I hope your committee can see fit to eliminate by authorizing additional units at each of these bases. Particularly would I call your attention to the fact that the Clinton-Sherman Base is designated as an "isolated base" by the Air Force, which means that from the standpoint of the time of travel required from nearby cities and towns, the distance is too great for efficient emergency operation. Also, this base is in an area where the population is normally increasing as rapidly as houses are being supplied to meet that need, and the deficiency of housing is just about equivalent to the number of families of the Air Force personnel required to operate the base at full strength. The housing situation at Altus is about the same. Civilian requirements are always ahead of available living units. I do not feel that it is necessary for me to go into the technical details of this matter because I believe that you are advised in that regard. Your consideration of the request for additional units at both the Altus Air Force Base and the Clinton-Sherman Air Force Base will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely yours, ROBERT S. KERR. STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK CARLSON, U.S. SENATOR, STATE OF KANSAS U.S. SENATE, Washington, D.C., April 20, 1959. Hon. JOHN STENNIS, Chairman, Subcommittee on Military Base Construction, Armed Services Committee, Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. DEAR SENATOR STENNIS: Some weeks ago I wrote you in regard to the need for additional housing at the Schilling Air Force Base and urged that your committee approve the request for 240 additional units for this base. I personally visited the base and am convinced that this number of houses, and probably more, could be easily justified. I am enclosing a letter from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, together with a breakdown of the officer personnel, the present onbase housing and the need for these additional units. If further information is desired, I will be most pleased to secure it for you. Sincerely yours, FRANK CARLSON. DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE, Hon. FRANK CARLSON, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Washington, D.C., April 16, 1959. DEAR SENATOR CARLSON: In keeping with your request made during a recent visit to Schilling Air Force Base, Kans., there is attached a data sheet on family housing requirements for that airbase. Col. Harold W. Ohlke, commander 802d Air Division, has asked me to express his appreciation for your interest in this matter and for finding time to visit Schilling Air Force Base. Sincerely yours, ROBERT N. BAKER, (For and in the absence of W. P. Fisher, Major General, USAF, Director Legislative Liaison). SCHILLING AIR FORCE BASE HOUSING STATISTICS 1. The projected Air Force personnel strengths for Schilling Air Force Base at end fiscal year 1962 will be 555 officers and 3,430 airmen. In addition, there will be 25 Army officers and 210 enlisted men assigned to a Nike unit that will require housing on Schilling Air Force Base. This results in a total projected base population of 590 officers and 3,640 airmen. 2. The housing requirement for these personnel will be 470 officers and 1,160 senior airmen (including 67 units for Nike) for a total of 1,630 units. In addi tion there will be a requirement for 790 junior airmen for which the Air Force is not authorized to provide family housing. 3. Present onbase housing consists of 6 public quarters and 535 title VIII units. In addition there are 411 adequate private community units available for a total of 952 assets. This leaves a deficiency of approximately 680 units against which the Air Force proposes to construct 240 title VIII units. Construction of the 240 units will provide on-base housing for only 48 percent of the projected authorized requirement. Normal onbase limitation is 55 percent of normal requirements in nonisolated areas. 4. The housing status of the personnel currently assigned to the base is as follows: Officers married__ Living in adequate quarters_ Living in inadequate quarters.. Living in adequate quarters_. Living in inadequate quarters_ Total adequate quarters available_ Total inadequate quarters utilized. Immediate requirement for additional adequate quarters__. 896 345 551 1,299 607 692 952 1, 243 1, 243 680 240 STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN A. CARROLL, U.S. SENATOR, STATE OF COLORADO Lowry Air Force Base has a requirement for 760 additional on-base family housing units. This requirement is generated primarily because of programed activation of a priority Strategic Air Command missile mission at this base together with the normal training mission. Based on the long-range deployment for Lowry Air Force Base there will be a gross housing requirement for 3,333 officer and senior airmen families for whom the Air Force is authorized to provide housing and for approximately 1,150 lower grade airmen for whom the Air Force is not authorized to provide housing. The Air Force proposes to provide adequate housing, either on base or off base for only 3,000 personnel, or 90 percent of the authorized officer and senior airmen requirement. Offsetting this requirement are 2,240 units consisting of— 130 public quarters; 480 Wherry units; 1,080 adequate community support units; 550 conditional community units; leaving a balance of 760 families for whom housing is required. It was determined by a survey that there were not sufficient rental units within a 15-mile radius of Lowry Air Force Base to satisfy the incoming Air Force requirements. Residential vacancy surveys prepared by the Denver Board of Realtors show a unit vacancy factor of rental housing in Denver of 3.2 percent. It is proposed this deficiency be met by construction of a Capehart project under title VIII of the National Housing Act, as amended. These units will be constructed by private capital with 25-year mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration. This project has been certified by the Secretary of the Air Force, concurred in by the Denver field office