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PJC Site in Milton

Snacks said:
Yeah, take pictures of everything, not just stuff over $100. Also, when I had my stuff moved from Biloxi to P-Cola, I had to end up picking it up myself because the movers wouldn't do it for 2 weeks. Make sure you have absolutely everything you need with you before you let the movers take your goods. If you have a small tv, you might want to take that with you so you and your wife will have something to keep your sanity while you wait for API and your goods. If you run into that situation, PM me and I'll try to help you move your stuff.
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Snacks,

Awesome info. I will definitely keep this stuff in mind when we get ready to ship the goods. Word has it that my orders will be in around 1 Apr. So in the next few weeks we'll be setting up the move.

I'll send you a PM

Thanks for the help.

Peace,

THRILLER
 
No there are no meters on the houses yet. As far as the BAH issue, I'd like to know how it's going to work out. A buddy that just went to Kingsville has to pay utilities, but he gets a partial BAH to cover it. That's under some new program where civilian contractors run housing.

Another thing I've heard is that once the meters are installed, utility usage will be monitored and a benchmark will be established. Anything over that you'll have to pay. That's just a rumor, take it for what it's worth, which is pretty much nothing.
 
trvsmrtn said:
No there are no meters on the houses yet. As far as the BAH issue, I'd like to know how it's going to work out. A buddy that just went to Kingsville has to pay utilities, but he gets a partial BAH to cover it. That's under some new program where civilian contractors run housing.

Another thing I've heard is that once the meters are installed, utility usage will be monitored and a benchmark will be established. Anything over that you'll have to pay. That's just a rumor, take it for what it's worth, which is pretty much nothing.
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Good stuff trvsmrtn. Thanks for the heads up.

To me...it seems like a lose/lose situation for the Navy (if they make you foot the utilities bill). This will just make people say "screw" on base housing..."I'm getting a friggen apartment". Then the Navy will have to start shelling out BAH for an O-1 with dependents to live at, for example, Collins Mill Creek.

I'm sure it costs way less than $1000 a month to keep a base house occupied...and more importantly...they pocket your BAH to cover it. So all-in-all, if they decide to go through with this, they will lose cash because people will opt for BAH. JMO

Seems to me like there are some Finance Officers that are thinking of ways to make or save a little extra cash for the Navy, however, if this really does get a foothold, they’re going to actually lose cash.

The only thing that is swaying me towards the Pines is the fact that water & electric are covered. I have a feeling there are a lot of folks out there who feel the same way.


Peace,

Thriller
 
There are still perks to living in housing though (here anyway). Security, convenience, good neighbors, park for the kids, swimming pool, basketball and tennis ball courts, friendly community. The people on my street get together at someone's house every Friday night for some beers and a cookout. The mini mart has beer and liquor, movies, and decent hours. There are IP's all around that I can go to if I have a problem while studying. There are guys that have been fortunate enough to live next door to their onwing. They brief at home, go fly, then debrief back at home over some beers.
 
trvsmrtn said:
There are still perks to living in housing though (here anyway). Security, convenience, good neighbors, park for the kids, swimming pool, basketball and tennis ball courts, friendly community. The people on my street get together at someone's house every Friday night for some beers and a cookout. The mini mart has beer and liquor, movies, and decent hours. There are IP's all around that I can go to if I have a problem while studying. There are guys that have been fortunate enough to live next door to their onwing. They brief at home, go fly, then debrief back at home over some beers.
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Good point man


Peace,

THRILLER
 
Yep, you're absolutely right trvsmrtn. There's another student from my squadron across the street from me, and an IP from our squadron at the end of the street. Can't beat that...
 
I must live on the wrong street - there aren't any Friday night community cookouts in my neck of the Pines :(
 
Housing privatization is coming DOD wide. Here is the gist of it:
A civilian housing management company bids on and buys the existing land and everything on it. Military members pay BAH to that company and that will cover all rent and utilities to a point (any overuse will be charged accordingly).
The housing is filled as follows :
1. Active Military
2. Retired Military
3. Civil Service
4. Everyone else (yes, that toothless bubba and his pregnant wife and 5 kids)
I have no idea how they will assess rent for anyone other than military. I don't know what is coming for actual housing that is on base that can't be isolated and reached by another gate (ie King's Bay sub base which is currently being privatized).
This is already in effect at a few locations, including Kingsville and Quantico.
The good news : As long as you aren't running a meth lab out of your house, you shoudn't notice any difference in cost, other than that now you will actually get your BAH and pay it to someone instead of never seeing it. Talking to people in Kingsville and Quantico, they all love it. There is an initial transition period that is painful and then once everything is set, it is wonderful. The management company generally tears down the old military stuff one section at a time and rebuilds with new, modern homes that are the equivalent of what you would buy out in a upper middle class neighborhood. They also generally are building new pools, community centers, etc. You get the drift.
What does that mean to us in Whiting Stumps?
They have said that they will privatize every year since 2005 and it hasn't happened yet. I will be suprised if they do it in the next year since they haven't put anything into motion according to the housing office. They have already taken away the 24 hour security at the gate, so that isn't really an issue. The only thing that we will probably see is non military people living in our community. Kind of like living in town. I suspect this will detract a bit from the current Mayberry like atmosphere.
I lived here as a stud and am living here again as an instructor. This is a perfect setup either way. Everyone here is either a student or an instructor, so there is a wealth of knowledge, study resources, and people sympathetic to what you are going through.
I am sorry if any of this info is inaccurate. It was what was passed to me by the housing folks and the people that I talked to that have lived in privatized housing.
Just my thoughts for what they are worth.
 
I've only got one major concern with privatization (which, overall, is a GREAT idea, and will only improve QOL at a much lower cost):

Are there any stipulations requiring a certain number of houses to be left available for active military before the other "tiers" get to move in? For example, my side of the Pines is pretty much a ghost town right now - there are plenty of houses available. A civilian company might be tempted to fill those empty houses immediately, much like an apartment manager. However, once the usual summer PCS cycle kicks in, these houses will be in demand once again. Will active military be SOL in that case?
 
I have no idea. I was told that the whole reason for this is that the military has a less than stellar occupancy rate for housing, which in turn means that dollars are wasted on homes that aren't being "rented". I am sure somebody that has experience with privatized housing knows.
 
No friday night parties on the southeast side of the Pines (represent!) either. But if they are telling you that there is anything other than immedate move-in to the two bedrooms, you're getting bad info. So many people moving out around us that we're getting close to ruling the street... although we'll still only be in charge of us...
 
The wife and I moved into the Pines in February with no wait. There are open houses everywhere in this neighborhood. Great place for kids also.
 
On Merrill, look for the purple flag at the street around 1700... Corsair also has parties, bigger, better, childfree parties, not sure what their "code" is!

PPV is not a bad idea altogether. The allowances of utilities are liberal & no, you don't get any BAH back but you only pay more if you go over the utilities allowance. Waivers can be gotten for all sorts of things, if you cloth diaper, you can turn in a request for a waiver & be allowed additional water & power in order to clean the diapers, waivers are available for tons of stuff.
 
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