SitemapThe Air Force Community Partnership Program (AFCPP) has been official policy for about a year since Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James issued a July 2014 directive.
A new collaboration between the 910th Airlift Wing and the City of Youngstown is the first of its kind under the program.
Members of the 910th Civil Engineer Squadron, based at Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS), Ohio teamed up with a City of Youngstown Street Department team to kick off a joint blight removal project in a south side neighborhood here, July 23, 2015.
This kickoff was the start of a larger project between the City of Youngstown and the 910th working together to demolish at least a dozen vacant, deteriorating structures as part of the AFCPP, which began locally June 23, 2014. The program is designed to identify and develop mutually beneficial partnerships between Air Force installations and surrounding communities.
The joint blight removal project has been in the works since it was identified as one of the first goals during AFCPP meetings and required extensive efforts between the Air Force Reserve and city officials to coordinate details such as associated costs, project liability and more.
According to city officials, the number of blighted homes requiring demolition in Youngstown far exceeds the city’s available manpower. In the joint effort with Youngstown, the city gets skilled labor from the civil engineers, while the civil engineers gain valuable training opportunities that are hard to find under normal circumstances.
910th Airlift Wing commander Col. James Dignan said the wing was looking forward to this partnership.
“This RMT (Realistic Military Training) project is truly a win-win for the 910th and Youngstown. Our Citizen Airmen will receive real-world training they require to do their jobs anywhere in the world right here in our own backyard,” Dignan said. “And, the city is able to have access to Air Force Reserve resources to help them battle blight in Youngstown by demolishing these properties.”
During this project kickoff, 910th Civil Engineer Squadron Heavy Equipment Noncommissioned Officer in Charge Tech. Sgt. Casey Klein operated the excavator to take down the dilapidated house which had been vacant for about nine years.
“I think it's an outstanding opportunity. And a lot of fun to boot,” Klein said. “It's going to be excellent for my men to get out here and get some hands on training. To go ahead and do some of the demolition and hands on work, and… do something positive to enhance the Air Force image and do something for our local community.”
In addition to the AFCPP policy directive, authority for the 910th to complete the demolition work in Youngstown is granted by a section of the U.S. Code and the Department of Defense Instruction outlining RMT Off Federal Real Property.
The houses 910th Civil Engineer Squadron members are scheduled to take down are located near Youngstown's Taft Elementary School. The vacant houses, frequented by squatters, pose risks to area children, many of whom pass by these houses while walking to school.
A neighborhood resident, Alexander Reece, living a few doors down from the vacant house being demolished, said he was glad the work was being done.
“My kids can’t even walk by here with the weeds, broken glass, animals and who knows what being in these abandoned houses,” said Reece. “It will make it much safer for my kids and the rest of the neighborhood kids.”
Members of the 910th Civil Engineer Squadron are scheduled to resume demolition work on the remaining structures by the middle of next month.
“For the things we're trained to do, to deploy worldwide in any scenario, and support global air power,” said Klein. “It's nice to be able to come home and to make an impact to the local community.”
To read the full story from the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, click here.