More Mil.Dorm inspections coming

Dormitory inspections are coming to Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field, Fla., following the discovery of mold in 1,100 rooms most recently Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas. The two Florida bases will inspect dormitories for signs of mold, according to public information officials. The inspections come in the wake of massive mold problems in dormitories at SA-Lackland where photographs of moldy dorms surfaced on social media this past week, and a subsequent inspection found mold in more than 1,100 in Texas, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Hundreds of JBSA-Lackland personnel have been moved to hotels, according to The Associated Press. Eglin and Hurlburt are on an Air Force list of installations to be inspected and the base is determining how to address the newest inspection, Mike Spaits, of Eglin’s public affairs office, told the NW Florida Daily News. Base commanders and first sergeants are already required to do a monthly walk-through both Eglin and Hurlburt Field. Eglin dorm residents have been able to download a cell phone ‘app’ to report mold, he said, which sets up an automatically-generated work order. “(W)e have no reason to believe that there are life, health, or safety issues in our dormitories,” said 1st Lt. Steven Bodovinitz, officer in charge of media relations for the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt. However, a “cross-functional team of experts” will be inspecting all of the dorms within the next several weeks that will enable Hurlburt officials to identify potential mold issues or other deficiencies that “may impact” airmen’s quality of life. (Source: NW Florida Daily News 08/03/19) The dormitory issues are obviously separate from privatized military housing unit issues across Gulf Coast regional commands at the Army’s Fort Rucker, Ala., and Fort Polk, La.; and Air Force bases in Florida at Eglin AFB and Hurlburt Field. Balfour Beatty manages regional base housing at NAS Meridian (Miss.), NAS Pensacola (Fla.), NAS Whiting Field (Fla.), NCBC Gulfport (Miss.), NSA Panama City (Fla.). The Hunt Companies have initiated a ‘Moisture Remediation Plan,’ to be overseen by the 81st Medical Support Group, at Keesler AFB privatized base housing. There are 1,188 residential housing units for Keesler - three in Biloxi and one in Gautier, Miss.