FSS survey narrows desired programs

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Rebecca Ennis
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  An indoor play area and splash pad were two of the top programs members and their families would like to see here, according to a survey recently conducted by the 366th Force Support Squadron marketing office.

Base leadership is now looking into the possibility of making one of these a reality and is sharing the complete results of the survey, as well as frequently asked questions about services on base.

The 366th FSS marketing office initiated its first base-wide survey approximately one month ago in conjunction with a town hall hosted by Col. David Iverson, 366th Fighter Wing commander.

The purpose of both the survey and town hall was to open dialogue with Gunfighters and their families.

"One of the things we hear a lot of is ... 'I didn't know about it. I never heard about it,'" said Shelley Turner, marketing director, 366th FSS. "So, we needed to know how everybody was receiving their information and how they wanted to receive it and how far in advance. This was the initial intent."

Of the approximately 140 people who answered this question on the survey, which was available for more than two weeks, 59 percent want to receive information via e-mail.

Social media, Facebook in particular, followed in second with 20 percent of responders choosing this method.

"This really surprised me," said Turner, who said she previously heard comments from people saying they just deleted the e-mails or felt like they were being spammed.

In response to this feedback, FSS marketing will continue to send the weekly messages, but are now doing so under the new name, Whistle Weekly.

This re-naming coincides with FSS's Whistle Pig Post, a print version with two months worth of events, to reinforce its brand.

One thing these marketing professional are now doing different because of the survey results is to put the weekly e-mails on the FSS facebook page as well.

"We learned the majority of the facebook users are spouses and the weekly e-mails were just not reaching them," said Amber Cobos, 366th FSS marketing office visual information specialist.

Spouses can sign-up for the weekly e-mails by going to the FSS website and requesting to be added to the electronic mailings. Marketing officials will also continue to use some print methods, as well as an application they initiated a year ago - My Air Force Life, which provides event information, hours of operation, any specials going on, and an address for those who are new to base.

Another purpose of the survey was to assess how members and families felt about the programs FSS already offered. The Fitness Center (43.8 percent) and Outdoor Rec (46.8 percent) are the top two programs in which survey takers participated.

In the future, FSS marketing is planning to conduct more targeted surveys at these specific areas to get further information about what participants like and how to make them better.

"If we don't have our customers input, we are just marketing to whatever we think, believe or assume," said Cobos. "This survey [and others] ensures our marketing is effective."

Additional Information/Q and A results


Below are responses for frequently asked questions asked at the town hall in regard to services on base:
 Q1) Can we bring back the kids golf clinic? return to top^
AF no longer funds this program, and we are unable to offer the kids clubs and instruction without passing the costs to the customer. The program will cost up to ~$200 per child instead of the $60-$80 historical cost. We are currently working with the Youth Center to acquire clubs or funding for clubs. If we can get the clubs through the youth center, we will be able to have the program in 2014. Right now the prospect looks very good.

Q2) Why is BAS/BAH factored into child care rates? return to top^
BAH and BAS are considered part of the TFI Total Family Income. Air Force sets the guidance. Military Child Care Act of 1989 (Public Law 101-189, Section 1504) states:

"Requires the DoD establish uniform fees for child care based on the TFI-total family income. TFI is defined as all earned income including, wages, salaries, tips, quarters, subsistence and other allowances appropriate for the rank and status of military and civilian personnel whether they received in case or in kind (base housing). For Dual military on the BAH-II of the senior member is used. For Dual military BAS is included for both members. Do not include cost of living allowance (COLA) received in high costs areas, alimony, and child support, temporary duty allowances or reimbursements for educational expenses. If you do not wish to disclose your family income, your rate will be set at the highest fee level."

Q3) Can 5-K run times be adjusted to accommodate high school/youth age participants so they are not conflicting with school hours? return to top^
Although our primary focus for our events and programs are based on the active-duty members, we do have two runs per year that focus on the Youth (Armed Forces Run & Pumpkin Push). We have five runs (May-September) that begin at 7:30 a.m. that most school age can attend due to them being on summer break. We scheduled our October-April 5-Ks at 3 p.m. to get maximum participation from the active-duty population as that has historically been the perfect time. We can consider a 3:30 p.m. time in the future to accommodate more participants in the high school/youth age this coming fall.

Q4) Do we have, and can we mark a running trail on base with signs to include a map posted in the fitness center so outdoor runners can identify an outdoor running path and know how far they are running? return to top^
The base does have running paths but they are not marked with signs. Marketing is currently designing a pamphlet and posters that contain maps of the running paths. The pamphlets/poster will be advertised in the fitness center for patrons to reference. If future funding is available, we could partner with CES to mark out running paths with signs for our patrons to use.

Q5) Can we get an indoor playground for our youth? return to top^
We are currently in the process of finding a facility/location suitable for the possibility of installing an indoor playground. If funding is not available to build or renovate a building for this need, other options currently available through our youth center are being considered. Currently, the youth center does offer Tot Time, Tuesday and Fridays from 9:30 to 11 a.m.; free for parents and children under the age of 1, and 50 cents for ages 1-5.

Q6) Can we extend swimming pool hours? return to top^
Extending pool hours is dependent on the number of qualified lifeguards on staff. Currently the pool staff does not have a sufficient amount of lifeguards (with the required qualifications) hired to extend the pool hours. However, the pool manager and lifeguard positions are being advertised with the Department of Labor, NAF Jobs website, and the local Parks and Rec. If you know of anyone who is interested and meets the application qualifications, please have them contact Ms. Rita Ford at 828-2903.

