European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 12, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday August 12, 1994 the stars and stripes Page 3 goodbye Barracks say single gis a Masens moving soldiers to better quarters by Doyle Tillman Kaiserslautern Bureau Pir Masens Germany single sol Diers in Pir Masens Are on the move to bigger and better accommodations. Army officials Are scrapping traditional Barracks living to make life More comfortable for single soldiers Here. Community officials , bad Kreuz Nach Wiesbaden Stuttgart and Hanau Germany Are trying to similarly improve living conditions for single soldiers said Michael Keldermann a . Army Europe spokesman. Most soldiers will enjoy the privacy said sgt Melody Faircloth a single sol diet in Pir Masens. Before soldiers complained that married soldiers got treated better and now they Are treated equally. It the Barracks free plan says some thing about leadership s concern for the Soldier added Faircloth who will be come a floor Monitor for the Junior sol Diers moving into former Bachelor senior enlisted and officer suites. The transition in Pir Masens should be Complete by sept. 30, the end of the Fis Cal year said Roland Simms Pir Masens housing officer. As of wednesday approximately 90 soldiers had Given up Barracks life an moved into military family housing apart ments said Simms. There Are Only a few soldiers still living in Pir Masens Barracks. They Are due for reassignment or move ment As a result of unit inactivation be fore october some soldiers in Pir Masens began the migration to family housing apartments and larger Bachelor suites in mid april. The vol ume of moves increased in june and july when most soldiers made the move to greater Freedom and opportunities. Soldiers in the lower six pay Grade were to inherit Only the Bachelor senior noncommissioned and commissioned officers units. However a shortage of suites meant some soldiers gave up Barracks life for family apartment complexes. Moving single soldiers into family housing improves their Quality of life said Claudia beavers Pir Masens military Community spokeswoman. Single soldiers living in the family apartments enjoy the same amenities As their married counterparts. Soldiers moving into family units got to choose apartment mates which worked out for specs. Tim Padgett and Jorg Salas. Both Are assigned to Pir Masens 5th combat equipment co. Both men smoke. They appear to get along , instead of sharing a room they now have private rooms and share Only the bathroom Kitchen and living room. Privacy is the big thing said Padgett recalling the Days. Of sharing common Shower and toilet facilities with about 100 other  in addition All Pir Masens soldiers now receive a food allowance since the Community military dining facility closed. That added More than $200 to each Soldier s paycheck and has also meant soldiers had to get com is Doyla Tiltman spec. Tim Padgett left and Roommate spec. Jorge Salas find their comfortable apartment a big improvement Over Barracks life. Emissary savvy or go hungry. As a part time restaurant employee pad Gett said he eats most meals away from Home while Roommate Salas spends about $30-$40 weekly shopping at the commissary. Permanent conversion of family hous ing to single Soldier residences requires approval of department of the army officials in Washington d.c., said Belder Mann. But Usa eur s Deputy chief of staff for engineering and housing can approve the switch for single soldiers for unto 36 months without Washington s approval. This particular Quality of life incentive is not new to Usa eur which adopted the concept first at Augsburg in april 1992. The shift in accommodations is More than a Quality of life incentive to those fortunate enough to be at Pir Masens. Morale has soared according to a num Ber of new apartment residents. This is a really great morale boost said spec. Scott Plant of the . Army medical Materiel Center Europe. Barracks life at Pir Masens meant Shar ing a room of about 220 to 400 Square feet with one or two other soldiers. Life was cramped. The change in lifestyles Means there is More of a Home Environ ment Plant said. It s like living on the Economy instead of a  two bedroom apartments in the Pir Masens military Community Are Between 900 and 960 Square feet in size Simm said. That is More than double the living space afforded soldiers in the Barracks. But a lot of soldiers Are said to have forgone life in the More spacious apart ments for a former senior enlisted sol Diers or officer s suite. The suites pro vide about 300 to 400 Square feet of living space per Soldier and much in demand privacy. We had 70 people apply for the for Mer boys Bachelor officer quarters and had to go by Date of rank to decide who moved in said Simms. We Only headroom for 31 soldiers in the  the suites feature kitchenettes an private bathrooms and Are carpeted. To manage the suites the army Community allows two noncommissioned officers to serve As floor monitors. In return the live in larger More secluded suites.  herself will move into one  suites next week As one of two floor monitors for building 4537. Shelves in a Barracks now but has her new keys and is excited about the new Home. Soldiers in the suites have German mailboxes an intercom to a main front door and parking. Regardless whether a Soldier lives Inan apartment or a suite he or she is Eligi ble to receive and use furniture from the furniture management office. In Addi Tion during the move the single soldiers Are authorized the single rate of Tempo Rary living allowance Simms said. That Isa big change. Simms said that before the transition to a Barracks free Post began single soldiers were not allowed to receive the allowance. The Only inequity remaining for sol Diers living in Pir Masens housing is the moving out cleaning contract. Single sol Diers must clean their own apartments or pay an average $220 to have an apart ment cleaned. Married apartment residents under separate government contract do not clean because a cleaning team does the work after the family moves on. Whether a Soldier moves into an apart ment or takes up residence in a suite her she will be located close to the Cavern Chapel army and air Force Exchange service store and the commissary. It really makes a difference in the morale of the soldiers said Faircloth who works with the . Army medical Materiel Center Europe. The families already living in Parma Sens military housing see nothing wrong with having their single co workers Inte grated into better living conditions. They Padgett and Salas Don t make any noise said downstairs neighbor Joseph Cedres. It s just like having mar ried neighbors. In fact he s Padgett the  Beverlyn and sgt. Michael Fletcher residents of building 2512, said the single Soldier living above their apartment is very quiet. But you can hear them single soldiers outside socializing said Beverlyn Fletcher. They be got nowhere to go since the Grenadier arms club closed in july the Fletcher added except the Bowling Alley on the other end of the  however neither the Fletcher nor be dress expressed concern about having single soldiers As their neighbors. And the new residents could t be Hap pier. As Padgett said personally it s a great program. You feel More at  occupants in some other areas have to wait by Doyle Tillman Kaiserslautern Bureau soldiers in Pir Masens Germany have fared better so far than their comrades in arms As . Army Europe communities work to improve living conditions for the single  Stuttgart no end to Barracks life is in the immediate future. Instead Stuttgart Community officials Are Only transferring control of the Barrack from the company to the housing office said sgt. 1st class Mike Alley a Community spokesman. The administration of Barracks and the person who hands a Soldier his or her key Are All that is really changing Alley said. The fact that organization officials such As first sergeants will not be directly involved in the administration of Barracks is also expected to create a More relaxed atmosphere Alley said he was not sure when the transition would be Complete. As for Hanau bad Kreuz Nach and Wiesbaden housing remains a tight Issue. A the Hanau area we do not have vacant housing said Kobin Campbell 414th base support in spokeswoman. The family quarters crunch at Hanau has forced the Community to continue to lease German housing. As for bad Kreuz Nach and Wiesbaden John Capici said we re currently reviewing housing and other types of quarters for possible diversion to single soldiers. Capicik is the executive officer for the 53rd area support group. There Are some senior e-7s living in diverted Ash army family housing in bad Kreuz Nach an Wiesbaden but they Are being re looked for possible return to families Capicik said citing unit movements into the areas. Attempts to reach Augsburg officials regarding housing for single soldiers were unsuccessful thursday