YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Leaders from the 374th Mission Support Group conducted a town hall Jan. 10 at the Yokota Air Base Officers' Club.
Town Halls are mass-gatherings for information to be disseminated to an immediate audience and, in this case, allow the community to participate in an open question and answer session with base leaders.
This town hall focused on updating the public on the following priorities and projects underway at Yokota Air Base:
Defense Commissary Agency
- Changes at the commissary include expanded self-checkout hours from 8-9 a.m. daily and online ordering available through CLICK2GO.
- Customers are encouraged to provide feedback available through scanning the back of their receipts, which allows customers to request specific products or simply provide comments.
- There will be a ‘Coffee with the Commissary’ on the first Tuesday of February 2024, where participants will meet the commissary managers and ask one-on-one questions.
- Various programs are available such as the ‘YES’ program, where produce is marked specifically for savings; dietician-approved recipes through the commissary website; and special orders from any department in-store.
- Most produce provided in-store are local, with the intention to source locally as much as possible while within current embargo restrictions. For products not locally available or in-season, they have to be imported. Products nearing expiry are discounted half-off and located in specific sections of the store. If customers come across moldy products, it should be reported directly to the commissary along with product name, date, and the universal product code.
- For those interested in working at the commissary, DeCA is hiring through USAJobs or militaryspouse.employment@deca.mil.
- For up-to-date information regarding DeCA, visit corp.commissary.com or shop.commissary.com
374th Force Support Squadron
- Photos taken at FSS events are now available at a one-stop-shop, where users can download their photos hi-resolution on their website’s Media Gallery.
- There will be a newsletter launching in the future, separate from the magazine, and users can filter content for specific topics of interest.
- Air Force Gaming is underway here at Yokota as a larger effort to meet the demands of the community. Those interested can apply on the Yokota E-Sports website.
- The Enlisted Club will be undergoing renovation starting Jan. 27 until May 31 to update HVAC systems and remodel restrooms. During this time, the kitchen and catering services will be closed and to offset these services, the Officers’ Club will expand their operations. Other services like the lounge, bar, slot machines and events will continue to operate as normal.
- The eastside temporary lodging facility is past its useful life and will be closing down as per Air Force Lodging. There will be 124 rooms on the westside converted into TLFs, with 38 being pet-friendly. Inbound and outbound residents can expect minimal impact with exceptions of mass-intake of personnel in support of base operations.
- Regarding the Samurai Fitness Center, the steam room has been repaired and is operable; the outdoor fitness track and any location under the fitness center must abide by the facility’s rules, such as dress code.
- Child and Youth Program rates, based on total family income, are uniform throughout the Department of Defense regardless of locality pay like Overseas Cost-of-Living Allowance.
- As the Youth Center increases rates to supplement financial losses for the previous and current fiscal year, their goal remains to provide community services like the farmers’ market, holiday celebrations and more.
374th Security Forces Squadron
- Visitors’ passes, both short and long term, may require physical attendance at the Visitors’ Center for specific needs. Escorted and unescorted pass processes can be time consuming up to 30 days depending on the visitors’ status and eligibility. To expedite this process, it is recommended to turn in documents early or utilize the virtual application process available under Guest Pass Procedures on the base website.
- Road tax is coming up this year to ensure the street legality of vehicles on base. Non-compliance may result in an 8.9 percent tax increase, inability to renew Japanese Compulsory Insurance, and potential off-base fines and imprisonment.
- For parking and registered vehicles on base, the following entitlements are authorized for personnel living on base:
- Single and/or unaccompanied are authorized up to one car and one motorcycle.
- Married and/or accompanied are authorized up to two cars and two motorcycles.
- Any need for additional cars or motorcycles outside of these entitlements will require an approved waiver. To qualify for a waiver, members must provide a parking plan and meet other eligibility requirements.
374th Logistics Readiness Squadron
- Passenger travel does not require orders, however, contact is encouraged three months prior to the arrival month.
- A pet travel allowance has come into effect Jan. 1, 2024, covering one dog or cat, excluding exotics, with outside the contiguous United States reimbursement up to $2K and CONUS up to $500.
