I can't take it anymore and I know that people are going to bash me but screw it I am so tired of seeing the Fleet sailors take it in the shorts again and again. Once again I see all the sailors circling the parking area's watching or hoping some one leaves one of the 20 spots available so they can park some what close to the ships, mean while SRF has all the nice cushy spots blocked off.
SRF had a nice parking garage built fo them about ten years ago and they turned over approximatley 230 spots back to the fleet however they have now since recouped many of those spots. Don't believe me if you walk along the building just aft of where the Blue Ridge is parked and across from the DDG you will see where all the bicycle parking is, is actually supposed to be fleet parking but they just took it away with out any authority to put their stupid bike racks. Right across from Anthony's pizza those spots were returned to the fleet but now they have also been reclaimed by SRF everyday they put cones in place so sailors being the law abiding citizens they are generally do not park there.
Continuing on we come to the new building that was constructed in front of berth 6 and 7 and that nice new building took some of the 10 fleet spots that were right in front along the fence when they constructed it. But the best part is they painted about 20 new parking spots within the fence line so conviently the workers can drive and have a place to park.
Traveling along that road we come to where the sand blasting storage facility is at, I think thats what it is, and they have a huge area in front of it covered with steel plates. But the problem is they, SRF, just laid those plates down over the Fleet Parking that was there. Who gave them permission to do that and I know the fleet was never asked.
Coming around back in front of the fleet area across from the laundry the fleet parking there now has 2 new conex storage boxes placed over the 5 spots that were there.
Over by Berth 2 and 3 the floating pier the fleet parking there has JN vehicles with SRF parking apsses parked in it all the time. Call security you say...why thats exactly what I did 5 times in a single day after the third time security actually came out to take a look and then drove away. Called them again same thing too afraid or too lazy to issue a ticket.
The old A-33 parking has now been aquired by them as well. Granted it was only 15 to 20 spots but still.
They have a HUGE parking garage capable of holding just about every car on the water front but they don't use it. The 4th, 5th, and 6th floors are generally pretty full but start going higher up and you will see many of the spaces are not even used. Why, simply because they have all migrated back to the waterfront.
Why do we make our sailors walk the 15 minutes to the waterfront from the parking garage at 0 dark hundred and feel thats ok?
Oh yeah I forgot the best one is the power station on the side of the old fleet rec building, I think it's outdoor gear issue now, was built on fleet parking. They took it away to build the power station and never provided an alternative parking spot for the carrier guys.
Who spot checks that SRF workers are in fact parking in their assigned spaces??? NO ONE!!! If SRF wants more parking they just:
a. go out and paint new parking lines
b. move equipment to create new parking spaces
and never have any reprecussions. The people that can really affect change don't care because they have their assigned parking so it's not an issues for them.
I have heard these words spoken by a senior officer" A parking Garage (for the fleet) is not a priority for me" because he has other areas that the money needs to go to. I guess he means like the money we are wasting building a nice sidewalk in front of port ops and up to the Blue Ridge.
Every one forgets that the whole reason this base exits is to provide service to the fleet. You can remove every shore command and the need for this base still remains. Remove the ships and that need goes away.