BELLEVUE, Neb. — An Air Force colonel says he and other officials are paying close attention to resident complaints about living conditions and repairs at off-base, privatized housing for personnel at Offutt Air Force Base just south of Omaha.
Col. Gavin Marks is commander of the 55th Wing at Offutt, and Tuesday he told residents at a town hall meeting at a Bellevue school that he’s set up a new hotline to handle complaints.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that local complaints about mold, shoddy construction, slow repairs and street problems at the Rising View neighborhood west of the base echo those from other bases. Those complaints were aired at congressional hearings in Washington earlier this year.
The Pentagon subsequently ordered inspections of every privatized military home. At Offutt, inspectors found 96 homes with what inspectors described as “health and safety” violations, such as mold or lead paint.
The Rising View leasing manager says all of the violations have been rectified.
