Housing privatization reaches many milestones

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein
  • Air Force News Service
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  The Air Force housing privatization office has reached several major milestones in its seven-year effort to improve base housing for Airmen and their families, an Air Force official said recently.

“We are gaining momentum,” said Col. Michael Smietana, chief of Air Force housing. “We’re very close to reaching the halfway point of privatizing 75 percent of the Air Force’s (continental United States) housing inventory.”

One recent achievement was the completion of construction four months ahead of schedule at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. Of the 1,783 homes there, only 211 were considered adequate by Air Force standards.

“Now, all of Kirtland housing meets or exceeds Air Force standards,” Colonel Smietana said.

It is just one base now improved by the housing privatization program, which began about 10 years ago when Congress authorized the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, which allowed all the military services to use money to improve base housing for families. However, the Air Force’s program to make such improvements did not start up until about six years ago.

“That’s when we got serious about it,” Colonel Smietana said. “That’s when things really began to change for Air Force housing.”

While the Department of Defense has set a strategic goal of eliminating inadequate military housing by 2007, the estimated $5.6 billion price tag needed for upgrades was too much for the Air Force’s construction budget. So, the Air Force is currently implementing a seven-year privatization program, leveraging private investment dollars by partnering with the residential development industry to provide new or renovated modern housing.

Another recent accomplishment was a deal struck at Nellis AFB, Nev., that will soon see construction under way for new, privatized housing.

“We also have pending deals at McGuire (AFB, N.J.), which is a joint venture with the Army at Fort Dix,” Colonel Smietana said.

He said there were are also deals pending for four Air Education and Training Command bases -- Luke AFB, Ariz.; Tyndall AFB, Fla.; Altus AFB, Okla.; and Sheppard AFB, Texas.

"Within the next four months, all of these locations will be experiencing more activity and progress in improving base housing,” the colonel said.

All of these accomplishments are significant milestones because it signifies that progress is being made, and fast for the benefit of the Airmen, he said.

“It’s really doing a lot to improve the quality of life for Air Force families,” he said. “I see it every time I attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony or grand opening. People are excited about the quality and improvements made to base housing. They’re proud to call these houses their homes.”