New hours, changes implemented at FSS facilities

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Billy Wade
  • 341st Mission Support Group Deputy Commander
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Now that football season is over, what are you going to do?

First, take a deep breath. Then remember the 341st Missile Wing is focused on maintaining and operating all of its core morale, welfare and recreation services operations.

Air Force officials recently announced world-wide civilian manpower restructuring actions. It was presumed the 341st Force Support Squadron would eliminate or close down many of its legacy services operations. To manage this downsizing, the Air Force Services Agency has identified FSS core vs. non-core activities.

Core activities are those activities deemed necessary to maintain essential installation-based quality of life for the active-duty members and their families. Non-core activities are "nice to have" activities that will be required to support themselves via Non-Appropriated Funds income. Non-core activities unable to generate enough income to be solvent could potentially be phased out over time

The FSS staff has made every effort to maintain all viable services via management measures and streamlining operations to avoid any closures. The core activities -- Child Care, the School Age Program, Youth Programs, Fitness, the Dining Facility, and the Airman and Family Readinesscenter -- will continue to operate on a "business as usual" format. Outdoor Recreation, Arts and Crafts, the Library, the Community Center and Bowling will experience changes to their hours of operation, services offered and programming to accommodate the reduction in resources.

Outdoor Recreation will retain the recreational vehicle parking area, FamCamps, Pow Wow Park and the equipment loan, and rental operations. Equipment loan and rental inventories will be limited to high-volume items only and ODR's proposed hours of operation will be seasonal. ODR will also moving from its current location into a shared facility with the Arts and Crafts Center.

Arts and Crafts will retain auto skills, engraving, the car wash and the frame shop. Hours of operation for engraving and the frame shop will be Tuesday - Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The wood hobby shop is being eliminated. Auto skills services hours will be Thursday - Monday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Auto skills will have limited services such as tire balancing, rotation, changing, etc. The auto skills format will be changed to a "do-it-yourself" system. The employee's primary duty will be to ensure customer safety, proper equipment usage and cleanliness of the facility.

The bowling center snack bar will continue to operate daily, year-round, to include breakfast service; however, lane usage will be limited to seasonal usage, for example. Oct. 1 - March 31 to accommodate leagues and other winter-time venues. The lanes will be available for special events such as birthday parties and squadron off-sites from April 1 - September 30 by reservation. Customers are required to reserve the lanes in advance of the special event.
Open bowling will continue to be offered.

The Malmstrom auditorium will continue to show free movies on Saturdays. These movies are provided by the Army and Air Force Exchange Service as "second run" movies. Malmstrom receives them after they are initially released as "first run." This unique benefit permits the FSS to offer them for free. The only requirements are that all patrons must be authorized ID card holders, no outside food is permitted in the facility (a snack bar is available) and PG-13 means youth under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult. The first showing is at 3 p.m. and is typically geared toward youth audiences; the second at is at 7 p.m. They will always be different movies.

The Malmstrom library will continue to operate with the following hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; Saurday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; and Thursday and Sunday Closed. The library will continue to maintain 30,000 books, 100 magazines, audio books on CD, periodicals, 20 computers for public use, a children's section, wireless internet, copiers and a fax.

Finally, the Grizzly Bend restaurant and bar will continue to operate as usual. In addition, special events and catered events will continue on a "business as usual" format for the time being. The remainder of the Grizzly Bend meaning the Community Center, will incur several key changes in the form of room fees to off-set NAF labor costs associated with set-up, tear-down and clean-up. In addition, the Community Center operating hours and programming may be altered due to the decrease in manning.

As with Arts and Crafts, Outdoor Recreation and Bowling, the Community Center will remain open only as long as it is NAF sustainable

At this time, Malmstrom has successfully retained all the core functions and many of its non-core programs. For more services information, please go to http://www.341fss.com/.