The Magazine of MiliTary housing, lodging & lifesTyles

DefensecommunitiesMarch/april 2013 www.phma.com

Special Section: Building Community in Privatized Housingpage 6

Special Section: The Latest in Flooring page 20

NEW! 2013 Military Housing Supplier Showcasepage 34

Cultivating military living spaces that foster

engagement, responsibility

Communities Growing

CONTENTS

2 Defense Communities

FEATURES

20 Flooring Factors As flooring options abound, it’s important to do the necessary research to determine which type fits your needs and budget. By Tim Skufca

22 A Personal TouchThe right flooring goes a long way in creating an upscale aesthetic with long-term value and sustainability.By Ben Saylor

24 Flooring for Wounded VeteransMohawk continues its partnership with Operation Finally Home to provide mortgage-free homes for wounded veterans and their families.Adapted from a Press Release

6

6 Growing CommunitiesThrough its dynamic community centers, Picerne Military Housing works to develop and maintain unique and desirable communities.By Karen Orwin

10 Connecting Single SoldiersA busy calendar of LifeWorks events at Marne Point Unaccompanied Personnel Housing, Fort Stewart, brings residents together to improve their quality of life.By Andrea Theil

12 Communities That ThriveForest City Military Communities engages staff and residents to create a sense of place.By Troy Knivila-Ritchie

16 Building Something GreaterLend Lease communities offer military families a place to bond, communicate, and build lasting relationships.By Dixie Lanier Johnson

18 Scholarship Opportunity for High SchoolersThe Lend Lease Community Foundation plans to award a total of 12 $5,000 scholarships to eligible applicants for the upcom-ing 2013-2014 school year.Adapted from a Press Release

20

SPECIAL SECTION: Building Community in Privatized Housing Special Section: Flooring

26 Fiscal Crisis Brings Threat of Base ClosuresThe nation’s current fiscal uncertainty ensures that base closings remain a threat in the years ahead; here’s how to prepare in case closures become a reality.By Elizabeth Ferrell, Jim Schweiter, and Patrick Stanton

mARCH | APRiL 2013 3

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Defense Communities (ISSN #1088-9000 USPS #004-502) is pub lished bi month ly by Stratton Pub lish ing & Mar ket ing Inc., 5285 Shawnee Road, Suite 510, Alexandria, VA 22312-2334, for the Pro fes sion al Hous ing Man age ment As so ci a tion, 154 Fort Evans Road, NE, Leesburg, VA 20176. PHMA mem bers re ceive this pub li ca tion at the an nu al sub scrip tion rate of $30.

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Postmaster: Send subscription/address changes to: Defense Communities, 154 Fort Evans Road, NE, Leesburg, VA 20176 or e-mail: phmaoffice@earthlink.net.

Publisher

Editor

Managing Editor

Production Assoc.

Art Director

Ad Sales Manager

Debra J. StrattonBirgitt SeymourLia DangelicoChristine UmbrellJanelle WelchAlison Bashian

Defense Communities magazine is designed to keep those who operate and manage the whole spectrum of military housing and facilities maintenance informed on the industry’s latest technology, prod-ucts, and services. It provides a forum for members to share lessons learned, news and events, and train-ing opportunities and updates.

The Magazine of MiliTary housing, lodging & lifesTyles

DefensecommunitiesDefensecommunitiesMarch/April 2013 u Volume 24, Number 2 u www.phma.com

Please send your articles for Defense Communities to

Birgitt Seymour at phmadefensecommunities@earthlink.net.

NEXT EDITORIAL DEADLINES:

July/August – May 10September/October – July 2

DEPARTMENTS

4 President’s Message PHMA President Del

Eulberg offers hope despite challenges presented by the fiscal crisis.

42 Military Marketplace

44 PHMA Corporate Sustaining Members

52 Advertising Index

ABOUT THE COVER Linden Oaks resident Celeste Ripley, her daughter Cambri (3), and son Carter (5) enjoy the weather by taking a walk through the neighborhood on the walking trails.

