Clayton would (1) reduce transportation costs to $9,400 per year, making possible a potential saving of $42,300 per year; (2) reduce the time presently spent by the children getting to and from school, which has been one-third to one-half of the time spent in class; (3) allow sufficient time at home for at properly supervised lunch (present bus schedules allow only 15 to 20 minutes); (4) save the cost of bus guards, hired on a voluntary basis by the parents of lower grade children; and (5) increase the usable school facilities by utilizing Jadwin Hall, a 1,090-seat theater as an auditorium, Reeder gymnasium, the olympic pool for swimming classes, and the little league park and a large level area adjacent for playgrounds. These existing facilities are all within 111⁄2 blocks of the proposed building (No. 129) and would provide one of the most complete school plants in the Canal Zone. The design of this project is 40-percent completed. Cost to date is $7,600. The firm of Komanoff is handling it. The second item at this post is an electrical substation distribution facilities at an estimated cost of $200,000. This item is required to handle current plus anticipated demand for electrical power. Currently this area feeds from the Albrook AFB circuits, which are loaded to capacity. If not provided, required voltage cannot be maintained and present distribution feeders will become overloaded and deteri orate. The Curundu area housing development consists of 752 family and bachelor housing units. Of these 752 units, 416 units presently use gas for water heating and cooking. It is proposed to eliminate the gas-fired equipment from all quarters in this area. Furthermore, there are 100 units of Capehart family housing currently under construction that are scheduled to use electricity for water heating and cooking. Proposed facility has been planned to accommodate electrical requirements for 316 existing permanent units of BOQ and family housing, plus the additional increment of 686 units of BOQ and family housing units programed on long-range basis. Design is being handled by the Jacksonville District Engineer and it is 40 percent completed Cost to date is $4,000. Mr. SHEPPARD. Who will operate the school? General SEEMAN. The schools are being operated by the employed civilians of the canal and the Adjutant General which has this responsibility for operating dependent schools on posts. Colonel ADAMS. The Panama Canal Company in this case operates this school. We furnish the facilities, as I recall. Mr. SHEPPARD. What will the Army pay the Canal Company on a pupil basis? General SEEMAN. We will have to provide that for the record. I do not know whether it compares with the standard payments to school districts in the United States or not. (The information requested follows:) The average student cost for kindergarten is $165 per year. The average student cost for grades 1 through 6 is $495 per year. Mr. SHEPPARD. Well, of course, there is some basic reason for it, but I would like the answer as to why the Canal Company should not build the school itself. They have jurisdiction over this area pretty much in its entirety, as I interpret the operation, based upon my last visit down to the Canal Zone area. General SEEMAN. The transportation charge amortizes this expenditure which is now an Army expense. The justification for this adjustment seems to be a burden on the Army in the current disposition cost and the Army does have this building space available which is quite suitable to our use. It is not the erection of a completely new building, but it is a modification of an existing barracks building for an elementary school. Mr. SHEPPARD. How many children of kindergarten age are included? General SEEMAN. Presently they have 478 children at Fort Clayton up through the sixth grade that are being transported. Mr. SHEPPARD. How many are in kindergarten? General SEEMAN. I do not have that figure, sir. Mr. SHEPPARD. Will you please place it in the record when the transcript comes down to you? General SEEMAN. Yes, sir. (The information requested follows:) It is estimated that the kindergarten enrollment in the proposed Fort Clayton School will be aprpoximately 100 students. Mr. SHEPPARD. By what authority do you provide Government space and Government transportation for the education of children in kindergarten grades? Colonel COYNE. This is the only Army-operated school for which a special kindergarten authorization is appropriate, sir. Mr. SHEPPARD. I am sorry, but that is not the answer to the question which I asked. The question I asked was by what authority do you provide Government space and Government transportation for the education of children in kindergarten grades? Do you have that answer now? Colonel COYNE. I do not have the legal answer. Mr. SHEPPARD. Would you get that and supply it for the record? Colonel COYNE. Yes, sir. (The information requested follows:) Statutory authority is contained in the Civil Functions Appropriation Act, 1955, 68 Stat. 335. Section 107, supra, provides in part: *** Amounts expended by the Canal Zone Government for furnishing education, and hospital and medical care to employees of agencies of the United States and their dependents, other than the Panama Canal Company and Canal Zone Government, less amounts payable by such employees and their dependents hereafter shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law, be