Q7) Can we get a teen center; a special location/place where the teens can hang out? return to top^
Currently the Youth Center is open 6-7 p.m. to accommodate teen time for 13 to 18 year olds only. Marketing will continue to advertise.

Q8) Please explain the accountability process for children arriving and leaving the youth center when unaccompanied by a parent/legal guardian. return to top^
Youth will enter the facility and sign in. Youth Center staff monitor who enters to ensure they sign in. When youth leave the facility they sign out. When a parent/youth sign up for the program they are explained the rules and are advised to form a contract with parent/child if the parent does not wish the child to leave the facility. We advise youth about parent wishes but ultimately cannot hold them here. There is a phone youth use to check in with parents. The average age of youth in Open Rec is 9 to14. The staff assigned to Open Rec complete hourly card checks/sign in/out checks and head counts.

If a parent wishes stricter accountability, they can enroll the child in the before and after school program which allows them to receive monitored care from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. The difference between the two services is the cost.

Q9) Can we get additional dining options on base, and if not, can we look into extending Club hours on a weekend evening (ex: Friday night) for dinner? return to top^
History for dinners at the club has not been beneficial or utilized here at Mountain Home; we have tried several different options such as Casa De Montania, a full service Italian restaurant, which was open three days a week. Operational hours were from 5 to 8 p.m. to try to entice participation. The restaurant cut down to one day a week because of the cost of being open and not getting enough customers to utilize this service. Eventually we had to close this operation. This is just one example of a dinner meal that we tried recently to provide to the community.

Something that is working is the quesadilla and margarita nights that we have once a month starting in May and ending in the fall. We try to do this dinner on Fridays except for when we have large functions, and we don't have the staff to support both events.

One idea that we can try is to continue doing the quesadilla night as scheduled but adding another dinner on an additional Friday night such as pasta buffet. We can do this to entice families to come and have a night out at the club, with items such as a bouncy house, face painting, etc.

By doing this we will be open for dinner (to start) two times a month on Fridays. This is not including any other events that we have scheduled for the club. We can also bring back Bingo in conjunction with first Friday's and open the bar up for people who would like to come out and join us. This type of event can be beneficial because the club teams up with Strikers and allows patrons to order off their to-go menu.

Q10) Can we make the base theater a library annex? return to top^
There is a NAVY MOTION PICTURE SERVICE license that offers newer movies, and it is a different license than what we have for DVD's. The cost of the NMPS license is $3,500 per year, and we would have to buy the hardware to play the Encrypted DVDs. We do not have the cost of the hardware at this time.

Currently, we are at the breakeven point with a $350 a year license, and showing the movies under our current business model. To try and use the theater through the Navy program will require upgrading the facility and purchasing the equipment in order to show the movies along with paying $3,500 a year license fee. AAFES has signed a waiver letter that is for five years, with the option to extend another five years at the end of it. We are not allowed to "charge" for the movies, it is not a NAF program without some revenue.

Background History on Current Movie License:
We began showing movies at the GSC December 2012. We began with four movies a month (two children's movies and two targeted to adults/airmen). All movies were new release DVDs.

Our license is $350 a year, and does not allow us to charge entry fee. We currently charge $5, but that is to cover popcorn, drink, and bouncy castle.

We were averaging five to 15 participants for the children's movies and zero to four customers for the adult-themed movies. We even offered beer, but it did not help the numbers.

We cancelled the adult themed movies after four months due to losses, and limited the children's/family movies to one a month because we were losing money in labor and supplies. We are also driven by new release dates for the DVDs. We have found that if it is not a new release, our numbers drop drastically.

In the fall of 2013, we added the bouncy castle hour to the children's movies and increased patronage by 30 percent on average. This allowed us to break even on the movies and keep offering the service to the base.

In summer 2012, we did offer summer outdoor movies at the dorms and averaged approx. 20 participants (out of 400 residents). This was free, so there was a loss to the CAC due to labor.

We can currently run the program easily, because we are located next to the ballroom. This allows the employees to accomplish other work (framing, engraving, paperwork, etc.) while the movie is running.

Q11) Can civilian weapons/ammunition be used at the Mountain Home small-arms range, essentially making it an "open range" once a month or quarter? return to top^
Safety concerns, range degradation, and legal considerations do not make it feasible to open the range to the public.

By AFI, each person that oversees the range operation must be "range safety certified" and be E-4 or above, to adhere to range restrictions, personnel conduct, prohibited firing operations, hazard reporting procedures and emergency notification procedures to name a few.

Also, the on-base range is only certified for Frangible Ammunition/Off-Base range certified only for 7.62 ammunition. Currently, we are spending $10,000 annually for range maintenance that includes servicing the bullet catch, baffles, air circulation system, and auger. This could rise based on the amount/type of rounds being fired and the capability of the shooters themselves. If anything larger than 7.62 is used on the off-base range, the base could be held liable for damages caused.

The 366th Fighter Wing currently does not own the off-base range but leases it from the state of Idaho. Under the current lease agreement, it currently states that the use of the land is for USAF Small Arms Training Range and does not permit any use of the land as otherwise stated as it will be grounds for termination.