THE MAGAZINE OF MILITARY HOUSING, LODGING & LIFESTYLES

DefenseCOMMUNITIESMARCH/APRIL 2013 www.phma.com

Special Section: Building Community in Privatized Housingpage 6

Special Section: The Latest in Flooring page 20

NEW! 2013 Military Housing Supplier Showcasepage 42

Cultivating military living spaces that foster

engagement, responsibility

COMMUNITIES Growing

28 Answering the CallMany military housing pro-fessionals have turned to call centers to provide residents with great customer service at all times of the day.By Joe Hendrix

30 2012 Project Award WinnersPrivatized military housing professionals are honored by the Residential Community Initiative for their efforts in 2012.By Deborah A. Hutton and Donald Brannon

32 The First 50 Minutes of Your DayStarting each day with high pay-off activities helps individuals develop productive habits.By Mark Towers

34 NEW! 2013 Defense Communities Military Housing Supplier Showcase

28

32

6 Defense Communities

A wave to a neighbor. Families who walk together to school. Dogs that play together in a park. These are all things an observer may see in a Picerne Military Housing community. Though one

street comprised of just a few homes can be considered a community, Picerne, a division of Corvias Group, puts the concept of community at the heart of everything that it does. The end result: residents who consider themselves to be not only neighbors with their fellow military families, but also friends and part of a valued support system.

Though the company’s 20,000-plus home portfolio at seven military installations across the country may equal the size of a small town, Picerne does more than just build and manage high-quality homes for its residents through the Army’s Residential Communities Initiative (RCI). It has built real communities where residents can live, play, study, and serve at Forts Meade, Bragg, Polk, Rucker, Riley, Sill, and Aberdeen Proving Ground. From the various interior and exterior gathering spaces to the

SPECIAL SECTION: Building Community in Privatized Housing

Picerne Military Housing brings together military

families as more than just neighbors: friends

By Karen Orwin

Communities Growing

Ribbon-cutting ceremony at Fort Riley’s Lieutenant General Richard J. Seitz Elementary School

mARCH | APRiL 2013 7

company’s master-planned amenities and school construc-tion, Picerne develops and maintains communities that are unique and desirable.

Each Picerne neighborhood, regardless of its location in the country, has one thing in common: a strong sense of integration. Residents can walk down the street and know that they have neighbors they can depend on, whether it is to join them for a jog on the walking trails or to provide a shoulder to cry on after a deployment ceremony.

“I love being here. I don’t want to think about ever hav-ing to leave,” said Fort Bragg resident LaQuinta Osborne.

Gathering spacesA total of 35 full-scale community centers with first-class amenities are available to Picerne residents. Every commu-nity center has been strategically placed so that it is within walking distance of all of the homes in the neighborhood. It is what many would consider to be the heart of the com-munity, with regard to its location as well as its function. The community center’s location encourages walking throughout the neighborhood, and as a result, residents find themselves shaking hands, greeting other families, and making friends more frequently.

Each center’s interior has been built with military families’ needs in mind, including various gathering spaces where resi-dents can interact with each other on a day-to-day basis. From children’s parties to tailgating, each center offers comfortable rooms and furniture with large flat-screen televisions, and a full-sized kitchen for entertaining neighbors and friends.

Luxury-style swimming pools not only provide a way to cool off on hot summer days, but the large patios were designed to provide plenty of space for families to take in the summer rays and enjoy the company of their fellow neigh-bors while lounging by the pool. Fitness rooms allow resi-dents to exercise in a spot that is close to home. A high-tech media room, gym, game room, and children’s play room all encourage families and children to interact on spontaneous play dates that can turn into life-long friendships.

Multi-purpose rooms also are available for residents to reserve as they wish at no charge—great for private occa-sions like birthday parties, baby showers, and club meet-ings. They also may be used to host helpful educational sessions for military families on topics like parenting, cook-ing, and budgeting. As a result, these well-attended infor-mational sessions gather together neighbors with common interests and goals.

