News / Military
By Howard Altman / Tampa Bay Times / June 24, 2016
PHOTO: The Tampa Bay Defense Alliance has emphasized progress at MacDill Air Force Base in reducing gridlock at gates. (Times 2011)
TAMPA — Knowing the Pentagon aims to consolidate bases some day, local leaders are touting gains from their partnerships with MacDill Air Force Base in two diverse areas — educating children in military families and easing gridlock at MacDill gates.
The subjects topped the agenda during a June 14 visit by the Tampa Bay Defense Alliance to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, home of the headquarters command overseeing MacDill.
The alliance, made up of civic leaders who work to help solve problems in the local defense community, hopes to showcase the value MacDill delivers here as home of U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, two Air Force refueling wings and dozens of other mission partners.
Last week, the alliance sent a delegation to Washington, D.C., for the annual Association of Defense Committees summit, which organizers call a key event for defense communities, base leaders, Congress and industry.
Attending the summit “is an important way to continue to build relationships to help support MacDill,” said alliance president Lisa Monnet. whose health-based company Eye C solutions works with government and civilian clients.
Congress has so far refused to initiate another round of base closings despite requests by the Pentagon, but pressure to reduce the number of military installations continues. This month, Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee introduced legislation that would create a process to close some bases and save $2 billion a year.
Adding urgency to the work of the local defense alliance was an announcement last week that MacDill is not scheduled to receive new aerial refueling tanker jets from the Air Force — or the economic boost they’re expected to bring to their host bases.
For the Air Mobility Command headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, the Tampa alliance visit this month was part of a mission to “develop relationships and work towards increasing understanding and cooperation between the civilian communities and the Air Force,” said Capt. Nick Plante, a command spokesman.
Among those visiting the Illinois base was Chris Farkas, chief operating officer of the Hillsborough County School District, who described innovative ways the district and MacDill are helping families cope with frequent moves associated with life in uniform.
“One of the biggest challenges military families face is transitioning to a bunch of schools,” Farkas said. “Our job as a community is to make that transition as smooth as possible.”
There are more than 4,000 students across the Hillsborough County school system who have a parent or parents on active duty. Most of them are connected to MacDill, said Terrie Dodson, the district’s military liaison. The enrollment at Tinker Elementary School on the MacDill grounds is 654, from kindergarten through the eighth grade.
The district shared success stories during the visit to Scott Air Force Base.
One example is an online registration system that allows military parents to sign their children up for sports and other extracurricular activities even before arriving in Tampa. Farkas said this addresses one challenge military families face when they arrive too late in the school year to take part.
Farkas also lauded MacDill’s base commander, Air Force Col. Daniel Tulley, for spurring innovation by creating the Council for Educational Excellence. The council brings together officials from the base and the school district to examine challenges and find solutions.
The other main goal of the meetings, alliance president Monnet said, was to share ways MacDill is working with local, state and federal authorities to ease traffic problems that lead to wait times as long as 45 minutes entering the base.
The delegation to Scott Air Force Base highlighted a year-long study being conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation to gauge traffic flow at MacDill’s four entrances and find a way to reduce the wait time to 10 minutes or less.
Monnet said the alliance pointed to an effort by U.S. Rep. David Jolly and State Sen. Jack Latvala to address what they consider a security concern.
Every day, more than 15,000 cars enter MacDill Air Force Base, with about 6,000 arriving during the morning rush hour, according to base officials.
“The lineup you have in the morning presents a really great opportunity for a terrorist hit,” Latvala, R-Clearwater, told the Tampa Bay Times earlier this month.
Monnet said the transportation department study “will allow us to define the problem and assess the impact of any investment” to fix it.
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