Perimeter FP construction begins Published Jan. 22, 2007 By Col Mike Callan 71st Flying Training Wing Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- Team Vance -- Gott Road extension is a reality on Monday! As some of you may have heard, we officially break ground on the first step of our force protection efforts on the base's northern perimeter, the Gott Road extension. You'll recall that many Team Vance members (Col Fred Cheney, John Cole, DynCorp/Civil Engineer to name a few) worked very hard during the summer to design and identify this project to Air Education and Training Command and emphasize its importance. Vance Air Force Base was successful in late September receiving the necessary funding ($1.2 million dollars) from Gen Don Cook (AETC commander) to build the road extension. This Monday at 10 a.m., we will host several city and state dignitaries at a ceremony directly across from our main gate and formally begin the construction efforts to make this project a reality. Please come out and join me in celebrating this first step of providing the necessary standoff to our northern perimeter! Due to my temporary duty last week to attend the 19th Air Force Commander's Conference and the AETC HAWK Board, I was unable to make the town hall meeting on our 54 new enlisted homes at the base auditorium, but I did watch a video of the meeting. I'd like to thank our support group commander (Colonel Cheney) and our Wing Command CMSgt (Jeff Kallas) for their professional briefing to all interested parties. We've been working on this for several months, and the briefing clearly defines the rules under which our new 54 enlisted homes will be allocated. In the end, it all comes down to the housing list and the Air Force Instructions that define when one is eligible to qualify for base housing -- if you meet the eligibility criteria and wish to be put on the list, please do so! Our housing office is ready, willing and able to address your specific issues and get you the necessary information to answer your questions. Construction continues in earnest, and I guarantee that the quality of enlisted housing for all Team Vance enlisted personnel is going to improve drastically when the 54 units are complete. Finally, all of us have seen the temperatures recently begin to dip. With some rain and wind thrown in, you can see winter is clearly on the way! Please take this time to ensure your car or truck is ready for the cold and get those fluids, tires, brakes and batteries checked. Additionally, take time now to reassess your driving habits and make the necessary adjustments to deal with the upcoming winter road conditions -- your life depends on you making the right decisions while on the road. I look forward to seeing all of you on Monday at the Gott Road extension ceremony. Enjoy a safe weekend!