While Picerne’s community centers offer a convenient location and provide attractive, well-designed gathering spaces, the company has also built exterior amenities that encourage cohesiveness and a sense of community. Picerne has built almost 350 playgrounds that are located through-out the neighborhoods for families to enjoy playtime. Even the family dog has his or her own space—Picerne offers five

Bark Parks, where families and pets alike can get to know each other.

Each amenity, whether it is the community center or an outdoor gathering space, develops a sense of kinship, understanding, and camaraderie among what is often a transient military family population. A strong sense of community is critical to the happiness and satisfaction of residents, especially during the more difficult times that a military family can face, such as a deployment or other family separation as a result of a military commitment. Providing several locations and events where families inter-act and spend leisure time together, Picerne offers a more stable and integrated way of life for its residents.

Each community is capped off with a dedicated manage-ment and maintenance team that knows residents by name and understands the mission of putting families first.

“The first time we visited the community center, we felt like we were part of the Picerne family. We continue to feel like that every single day,” said Fort Bragg resident Sergeant Travis Andrus. “They make my wife smile, and that makes me smile.”

The team’s dedication is not only evident in day-to-day interactions—it is what drives resident events, when Picerne team members provide a free day of fun for residents. These themed events, ranging from Resident Appreciation Day to holiday-themed gatherings, are held throughout the year at all seven military installations. Some events are so popular that thousands of people from the community attend.

“Picerne cares so much, so they have a lot of family-ori-ented activities,” said Osborne. “The holiday events are like Santa’s workshop because there are so many people there.”

Children gather for community story time with a pirate and a princess in Linden Oaks at Fort Bragg

8 Defense Communities

Master-planned communitiesLinden Oaks, located 10 miles away from Fort Bragg’s Main Post in North Carolina, is a master-planned community that Picerne developed from the ground up to meet a housing deficit at Fort Bragg. The picturesque community includes 300 acres of preserved wetlands, and the homes are beautifully nestled among pine trees. The curb appeal of Linden Oaks is strengthened by the neighborhood’s gated entrance, tree-lined streets, and the extensive upkeep of the properties.

Land that was formerly 1,100 acres of undeveloped ground is now a stand-alone community with more than 1,200 homes, two community centers, three schools, one child development center, one school-age services facility, more than 6,000 linear feet of walking trails, a Bark Park, 19 play-grounds or common areas, and a LEED-Platinum fire and emergency services station that is dedicated to keeping Linden Oaks residents safe. All of these amenities allow families to live away from the hustle and bustle of a military installation, but enjoy the perks and security of living on Fort Bragg.

Linden Oaks has proven to be so popular that an addi-tional 210 homes will be constructed by the end of this year, bringing the total number of homes in the neighborhood to more than 1,400. In addition to the construction of the homes, Picerne also completed 14 miles of roadways and 55 miles of water mains throughout the neighborhood.

“We worked with several government organizations to make Linden Oaks what it is today,” said Michael Steiner, managing director for Picerne Military Housing. “Our close relationships with the Army, local county officials, and Fort Bragg’s leadership ensured that the community was what our residents needed and wanted, from both a quality of life and housing perspective.”

The second master-planned community that Picerne built is the Forsyth neighborhood at Fort Riley, Kansas. Forsyth is comprised of almost 1,400 three- and four-bedroom homes and multiple community amenities, including one elemen-tary school, 14 playgrounds or common areas, a community center, soccer and baseball fields, more than 18,000 linear feet

of walking trails, a community garden, and a Bark Park. One child development center and a fire station also are located just outside of the community. The community’s development, as well as the construction of 10 miles of roadways and 12 miles of water mains, was completed in less than six years.

“Families should not have to trade comfort and amenities for the convenience of living on post. This community pro-vides it all for our military families—comfort, quality, and convenience,” said Brian Beauregard, program director for Picerne Military Housing at Fort Riley.