- Defense Travel System travel orders must be approved by respective officials within 72 hours or risk the reservation being canceled. For international to international travel orders must be approved within 24 hours.
- The average shipping times for household goods and unaccompanied baggage are as follows:
- East coast averages 105 days for HHG and 46 days for UB
- West coast averages 76 days for HHG and 36 days for UB
- The peak shipment season with the Traffic Management Office is from May to August and customers are encouraged to prepare backup shipment dates as TMO is subject to blackout dates from local agents, causing delivery dates to be pushed back.
- A housing working group is addressing challenges voiced by the community with the goal to develop guidance for sponsors to better prepare inbound personnel for obstacles they may face. Some challenges include but are not limited to: lack of storage, smaller square footage, difficulty of securing residency off-base if accompanied by pets and limitations of traditional U.S. appliances off-base. Current courses of action involve modernizing the sponsorship program and updating the checklist to ensure inbound personnel are made aware of the restrictions that come with residency in Japan.
374th Civil Engineer Squadron
- Members are urged to report service issues promptly, as minor problems can escalate into extensive projects. To make a service request, contact customer service at 225-5282 or make a request online via the AF Connect App.
- Humidity control measures must be taken by residents to help reduce mold outbreaks. Simple actions like maintaining cleanliness, clearing air vents, replacing filters regularly, and ensuring proper air circulation prevents mold growth.
- Current construction projects:
- Airlift Avenue construction is anticipated to complete three months ahead of schedule, with an opening expected at the end of January 2024. The construction is in response to repair roads and broken storm drain lines.
- Davis Street road closure is in support of the construction of a new maintenance hangar. It is scheduled to reopen in mid-February 2024.
- Earhart Avenue road closure near the south highschool is in response to repair degraded pavement. There will be gradual construction in multiple phases to allow access to facilities until July 2024.
- Upcoming construction projects:
- Traffic lights will be replaced to perform off of sensors in lieu of timers to improve traffic flow.
- Refresh street lines and road markers to improve visibility and safety.
- Mathies Street will have a full road closure for resurfacing and a full-depth repair from March 2024 to September 2024.
- Walker Boulevard will have a partial road closure for resurfacing from February 2024 to June 2024.
- McGuire Avenue will have a partial road closure for resurfacing in Spring 2024, with no impact to events like Sakura Festival.
- North Overrun road closure will continue into July 2026 to support numerous construction projects in the area. The jogging path adjacent remains open for use.
- Housing improvements include 24 northside garden units with construction starting in 2025.
Housing
- Residents are encouraged to use Interactive Customer Evaluation comments and to include contact information for reach-back to resolve issues.
- Although the Resident Advisory Council lacked sufficient applicants, residents can continue to reach out to the housing office for resolutions when any concerns arise.
- The Resident/Tenant Satisfaction Survey will be distributed via personal email around early March 2024. This survey allows residents to provide feedback on housing to make way for improvements with previous examples of removing carpeted flooring, park improvements, and overall modernization of units.
- Pets are authorized to use the freight elevator in housing towers. This does not authorize dogs or cats to reside in floors five and above, with the exception of towers 3001 and 4304 where cats are authorized on all floors.
- A westside water outage is scheduled Feb. 14-16 and again 20-23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., where there will be limited water and a boil notice until cleared by bioenvironmental. This water outage will affect towers 3000, 3001, 3003, 3004 and 3005. In the meantime, MSG will provide drinking water on location.
Fire Prevention and Reporting
- On base, all fires must be reported to the fire department no matter the size and even if extinguished. Contact the fire department at DSN 911 or 042-511-9110. For off base, contact 119 in case of emergency and ensure physical address is on hand.
- Here are some best practices to prevent fires:
- With the cold and influx of space heaters, be mindful to ensure space heaters are labeled with mandatory safety markings and have no-less-than 36 inches of clearance in any direction.
- Do not plug extension cords into extension cords, nicknamed daisy chaining.
- Ensure households have a fire extinguisher. Housing does not provide extinguishers, however, they can be purchased at the base exchange.
- For those with high wattage appliances, they must be plugged directly into the wall and not into an extension cord.
- Finally, do not leave anything that produces heat unattended, no matter the circumstance.