Community Ledger, Dec. 16

JBLM gate and road construction

Public Works has shut down Liggett Avenue between Division and 12th Streets for 45 days of construction. The closure includes the intersection of Liggett and Division, but 12th Street and the intersection at Liggett and 12th will remain open.

Parking areas along that length of Liggett Avenue will be blocked. Most of the parking areas have access from other directions, but parking will be blocked completely in front of and west of McVeigh Sports and Fitness Center and across the street from I Corps Headquarters, Building 2025.

Parking for McVeigh will be in the rear and on the north side of Liggett, which can be accessed from Pendleton. While Liggett is under construction, the contractor is required to provide access from the parking area north of Liggett to McVeigh at, or near the location of the current McVeigh crosswalk.

Pendleton Avenue

The second phase of construction to upgrade the road substructure under Pendleton Avenue near the Town Center on JBLM Lewis Main is underway and projected to be completed by the end of the year.

No time limit is available for the completion of this phase of the project to widen the road and upgrade communication, power and water lines.

The widened avenue will result in better traffic flow, parking and facility access, creating a friendlier environment for bikes and pedestrians. For more information, visit the Pendleton Avenue website at www.jblmpendleton.com.

Railroad Avenue

Railroad Avenue will be closed through Jan. 16, 2012 for construction. Westbound traffic will be rerouted starting at Mann Avenue. That traffic, along with the local access traffic will flow around Railroad using West Way. Signs eastbound traffic will be warned before Alder Avenue to reroute via West Way. Local access down Alder and Incinerator Road will be available.

The construction is part of the first phase of the Perimeter Road repair, lasting until August 2012.

Calendar

The following holidays and days of no scheduled activities are planned:

• Dec. 23, DONSA

• Dec. 25, Christmas Day

• Dec. 26, Christmas holiday

• Dec. 30, DONSA

• Jan. 1, New Year’s Day

• Jan. 2, New Year holiday

• Jan. 13, DONSA

• Jan. 16, ML King birthday

• Feb. 17, DONSA

• Feb. 20, President’s Day

• May 25, DONSA

• May 28, Memorial Day

• Jul. 4, Independence Day

• Jul. 5, DONSA

• Aug. 31, DONSA

• Sep. 3, Labor Day

Holiday hours

Both Joint Base Lewis-McChord commissaries, Lewis Main and McChord Field, will be open Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Christmas Day, Dec. 25.

The JBLM Lewis Main Commissary will be open Dec. 26 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; the McChord Field Commissary will open at 9 a.m., but closes at 8 p.m. Dec. 26. Both will close on New Year’s Day.

Lighting festival

Travel by deluxe motorcoach to Leavenworth’s annual lighting Festival Saturday with Leisure Travel Services. Enjoy holiday music, sledding, meet St. Nicholas and singing carols while the village is lit at dusk. The cost is $40 per person.

Make reservations online at www.JBLMmwr.com under WebTrac. For more details, call 967-3085.

Holiday caroling

The 56th Army Band would like to fill your office party with musical cheer by caroling around JBLM in anticipation of the upcoming holidays.

If you would like some holiday cheer for your office party, contact our operations office at 966-2227. Happy holidays from your I Corps Band.

Hire Santa to drop by

Hire Santa to visit your home, office or unit party for the holidays through Better Opportunities for Single Servicemembers. Each visit includes a stocking; extra stockings are $2 each.

A 15-minute visit costs $25, 30 minutes costs $50 and an hour is $75. Call the BOSS office at 967-5636 for details and to schedule a visit through Dec. 23.

Family New Year’s Eve

Buy your tickets now for Sounders Lanes Bowling Center’s New Year’s Eve family-style party. Cheer in the new year on East Coast time with bowling, party favors, pizza, sparkling cider and a really big door prize.

Tickets must be purchased in advance at $14 per person. Sounders Lanes is located between Jackson Boulevard and 5th Street across from the Fitness Center Annex at McChord Field.

New skate days, hours

Army Family Covenant Arena skating has new hours, new prices and party packages available for unique birthday celebrations. Skating is open Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for open skate and special skate sessions.

Operation Giveback

The American Logistics Association is sponsoring “Operation Giveback,” a gift drive to benefit military Families of JBLM. Companies offer additional savings to Exchange customers this weekend, from today through Sunday. Products will be tagged with a special Operation Giveback sign.