The master-planned community designs at Linden Oaks and Forsyth not only allow a more convenient way of life, but they also provide various settings where families who live in one neighborhood can interact with each other on a daily basis. From the time children walk to school in the morning until the family goes to a playground before dinner, residents are constantly interacting with each other as they go about their daily lives in positive social settings, all without leav-ing their neighborhood. As faces become more familiar and neighbors soon become more friends, a community is formed.

Beyond housingPicerne also can proudly say that it has built the first school using the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) legislation that was enacted in 1996. Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates pledged Department of Defense funds to construct the Lieutenant General Richard J. Seitz Elementary School in Fort Riley’s Forsyth neighborhood. However, obtain-ing those funds and diverting them to school construction proved a greater challenge for the Army. As a result, Picerne partnered with the school district to utilize the RCI authority and MHPI legislation to help build the school. Picerne com-pleted the school under budget in August 2012, six months earlier than originally anticipated.

The development of this school not only eases the over-crowding of Fort Riley schools, but it also completes the com-munity of Forsyth. The 87,000-square-foot school is now home to 675 students in kindergarten through fifth grade, all of whom live in Forsyth. No similar projects have been completed to date.

“We want our school to be safe and friendly, where our students thrive academically and socially. We envision this to be in all areas, including as they walk to and from school,” said Samrie Devin, principal of Seitz Elementary School. “We are looking forward to involving Picerne in other areas of our school community.”

Picerne Military Housing, a division of Corvias Group, was founded in 1998 and is a fully integrated real estate develop-ment, construction, and property management firm. For more information about the company or Picerne Military Housing’s communities, go to www.picernemilitaryhousing.com. n

Karen Orwin is a communications specialist for Picerne Military Housing. Reach her at korwin@picernemh.com.

SPECIAL SECTION: Building Community in Privatized Housing

“Families should not have to trade comfort and amenities for the convenience of living on post. This community provides it all for our military families—comfort, quality, and convenience.”

—Brian Beauregard, Picerne Military Housing

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52 Defense Communities

A d v e r t i s i n g i n d e x

Company, Contact Phone Web Site Page

American Bedding Mfg., Inc. Don Reynolds 1-800-203-2507 www.americanbeddingmfg.com 35

Balfour Beatty Communities Kathy Grim 610/355-8206 www.bbcgrp.com 14

Cort Business Services Peggy Moore 301/324-8606 www.cort1.com 41

Corvias Group Amanda Filipowski 401/228-2800 www.corvias.com 1

Glasdon, Inc. JD Villegas 804-726-3777 www.glasdon.com 34

HD Supply Facilities Maintenance 877/610-6912 www.hdsupplysolutions.com C2

Kenyon International Suzanne Owens 860/664-4906 www.kenyonappliances.com 23, 35

MilitaryByOwner Advertising Dave Gran 540/446-4676 www.MilitaryByOwner.com 49

Norix Group, Inc. Randy Duffer 800/234-4900 www.norix.com 37

PODS Moving & Storage Cherlyne Rouse 727/538 6418 www.pods.com/phma 36

Salsbury Industries Ricardo Alva 323/846-6700 www.mailboxes.com 29

Speed Queen Kate Holmes 920/748-1671 www.speedqueen.com 25

The Mohawk Group 877-275-6642 www.mohawkflooring.com/multifamily 40

The Refinishing Touch Mario Insenga 770/642-4169 www.therefinishingtouch.com 33

Trinity Furniture Jorge Lagueruela 336/472-6660 www.trinityfurniture.com 37

University Loft Company James Jannetides 317/631-5433 www.universityloft.com C4

Valley Forge Fabrics Jason Gans 954/971-1776 www.valleyforge.com 38

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Customer Service 800/644-8083 www.wellsfargo.com C3

Yardi Spencer Stewart 800/866-1144 www.yardi.com 5, 39