About 200 airman were relocated on Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, last week after online complaints of mold in dormitories led to heightened scrutiny of installation living conditions that ultimately caused base leadership to conduct a full review of facilities, Military.com reported.
As the mold complaints led to heightened scrutiny, the base commander ordered a full review of dorms within 24 hours and follow-up inspections have since continued, according to the report.
The Air Force’s largest dormitory program is at JB San Antionio, and officials anticipate the number of relocated airmen to grow, according to the report.
Remediation has begun in dorms rooms where mold was found to be a severe problem, Brig. Gen. Laura Lenderman, 502nd Air Base Wing and Joint Base San Antonio commander, said in a statement.
“We hear the concerns of our community and are immediately assessing the situation,” Lenderman said. “By assessing issues on the ground level, we can develop solutions and promptly apply them.”
The relocations started after earlier reports of online photos of mold in dorms at Lackland Air Force Base triggered the full review of all the base’s dorms, according to Air Force Times.
The photos were said to be posted by current and former residents of Lackland and showed mold growing on shower walls, bedding, sneakers, backpacks and uniforms, according to the report.
The remediation work is expected to take about two months, requiring relocation to other dorms or on-base lodging,
The Air Force and the rest of the services have recently faced challenges in dealing with unsatisfactory conditions in military personnel housing.
Spouses from multiple branches of the military testified to lawmakers in February about a wide array of problems, including black mold, lead paint, termites and mice, in privatized military housing, as On Base previously reported.
Photo credit: Stripes.com
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