Collection sites will be located at the entrance of the Exchange; just look for the Christmas tree and drop donations there. All donations will benefit Families of JBLM. Events will be going on throughout the weekend including product demonstrations and wine tastings.

Join the Soldier Show

The Army is looking for active duty, Reserve and Guard performers and technicians for the U.S. Army Soldier Show 2012. Nominations are due to Army Entertainment by Dec. 31.

To apply, visit http://www.armymwr.com/recleisure/entertainment/seeking.aspx (or visit the armymwr.com main page and click on the “Experience Army Entertainment” ad for the Soldier Show application.

Click on the “download application” button, save and complete the form, attach it to an email message and send to ArmyEntertainment@conus.army.mil.

Additional requirements for performer and technician applicants are detailed at the website.

Discounts at pro shops

Get close-out merchandise at Eagles Pride, plus special-order savings at Whispering Firs pro shops.

At Eagles Pride Golf Course, select apparel is up to 70 percent off through Dec. 31. Bags, shoes and wedges are 10 percent off.

Until Monday at Whispering Firs Golf Course, all items are a minimum of 10 percent off. Place a special order with sale prices. Select items will remain on sale through Dec. 23.

Ornament exchange

Join the McChord Officers’ Spouses’ Club for an Ornament Exchange Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the McChord Collocated Club in the Heritage Room. Cost is $10. Bring a wrapped ornament to exchange.

Call 765-720-4798 with questions or to RSVP.

Bacon Day Dec. 30

We’re going hog-wild on Bacon Day Dec. 30. Add bacon to any sandwich or burger for only 25 cents at Globemaster Grill, Bowl Arena Lanes Strike Zone and Sounders Lanes Strike Zone.

Escape Zone hours

The Escape Zone at McChord Field is extending its hours to Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon. The Escape Zone offers a place for parents and their children 5 and younger to learn and play together.

The Escape Zone is in Building 841 on Fairway Road. For information, call 982-8590/2695.

POV resale lots

Buy or sell cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles or RVs at the POV Resale Lots, JBLM Lewis North next to the Museum and McChord Field next to the Commissary. Information and prices are at JBLMmwr.com.

Clarkmoor hours

Clarkmoor Hourly Child Development Center is now open Tuesdays until 9 p.m. and Fridays until 10 p.m. Your child must be enrolled in CYS Services.

For more details or reservations, call Parent Central at 966-CYSS (2977).

Kids winter soccer

Register through Jan. 31 for CYS Services bumblebee and youth soccer. The bumblebee soccer fee is $20 for ages 3 to 4; youth soccer for ages 5 to 15 is $45.

Register at CYS Services Parent Central, Building 2295, 12th and Bitar Avenue. You’ll need a full CYS Services registration on file, a current sports physical, shot record, military, DOD or contractor identity card and three emergency contacts.

Download and forms from JBLMmwr.com under WebTrac/online registration, CYS Services. Call CYS Services at 967-2977.

SJA Claims Office info

The Joint Base Lewis-McChord Staff Judge Advocate Claims Division Facebook can be found at http://www.facebook.com/JBLMJAGClaimsOffice. A shortcut search link is JBLMJAGClaimsOffice. A Facebook page isn’t required to view the contents of the page, which contains the Claims Office location, hours of operation, services offered, informative claims articles and occasional closure announcements. For assistance on claims filing or any claims-related questions, call 967-0704.

The JBLM SJA Claims Division has changed its hours of operation to 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (Closed on weekends and federal holidays.)

For details, view our “Events” posting on our Facebook page. Refer to the Profile “Information” section. Call us at 967-0704.

The office will close today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the staff to participate in a holiday party. For claims emergencies during those hours, leave a voicemail message at 477-1884.

Legal assistance hours

The hours of operation on Tuesdays and Thursdays have changed for the JBLM Lewis Main Legal Assistance Office. Hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays will remain the same.

The new hours are as follows: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for attorney services and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for notary and power-of-attorney services. Tuesdays and Thursdays: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for attorney services, notary and power-of-attorney services. For questions, call 477-1875.

Pay desk closes noon

The Defense Military Pay Office will be closed at noon today and reopens Monday morning. For questions, call 2nd Lt. Gretchen McIntyre at 966-0923.

