News

Stakeholders help plan for the future

  • Published
  • By Roland Balik
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  At Team Dover, Airmen must not only be concerned with performing the mission today, they also  must plan to perform that mission in the future.

The Installation Development Plan serves as  a tool for the current wing commander to make decisions  concerning future base development, efficient usage of facilities , consolidation and recapitalization here, and allows him to collect input from current Team Dover stakeholders, as well as land use directives.

Dover AFB has 13 individual Area Development Plan zones that make up the IDP. ADP number 1, 2 and 4 were completed in fiscal year 2012, leaving 10 ADPs to be reviewed and approved by the end of the current fiscal year. The IDP is reviewed every five years by wing leadership.

"Having stakeholder input is so critical to this ADP development because these are the individuals who work in the areas being reviewed," said Jennifer Vallee, 436th Civil Engineer Squadron community planner. "They know their missions and processes best, and can provide essential information to best fit their needs."

A six-member facility planning team from HB&A based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was subcontracted by Mission Support Services, LLC, to compile stakeholder input from each of the 10 remaining ADPs being reviewed and developed over the next two months.

Having HB&A lead this process allows for an external perspective which provides no bias to the development of our ADPs, stated Vallee.

"This process is exceptionally rewarding," said Vallee.  "I have the opportunity to see the logical process of how the base will evolve into successful short-term and long-term physical changes."

The 10 ADPs were divided into three planning sessions called charrettes. In Charrette One held in January, HB&A team members met with 70 stakeholders from ADP areas 3, 5, 6 and 9 to exchange ideas and go over mission requirements in order to formulate a plan for future base development while keeping in mind strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threat analysis of each area.

"We got very good broad involvement from all the stakeholders that factor into these areas [ADP 3, 5, 6 and 9]," said Aaron Briggs, HB&A lead planner. "They were all very engaged during the process, offering good input and helping us think through the options."

Stakeholder involvement and continuity is important for a solid IDP based on the current operational mission and planned military construction projects.

"My duty is to make sure that we have a vision for the Maintenance Group to perform its mission in the future for 20 plus years and beyond," said Gene Holley, 436th Maintenance Group facility program manager. "Strategically locating hangars, consolidating similar organizations and areas to get the 'best bang for your buck,' and by streamlining processes using AFSO21 principals allows us to enhance our mission capabilities and requirements to get the mission done."

Holley stated that recapitalization was a big part of Charrette One due to the uncertainty of future MILCON funding. The Maintenance Group has facilities located in ADP areas 3, 5, 6 and 9 being reviewed.

"It [Dover AFB] has a pretty good land-use and efficiency pattern right now compared to some of the bases I've been to," said Briggs. "But overall it's a pretty well arranged base."

Later this month, Charrette Two consisting of ADP areas 10, 11 and 12 and in March, Charrette Three consisting of ADP areas 7, 8 and 13 are scheduled to be reviewed by the HB&A team, as well as by the stakeholders in each of the last six ADPs.

On January 23, 2015, Briggs presented the Charrette One outbrief to the 436th Mission Support Group and 436th Civil Engineer Squadron senior leadership marking the 35 percent completion point for Charrette One.

The final IDP is scheduled to be presented to the wing commander by September of this year.