COLUMBUS, Ohio –
Defense Supply Center Columbus senior leaders provided updates on base services and workplace preparedness Nov. 15 during an installation-wide town hall at the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime Operations Center.
DLA Installation Management – Columbus’ deputy site director, Mike Wood, gave a presentation covering a wide range of topics including gate operations, childcare, dining options, winter safety, security system updates and ongoing installation projects. Following the presentation, participants from each of the installation’s 30 tenants were invited to ask questions. DSCC’s commanding general, Army Brig. Gen. Gail Atkins, provided comments bookending the hourlong session.
“I appreciate everyone coming in today, especially our DSCC partners,” Atkins said. “I think that it’s important we have a venue where we can have honest and transparent dialogue…we will have some challenges as we bring everybody back and we just have to go through it to grow through it. What I’m committing to all of you is that we are all in. And we will continue to partner very closely with the installation to make sure we are addressing where we have resourcing shortfalls.”
Wood’s brief focused on installation services, programs and changes post-pandemic to help the workforce prepare as major tenants like DLA Land and Maritime and Defense Finance and Accounting Service – Columbus move toward increased on-site presence in the new year. The move announced by DLA in September will shift telework postures to encourage more meaningful in-person collaboration.
“You do not have to look very far or turn on the news very long to understand that the world we’re living in is a lot more volatile,” Atkins said. “It’s exacerbated by many different things that we do not control but the reality is we have to be ready to fight. And we have assessed over this last year our preparedness to do that, and we have assessed that we need to improve and as a result of that we do it better together and we do it better when we can collaborate deeper.”
“Our adversaries are not waiting for us,” she added. “They have moved out. And this isn’t just on the eastern flank of Europe. It’s not just indicative of the volatility in the Middle East. This is happening under our noses in the Indo-PACOM [area of responsibility] every single day, and it’s something that the United States has been called upon to be ready for. We are a part of that. And that is why we are [shifting telework posture].”
As DSCC braces for thousands of employees to be more regularly on site, DLA Installation Management – Columbus’ Morale, Welfare and Recreation team put out a survey to solicit feedback from the installation workforce on programs and services. Of the nearly 1,300 responses received so far, Wood said common trends are beginning to emerge. He noted significant interest was expressed in installation childcare and dining options. Wood said one of the more surprising pieces of feedback was learning that 65% of responders would purchase breakfast if it was available on site. He cautioned that breakfast will not be available as the cafeteria transitions its food service operation but said this valuable feedback is being taken into consideration as the planning team moves forward.
“Our MWR team is working to prioritize food and beverage for the DSCC community and we’re aggressively working to provide hot food service by March of 2024,” Wood said. “I will tell you that the success and continuation of food service is really going to be dependent on the patronage of our community.”
In response to questions on childcare options, Wood said the installation’s Child Development Center is working to achieve higher staffing levels to support families arriving in 2024. Wood said he anticipates approximately 80 more children requiring childcare. A CDC official recently stated, “Spaces at our Child Development Center are extremely limited at this time and will continue to be through the remainder of 2023. Adequately staffing childcare centers is a challenge throughout the country right now, to include all branches of Department of Defense-sponsored child development programs. We’re working closely with the Civilian Human Resource Agency to recruit for and fill our vacancies as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
The center strongly recommends families needing childcare get on the waiting list as soon as possible.
The fitness center has also been impacted by staffing shortages, leading the facility to scale back some of its typical programming to maintain hours of operation. Group fitness classes and sports leagues remain limited until staffing concerns ease. “We’re aggressively trying to fill those vacancies,” Wood said.
Another key topic at the town hall was gate access. The installation maintains vehicle access control points at Yearling Road and James Road and a pedestrian entrance at Broad Street. Wood briefed that the James Road gate would remain a commercial vehicle entry point only. All other vehicle traffic will continue to be directed to the main gate at Yearling Road.
“With analysis and risk assessments completed, we’ve determined that keeping the James Road gate as a commercial delivery entrance is optimal for safety,” he explained. The gate will be open for outbound traffic from 6 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Wood noted that the five-lane Yearling Road gate is designed to bring in up to 1,000 vehicles per hour. “We will be monitoring the traffic patterns and believe…we will be more than able to accommodate morning traffic,” he said.
Wood also addressed cleaning procedures, parking lot concerns and snow removal operations this winter and asked the workforce to be mindful and take safety precautions when appropriate. He reminded the workforce to submit maintenance requests and issues to the Work Order Helpdesk for resolution. Wood encouraged all DSCC employees to complete the MWR survey, which closes Nov. 20. To submit feedback, visit the link on the Command Daily Announcements. For more information on MWR services, visit www.defensemwr.com/columbus.
Missed the DSCC Town Hall? Watch it here from a CAC-enabled device. Questions and answers submitted for the town hall are available on DLA Today (CAC-enabled).