Contents
Want to know what is happening in your community
Upcoming events
Message from the Operations Director
“I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore…” – Fallapalooza is occurring Nov 3
Don’t let stress ruin your holiday spirit
Trash can etiquette – be a good neighbor and pull your barrels in
Don’t be a pain in the drain – proper grease disposal reminders
Want to know what is happening in your community
Are you following us on Facebook? If you are not, you are missing out on important resident reminders, announcements, and information about upcoming community events – both on and off post.
Don’t forget to visit Fort Bragg MWR to learn about a variety of programs offered on post to support our military community. They offer something for everyone!
Upcoming events
November 5 - Don’t forget to “fall” one hour behind before you go to bed on November 4th!
November 10 – Veteran’s Day. Offices will be CLOSED.
November 11 – All Corvias Offices will be CLOSED.
November 23-24th: Happy Thanksgiving! The Corvias Community Offices will be closed.
Message from the Operations Director
For this month, I wanted to take the opportunity to explain a little more about how Corvias leverages BAH to give our residents a community they are proud to call home.
Unlike homes outside the gate where owners take in rent, pay the bills and pocket what is left over each month, our model uses any money that is left after paying utilities, lawn care, maintenance, etc. to reinvest in housing upgrades and new construction. Corvias is paid a management fee, but does not profit from the operation in any other way. With support from the Garrison Command, our next cycle of reinvestment is planned and we are working on final approvals to renovate 153 existing homes, strip and remodel 29 others and build 162 new homes.
At the beginning of our partnership with Fort Bragg it was projected that the BAH our service members receive would continue to increase at two percent annually, which would offset the rising costs of the supplies, utilities, and labor that it takes to maintain the homes, Community Centers and other amenities our Fort Bragg residents enjoy. As you know, beginning in 2015, BAH across the military was reduced and is projected to continue to decline through 2019 before it levels out at a five percent overall decrease. With 37 years left on our family housing lease, our goal is to keep the program financially sound while providing for the highest possible level of customer service for our residents. The difference between a 2% increase per year and a 5% decrease over the same period is a 15% shortfall in income to support the project. While this may not seem like much, it may help to imagine in your own household what changes you might make if your own salary was cut by 15%.
Together with our Army partner, we are exploring all possibilities and have been able to realize some financial successes that are helping us achieve our goal of continuing to reinvest in the Fort Bragg community. For example, by bringing more maintenance services in-house and reducing some services that are not as critical to our operations, we have realized some very significant savings. We will continue to look for ways to moderate rising costs.
Fort Bragg’s challenges are not unique. They are, in fact, the same challenges that every Corvias installation, as well all other privatized military property management partnerships are facing. Through this we continue to remain committed to our original mission of providing an improved quality of life for our residents.
Sincerely,
Mark Foraker
Operations Director, Fort Bragg
“I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore…” – Fallapalooza is occurring Nov 3
Corvias will host our Wizard of Oz themed Fallapalooza Resident Carnival on Nov 3 from 3-6PM at the Polo Field on main post. The Polo Field is located at Randolph and Knox streets across the street from FORSCOM HQ. There will be games, food, slides, raffles, and much more - all FREE to our residents. Don’t miss the special jump in by the Golden Knights. We encourage residents to bring out their inner Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, or any other favorite Wizard of Oz character (costumes or themed clothing is encouraged but no required).
Don’t let stress ruin your holiday spirit
Stress can ruin your holidays, especially if it involves money. Holiday season should be the most wonderful time of the year. Here are a few tips to keep your holiday joyful and lessen your financial stress.
It’s so important to create a holiday budget. Creating a holiday budget is the best way to prevent overspending and lessen the stress through the holidays. Taking time to plan your gifts and organize holiday expenses instead of random and last-minute spending, will save money and lessen stress around over spending.
Cut spending in other areas. Eliminate spending on meals out, movie theater visits, and non-gift related shopping trips. You can also tighten up spending by lowering extra spending on things like morning coffee, lunch out, or even smoking.
Budget your time, budgeting your time can end up saving you tons of money. Allow enough time for all your holiday preparations.
Make peace with your limitations, you must prioritize. We will want to celebrate every holiday to the max and attend every party and send cards and gifts to everyone we know, we can’t. Acknowledging this prior to the holiday season and planning ahead as to what’s most important to you and be okay with letting go of some of the stuff at the bottom of the list.
Holidays are for food, fun and family. Remember that money can’t buy the memories of time spent and memories shared so enjoy each other. Happy Holidays!
Did you know…?
That Fort Bragg Army Community Services (ACS) offers parenting classes which help to reduce parental anxiety and stress? The classes offered cover a wide array of parenting topics from help parenting your 1 to 5 year old, to insights on parenting your teen, and how to parent without screaming, yelling, or arguing. The classes are completely voluntary and confidential. In addition, if your children are registered with CYSS, we will provide you with a childcare voucher so you are able to attend our classes without the worry of childcare. If you are interested in registering please contact ACS at 910-396-5521. You can find a copy of their class schedule on their Facebook Page or at your Neighborhood Center Office. Lastly, ACS has an APP, just go to your Google Play Store or Apple App Store and search Fort Bragg ACS. From the APP you can look up classes offered and even register. Call, Sign-up, Bring a friend for support, ACS is here to help you with any of your parenting questions.
Trash can etiquette – be a good neighbor and pull your barrels in
Trash containers are essential to have but not pretty to look at. That’s why we ask that you place your trash containers at the curb no earlier than 6pm on Tuesday evening and roll them back to your designated container storage area on Wednesday by 6pm. Leaving your trash container out at the curb all week is not only an eye sore, but it kills the grass underneath it. Please be a good neighbor and pull your containers in!
Don’t be a pain in the drain – proper grease disposal reminders
When grease goes down the drain, it causes sewage to back up. Over time kitchen grease, fats and oil that are poured down the drain or garbage disposal will enter the sewer system and clog pipes as the grease solidifies. These pipe blockages can send waste water backwards and lead to plumbing, sewer backups. To help prevent blockages and to keep your pipes working at their best please remember to:
Use an old coffee can or jar as a grease collector.
Pour greasy or oily food waste into the container, NOT down the disposal.
Freeze or cool animal fats before disposal in trash.
Mix liquid vegetable fats with an absorbent material such as kitty litter or coffee grounds in a sealable container before disposing in trash.
Test out your heat now
As we are preparing for the winter, here is something you should know: When your heat is not used for long periods of time, dust can collect on the heat exchange. When you turn on the heat for the first time, this dust will burn off and release an odor. This is normal and the smell should disappear in a few hours. If the problem persists, check your filters. If your filters are dusty, visit your local community center to pick up your free filters. If this is still happening after 24hrs, contact the work order hotline at 1-866-206-1365 and a tech will be happy to come out and check your system. You can also turn your system on early to burn off the dust.
Remember to check your stove
Cooking for the holidays? If you have not used your oven in a while, make sure to test it out to make sure everything is working well in preparation of holiday cooking. If you are experiencing any problems contact the work order hotline at 1-866-206-1365 and a tech will be happy to come out and check it out.
Green corner
How can you save energy when cooking your Thanksgiving dinner? Don’t open the oven door while you’re cooking! Instead, turn on the oven light and check on your food through the oven window.