fully reimbursable to the Canal Zone Government by such agencies. * * *" Under date of July 12, 1955, the Office of the Secretary of Defense issued a directive that reimbursement would thenceforth be made to the Canal Zone Government for kindergarten and junior college education of dependents of personnel of the military departments in the Canal Zone. Com Gen B-124786, January 18, 1956, quotes the above Secretary of Defense directive and states further "* * * Therefore, it is assumed that the Canal Zone Government will encounter no further difficulty in obtaining reimbursement from military departments for unrecovered costs of furnishing kindergarten and junior college educational services to dependents of employees of such departments." Mr. SHEPPARD. Why it is necessary to eliminate the gas-fired equipment from these various quarters at Fort Clayton? General SEEMAN. Is this with respect to the electric substation? Mr. SHEPPARD. Yes, sir. It is at page 536. Are you proposing to eliminate the gas-fired equipment from all quarters in this area? What is the basic reason for that, particularly in a location of this type taking into consideration the climatic conditions and various and sundry other things? General SEEMAN. I believe this is not a natural gas situation. It is a manufactured gas situation. Mr. SHEPPARD. What are you going to substitute for it? General SEEMAN. They are scheduled to use electricity for water, cooking and heating. Mr. SHEPPARD. Will you please supply for the record a fuller answer and also with respect as to why the determination was made to make this transition and also the savings which would be involved and the period of time in which the savings would actually become an amortization factor? General SEEMAN. Yes, sir. (The information requested follows:) The elimination of gas-fired equipment in the various quarters at Fort Clayton is part of a long-range program to replace gas-fired ranges and hot water heaters as they become unserviceable. When replacement is required, electric ranges and heaters are purchased, as the cost of operating with electricity is approximately one-half the cost when using gas. It is Department of the Army policy to select equipment which will result in the lowest overall cost to the Government. The program to date has resulted in a savings of about $120,000 by reduced cost of operation. This project will result in an additional saving of $35,000 per year. Future construction in this area would result in an additional saving of approximately $30,000 by use of electric ranges and hot water heaters. The proposed project is also required for additional electrical power requirements caused by lighting and other uses in the proposed new construction and by normal load growth. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1961. NATIONAL GUARD WITNESSES MAJ. GEN. L. E. SEEMAN, DIRECTOR OF INSTALLATIONS, ODCSLOG MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD Mr. SHEPPARD. I understand that the statement originally to be presented by General McGowan is to be presented by Maj. Gen. C. P. Kerr. General KERR. That is correct. Mr. SHEPPARD. Proceed with your statement. GENERAL STATEMENT OF CHIEF, NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU General KERR. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I welcome the opportunity to appear before you to present the Army National Guard construction program, the progress to date and current requirements for funds to accomplish the proposed armory and nonarmory projects in the President's budget for fiscal year 1962, and also an estimate of the future appropriations required to complete the armory construction program. I have four charts which will depict our construction programs: CHART NO. 1 (TOTAL ARMORY FACILITIES) The total armory requirements to house the units of the reorganized Army National Guard is 2,732, as shown by the bar on the left. Of this total, 729 State-constructed armories shown by the 2d bar are adequate and 1,110 armories as shown by the 3d bar have been constructed with Federal participation. This leaves a remaining requirement for construction and alterations in fiscal year 1961 and forward of 893, as shown by the bar on the right. CHART NO. 2 (ARMORY PROJECT REQUIREMENTS) The bar on the left of this chart represents these 893 armory projects which, as of July 1, 1960, required construction of some type to adequately house the units of the Army National Guard. The bar in the center represents the 355 existing armories which require alterations, expansion or conversion. The bar on the right shows the 538 complete new armories required to be built. These armories will replace interim or inadequate older facilities which were constructed or provided by the States with no Federal participation. As shown by the tick marks of this requirement the fiscal year 1961 $27 million obligation authority will permit us to alter, expand or convert 15 State constructed armories, and to build 116 new armories. CHART NO. 3 (ARMORY CONSTRUCTION FUNDS) Now, I would like to briefly cover the status of armory construction funds. As shown by the bar on the left, $239 million is the total estimated Federal investment required. Of this, Congress has already appropriated $158 million through fiscal year 1961, leaving the $81 million shown by the bar on the right, as the estimated remaining requirement for fiscal year 1962 and forward. |