director of the FHA, and approved in principle by the affected civic leaders and city organizations. The 760-unit project was deleted from the fiscal year 1960 program during review by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and consequently does not appear in the Air Force military construction authorization bill. The requirement. however, is considered firm in light of the incoming Strategic Air Command mission. The Air Force is willing to accept 450 units as a first increment of this requirement. If authorized, this project would be constructed to provide new housing for approximately 120 officers and 330 airmen. STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK CHURCH, U.S. SENATOR, STATE OF IDAHO A serious housing shortage exists at the Mountain Home, Idaho, Air Force Base. In an effort to meet this problem, the Strategic Air Command at this Air Force Base requested that an 870 Capehart housing unit project be included in the 1960 military construction program. This figure was later reduced to 820 units, the Federal Housing Administrator for Idaho certified to the need for these units and the Secretary of the Air Force joined in this request. Subsequently, the Review Board of the Department of Defense reduced this requested number to 550 units and that figure appears in the bill which is now before your committee. On April 13, 1959, the Secretary of Defense waived his earlier 75-percent limitation on housing units at the Mountain Home Air Force Base and I understand that his request for the 820 units is now a matter of record with your committee. From my personal knowledge, I feel strongly about the urgent need for the additional housing units at this base. Many of the personnel attached to the base are forced to live miles away and must commute between 26 to 120 miles daily. Much of the housing, even at those distances, is substandard and trailer courts are crowded. To add to the already existing housing shortage in this area, the Air Force has announced plans to locate a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile facility there. This makes the need for additional housing units even more critical. Business and civic leaders in Idaho have been vigorous in their requests asking me to seek increased housing, not only because of its obvious need, but, also, because it is Capehart housing, which, as you know, is privately financed and would not require additional Federal appropriations. I respectfully urge your committee to give its usual thoughtful consideration to the possibility of approving the requested 820-unit authorization. BOISE, IDAHO, April 27, 1959. Senator FRANK CHURCH, Washington, D.C.: Understand Capehart housing Mountain Home scheduled for hearing Wednesday this week. We are all most interested in having the full 820 units authorized. Can we furnish any information or be of further assistance in any way? Will be happy to do whatever you think will assist in obtaining quick committee approval. Regards. ROBERT E. SMYLIE, Governor. FIRST SECURITY BANK OF IDAHO, BOISE, IDAHо, March 19, 1959. Hon. FRANK CHURCH, Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. DEAR FRANK: Thank you very much for your further letter of March 19, Certainly with the announcement of this missile base we ought to be able to get Congress to authorize the 820 Capehart housing units for the present air base. They were badly needed before and now with that announcement it seems to me it makes this construction program imperative. Yours very truly, J. L. DRISCOLL, Chairman of the Board. STATEMENT OF HON. JOSEPH S. CLARK, U.S. SENATOR, STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA Hon. RICHARD B. RUSSELL, COMMITTEE ON BANKING AND CURRENCY, Chairman, Committee on Armed Services, UNITED STATES SENATE, April 30, 1959. DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: I respectfully request your consideration of an amendment to H.R. 5674 to provide for an additional 650 units of Capehart housing in Philadelphia. Although the 650 units were requested by the Commandant of the Fourth Naval District, headquarters in Philadelphia, on the basis of national priorities, they failed to be included in the bill before you. However, unless these units are authorized by your committee in this session of the Congress, in February 1960 some 700 families of Navy enlisted men in Philadelphia will suffer severe hardship as the result of losing their homes. The justification for these units is attached. I appreciate your consideration. JOSEPH S. CLARK. March 1, 1959. Facility Study-Part 1. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY MILITARY CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM, FISCAL YEAR 1961 MARRIED ENLISTED MEN'S QUARTERS (650) FOR NAVAL ACTIVITIES, PHILADELPHIA AREA A. Background.-No Navy housing for married enlisted men exists in the Philadelphia area. To overcome this deficiency, naval personnel have been granted occupancy in a Lanham Act housing project (Passyunk Homes) since its construction in 1940. Congress, however, under Public Law 1020/84 gave permanent use and custody of this project to the Philadelphia Housing Authority for use as low-cost (slum clearance) housing, with the stipulation that military personnel be given preference in the occupancy of 700 units for 3 years, or until February 1960. Present Navy occupancy is, and has been, limited by the number of units which become available by normal attrition. B. Requirement.