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Board of Advisors meets for BRAC update

Sep 24, 2009

By Andrew Sharbel

FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- Fort Belvoir officials hosted area politicians and political appointees for the 10th Board of Advisors meeting Sept.16 at the Officer's Club.

The meeting was the first in 11 months for the BOA and updated area government officials on Base Realignment and Closure changes occurring on the installation. It provided them with a forum to voice questions or concerns dealing with BRAC changes.

Government officials in attendance included members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Virginia State Senator Linda Puller, Virginia Delegate Vivian Watts and Fairfax County School Board Chairman Dan Storck.

Brig. Gen. Karl Horst, the new commanding general of Joint Force Headquarters, National Capital Region and U.S. Army Military District of Washington was introduced to the board for the first time.

Joining Horst for the proceedings were Brig. Gen. Dennis Rogers, director of the National Capital Region District of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Fort Belvoir Installation Commander Col. Jerry Blixt and Installation Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Berhane.

Col. Charles Callahan, DeWitt Healthcare Network commander, provided the first update of the proceedings.

Callahan defined "evidence-based design" as the chief concept behind the construction plan of the new hospital and noted the hospital has been designed with an emphasis on environment-friendly concepts.

Callahan focused primarily on the overall design and the exterior of the hospital, while Dr. Richard Repeta, director of DeWitt's Office of Integration and Transition, presented the interior concepts that will be available within the building.

Repeta touched on the use of wide-open spaces in the hallways and modern information technology that has only been used in two or three other hospitals nationally. He also discussed the design of patient rooms and the main concourse that will run the entire length of the hospital's five buildings.

Callahan closed by showing current photos of construction progress and said upon its scheduled completion in April 2011, the complex will include a new dental clinic, a medical command headquarters, a Warrior in Transition complex and, possibly, a Fisher House.

Questions and concerns from the presentation included overall distance of the complex from parking facilities; access to the facility from Route 1; and, the plan for incorporating schools and child development centers with the new facility.

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland suggested hospital officials consider offering some form of valet service, an idea which Callahan noted and said he would investigate further.

William Parsons, director of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation, said his directorate is pursuing constructing a Malone House, or hotel, for families visiting patients.

Puller wondered how many Wounded Warriors would be assigned to Fort Belvoir once Walter Reed Army Medical Center closes and Horst replied that 350 would be sent to the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, 250 to Fort Belvoir, and 100 to Fort Meade, Md.

Col. Mark Moffatt, deputy garrison commander for Transformation and BRAC, followed Callahan with an overview of all the projects occurring at Belvoir.

Moffatt updated the progress of projects including the Missile Defense Agency, The U.S. Army Nuclear and Chemical Agency; the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency on Belvoir North; construction at the Mark Center under BRAC 133; and the construction of the Joint-Use Intelligence Analysis Facility at Rivanna Station currently underway.

He also informed them of infrastructure improvements on the installation, including widening many major roads; and, the Mulligan Road project connecting Route 1 with Telegraph Road.

Government officials expressed concern that the amount of construction work would cause further parking and traffic issues along the Route 1 corridor.

Moffatt acknowledged these concerns and said satellite parking has already been established for construction personnel. In addition, he said most construction trucks and materials already arrive at night and the installation does not want to further worsen the 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. rush hour period.

Marypat Begin-Ortiz, director of the installation's Plans, Analysis and Integration Office, followed Moffatt by briefing the board on work being administered by the Traffic Demand Management Plan team.

According to Begin-Ortiz, approximately 700,000 vehicles pass through the installation gates per month and she said some ideas for lessening the impact of those vehicles include shuttles, bus turnarounds, ferry services, charges for parking, carpooling and vanpooling, food delivery services, and an on post taxi service.

Claude McMullen, director of Logistics at Belvoir, said they are investigating running a shuttle to Franconia-Springfield Metro Station as a possible alternative.

McMullen said the Springfield Metro Station is being considered, because, unlike the Virginia Railway Express station in Lorton, commuters can use the metro from both the North and South.