Dayley’s Update …
Col. Brant V. Dayley, Garrison Commander
Col. Brant V. Dayley,
Garrison Commander:
September was a great month for Fort Bliss and the garrison. We briefly hosted NASA’s space shuttle Endeavour as the Boeing 747-100 carrying it stopped here to refuel before continuing to the California Science Center where the decommissioned craft will be on display for the public. Over its career, Endeavour spent almost 300 days in space and flew more than 20 missions. It was an honor to see the end of such a historic career.
While we were witness to the end of NASA’s proud space shuttle program, we also look to the future to prepare for what lies ahead of us here at Fort Bliss.
To that end, garrison hosted a small group of experts to work with some of our team members and develop a master plan for the long-range future of West Fort Bliss. The venture was such a success we are looking to do the same sort of assessments for East Fort Bliss and our space in New Mexico.
The team worked with a vision “to leverage our cavalry history to create a sustainable oasis in the desert with connected open space, multi-use efficient development and accessible streets.”
Keeping in mind both the future requirements of Fort Bliss and the Department of Defense’s new Unified Facilities Criteria policy, they came up with a plan that takes us beyond the next 20 years. The plan is flexible and adjusts for different scenarios taking us from maximum development all the way to a financial climate of limited to no funding.
They looked not only at how we can best provide services to our Soldiers and families, but also how we can make sure our employees enjoy a pleasant and safe work environment. For example, many of us work in gorgeous and historic buildings, but some of them may not survive the next 20 years and many of them will need extensive renovations. The team was able to come up with options ranging from renovation to possible consolidation and relocation of offices.
Working on this development plan was an incredible insight. It takes the ideas we started with and fills them out. Where we were originally looking at four quadrants, this takes them to eight sections and allows us to really focus a lot of attention and energy to each individual area.
I want to thank everyone who participated. I have a great fondness for Fort Bliss, having spent much of my time here – both as a boy and a Soldier working and raising my own family – and want to do the best for its future. The work done during this conference will ensure the legacy we leave to this installation is an exceptional and sustainable one.
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