-The Philadelphia Housing Authority has definitely stated that occupancy by military personnel in general, will not be permitted after February 1960. The great majority of naval personnel cannot qualify for continued occupancy after that date, because of housing authority regulations and requirements. A comprehensive survey of realtors in South Philadelphia residential areas during September 1958, revealed only one vacant housing unit available for their occupancy after February 1960, it is an immediate imperative personnel. The lack of similar rental housing within the area of Metropolitan Philadelphia was concerned as a general condition by the director of development coordination, city of Philadelphia. Since there is no other Navy, other Government, or privately owned rental housing (either adequate or inadequate) available for their occupancy after February 1960, it is an immediate imperative necessity that adequate housing be provided on a permanent basis for these enlisted personnel. It is understood that it was informally indicated in the congressional hearing preceding passage of the act noted above, that recourse by the Navy to action under the Capehart Act should be used to provide for its needs in the Philadelphia area. There are currently 663 Navy families resident in Passyunk Homes, which number, as previously stated, are limited by availability of units. The survey of the naval activities in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area which would be served by the housing requested, and used as a basis for preparation of Report EXOS 11101-1 (Form 3948(1-57)) dated May 14, 1958, established a net deficiency in adequate housing units of 230 officers and 758 enlisted men in the top three grades. Since it is Department of Defense policy to program for no more than 90 percent of an established requirement, this would limit housing for officers to 207 units and enlisted men to 682. In view of economic limitations of the present austere situation affecting Government expenditures, no request is made at this time to provide housing for officers. There is, however, an immediate and urgent need for the construction of a minimum of 650 housing units for enlisted men. This request should not be considered as a recently developed requirement, but properly as a replacement to provide for a long-established and existing requirement. C. Previous action.-Request for authority and funds to provide for the basic requirement noted herein was originally made to the Chief of Naval Operations on October 22, 1956, when it became apparent the Navy would lose its occupancy of Passyunk Homes. Numerous reviews, detailed investigations and reconsideration of various phases of the requirement, preparation of detailed feasibility reports and site studies, delayed approval of the project. Approved by the Secretary of the Navy early in September 1957, it was reviewed by the Armed Services Committee of the Congress. Informal information indicated that since certain phases of the the project did not conform to requirements for interim action by the committee until Congress had reconvened in January 1958. Since this time lapse would have precluded possibility of starting construction prior to June 1958, the project was withdrawn by the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense advised of its cancellation on October 29, 1957. D. Present action.-The Commandant, Fourth Naval District, has been and is taking continuing action and study to develop a completely acceptable project. Combined action by the mayor of Philadelphia through his office of development coordination, the director, third district Housing and Home Finance Administration, the city planning commission, and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, has resulted in a tentative offer to the Navy of an alternate site (to that previously proposed north of the naval hospital). This alternate site is now vacant land, located adjacent to and immediately west of the naval hospital, and comprises a tract of 30 acres plus or minus. The estimated cost contained in the item submission is based upon use of this site. E. Anticipated results of failure by the Navy to provide the required housing. First, and foremost, a minimum of 650 Navy enlisted men's families will literally be "out in the street," with no other accommodations available to house them, in February 1960. Such a condition would inevitably result in serious widespread personnel problems through inability to secure (nonexistent) adequate, and financially acceptable substitute accommodations in which to house dependents within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. These problems would, in turn, undoubtedly generate more serious morale problems, the effect of which might well become navywide thereby affecting work performance, enlistment, and the reenlistment of rated personnel. In this last connection it should be noted that the requirement of 650 units is predicted entirely upon the need of enlisted men, locally assigned, in the top three pay grades. Widespread adverse chain reaction throughout the Navy among this personnel group could well have serious consequences as regards reenlistment and the continuance of their naval careers. Last, while of possibly minor import, the interest of the mayor of Philadelphia and other responsible public officials and private individuals who are deeply concerned regarding this project and the need therefor, would, in all probability, cause widespread criticism of the Navy with resultant unfavorable publicity. Command SSDB Ltr (with comments and recommendations), of February 24, 1959, to COMFOUR. Subject: Fourth Naval District Command Shore Station Development Board program for fiscal year 1961; submission of (class 2 (OPNAV-24), item 040-U-354 (D1), “Married enlisted men's quarters (650) for naval activities Philadelphia area," 4ND Headquarters, Naval Base, Philadelphia, Pa.). 1. In the review and study of this item, in accordance with those criteria of reference (c) concerned with possible use of other similar Government or privately owned facilities, the command board determined through inquiries to local housing and municipal planning agencies (specifically office of development coordination, mayor of Philadelphia; Third District Housing and Home Finance Agency; the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority), that virtually no rental housing is available within the Philadelphia metropolitan area which is within the financial limitations of the average enlisted BAQ and/or which qualifies as acceptable under Navy standards of size and condition. Since only enlisted men in the two lowest pay grades would be eligible for occupancy in municipally operated low-cost (slum clear |