Pope housing to privatize Published Dec. 7, 2006 By Janet Holtzman and Jeri Edwards 43rd Civil Engineer Squadron POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- There's probably a buzz of rumor around Pope that family housing is privatizing. Well, the rumors are true. Pope is tentatively scheduled to turn 627 family housing assets over to Fort Bragg March 1. Fort Bragg's family housing is currently privatized and is managed by Picerne Military Housing who will also manage housing units at Pope. The partnership between Picerne and Fort Bragg will operate and maintain Pope's on base housing. In fact, this partnership is locked in place by a 50-year lease. Privatization is actually a good thing. Why privatize? It's a statement and not just a question. As the Department of Defense's budget dwindles year after year, it's very difficult to obtain the money needed to maintain our housing to adequate standards. The Air Force currently has 104,000 family housing units, of which 40,000 are inadequate, and this number will continue to grow in the future if something is not done. The average age of Air Force units is 32 years old and the cost to fix these units using Military Costruction money is in excess of $5.6 billion. It would take 12 years to fix aging inventory with current DOD funding. The government just can't afford it any longer. In order to maintain our housing units to local community standards, privatization is the logical answer since the private sector is not constrained by the rules of government which tend to slow processes down. Picerne, as a private contractor, won't be under these constraints and thus, will be able to build new housing, beautiful community centers with a pool, gym, computers, game and party rooms and other amenities. They will also be able to improve housing to standards comparable to the local community. What's the cost to those living in privatized housing? Giving up Basic Allowance for Housing, the same as before. Privatization is similar to renting an apartment or home off base, only better because you won't have to pay for utilities. You'll be required to sign a lease and surrender your BAH for rent. If you're military married to military, only the highest BAH rate will be collected. Your lawn will also be mowed. We are currently working hand in hand with Picerne and Fort Bragg to ensure that our privatization effort is a smooth one.