Portable job openings

If you are seeking employment with an organization that will allow you to advance, provide paid training and the ability to transfer upon a PCS move, this is for you. Affiliated Computer Services, Inc, a Xerox Company in Lacey and Federal Way, will recruit for customer service agents Tuesday, Jan. 3, 21, 31, Feb. 7 and 21 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at JBLM Employment Readiness Service in the ACS Annex, Building 2166 at the corner of South 12th Street and Liggett Avenue.

Start the application process at https://acs-inc.evolvondemand.net/offline/1965. For more information, call Victor at (360) 923-8649 or Taryn at (360) 923-8656.

EFMP movies monthly

The McChord Theater is showing sensory-friendly matinee movies to EFMP Families on the third Saturday of each month at noon. The lights are turned up and the sound is turned down! Families will see the same Saturday movie as the 4 p.m. matinee. For more information, call 982-2695.

AF education grants

Concerned about the soaring cost of higher education for your children? Maybe the Air Force Aid Society can help. Under its General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant Program, the society awards $2,000 each to selected applicants. The program continues to be offered to sons and daughters of Air Force active duty, deceased and many categories of retired Air Force members.

For information and to access the online application, visit the Air Force Aid Society website at www.afas.org. Application deadline is March 9, 2012.

Towing in progress

All trailers, boats, RVs and nonfunctioning vehicles illegally parked on Joint Base Lewis-McChord are now being towed at the owner’s expense.

Army Regulation 190-5 says all trailers, boats and RVs must be kept on storage lots or elsewhere off of the installation. The same applies to abandoned and nonfunctioning privately owned vehicles.

Nonfunctioning vehicles are not authorized to be parked on JBLM, except at the auto craft shop.

The Provost Marshal’s Office has been identifying and tagging these items for some time. Moving the boats and vehicles from one place to another on the installation is not an option.

Park your vehicles and boats in authorized parking areas or find a place off the installation to store them.

HSO hours change

Due to manpower reductions, effective immediately, the Housing Services Office customer service hours of operation are as follows:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. In addition, hours of operation the last Thursday of every month are 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

These hours apply to both HSO customer service locations: 5128 Pendleton Ave, Lewis Main and 553 Barnes Blvd., McChord Field. Customers are advised that service wait times could exceed 20 minutes between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Child care providers

Looking for a fun, rewarding job? Become a Family child care provider and make a difference in the lives of military children and their Families. FCC providers earn up to $2,000 a month, may qualify for subsidies, and receive free child care while in training and free resources for your business.

Learn about FCC at the Tuesday orientation from 6 to 8 p.m. at the FCC office in building 2013B. Full-day training classes meet meet Jan. 30 to Feb. 3 and Feb. 6. FCC will provide free child care during the training classes.

For information, call the FCC office at 967-3039.

Troops to Teachers

Troops to Teachers program enriches the quality of American education by helping to place mature, motivated, experienced and dedicated personnel in our nation’s classrooms.

TTT also provides tuition assistance for teacher certification and a bonus for teaching in a high needs school. To continue serving your country as a teacher, contact TTT.. A representative is at Stone Education Center, JBLM, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact Tim Bomke, Wash./Ore. state director at tbomke@mpttt.org or call 973-9775.

Put down that cell

Law Enforcement personnel will begin issuing district court violation notices (i.e., federal magistrate court ticket) for using cell phones while driving on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. This will require the violator to pay a $75 fine or go to court to argue before the magistrate judge. Those who opt to continue using cell phones while driving must use a hands-free device to avoid a ticket. Repeat offenders risk losing installation driving privileges at the discretion of the garrison commander.

Buyer beware

“Diploma mills” are schools that offer certificates, degrees and diplomas for a fee. The Army Human Resources Command is initiating an all-out campaign to warn Soldiers of the pitfalls and consequences surrounding the acquisition of false education credentials from unaccredited colleges and universities.

If you have any questions regarding the accreditation of any college or university, contact your Army education counselor at the Stone Education Center.

JBLM suggestions

Got a better way? Make a suggestion today. Do you have an idea or suggestion to save the installation money or improve the quality of operations and services? If so, you are eligible for cash awards for your ideas through the JBLM Army Suggestion Program. Any JBLM employee (military or civilian) may submit a suggestion.

Fill out a suggestion form on the ASP website: https://asp.hqda.pentagon.mil/public/default.htm or for more information call 477-1078.