or you can donate them.  The Bragg N Barn on Fort Bragg is a great donation spot. 
• If you have a fence installed, please call the contractor to schedule removal
• On move out day, all trash must be removed from the home and trash cans. There should be no trash at the curb. You will be assessed a “trash removal” fee if trash is at the curb at the time of move out.  The trash can and recycle bins must also be clean.
• All personal items should be removed from the home and the home should be left in surface clean condition. Surface-clean condition implies that a home is left clean throughout. The surface-clean policy is intended to reflect good day-to-day housekeeping. When a home is cleaned regularly it should only require a wipe down and sweep/vacuum at move out to deliver surface-clean condition. Please note that wear and tear plays a factor in the determination of acceptability. 
• If you have bare spots in your yard due to pets, contact or visit your community center and they will be able to assist you with getting free grass seed.
• Satellite dishes must be removed along with any wires going into the home (the satellite company does not remove it for you)
• If you have blinds that need to be replaced, remember to purchase them prior to moving out to save some money - the cost is $8 if purchased in advance and $15 at the day of move out
• On the day of your move out, please have all the cabinets, doors and drawers open to assist with an easy and thorough inspection.

Please note, that if you are getting a refund, you should receive it in the mail after the 10^th of the month following your move out.  If you have any questions or concerns about the move out process and/or receiving an estimate of the damages of your home, please do not hesitate to contact your community office so that we may assist you. 

Green Corner

Make sure your thermostat fan is set to "auto" instead of "on." This will ensure your home heats or cools only when necessary.