Beale leaders hear directly from AF families, Airmen at installation improvement town hall Published Sept. 1, 2017 By Airman 1st Class Tristan D. Viglianco 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Installation leaders hosted two town hall events Aug. 31, 2017, at the Community Activity Center here. The town halls were open for Airmen and their families to bring their concerns and ideas on improving the base in an open forum. Col. Larry Broadwell, 9th Reconnaissance Wing commander, and other base leaders discussed ways of solving different issues. The attendees asked a variety of questions, but many of them were regarding the quality of life and base improvements Team Beale is working towards. “Every day we are working hard to come up with improvements for our base which benefit Airmen, improves the quality of life for their families and ultimately modernizes our base to improve readiness,” Broadwell said. “To better prepare for the future we are working with different units on base to renovate the Harris Fitness Center, the Contrails dining facility and the pool by base housing just to name a few.” In addition to those projects, he discussed different ways to improve the base theater, the bowling alley and the cell phone reception on base. The closure and the reopening of the Wheatland Gate were also touched on in the town hall. “The Wheatland Gate was closed due to two nearby bridges being deemed impassable,” he said. “Thankfully with the help of the Civil Engineer, Comptroller and Contracting squadron’s construction is projected to be completed in October. I call them the ‘Three C’s’ because they’re critical to our efforts in improving the future of Beale.” Beale’s electrical infrastructure and renewable energy, including solar and methane, were also a topic of discussion. “Due to our aging power grid, energy is a big deal at Beale. Our demand for power keeps increasing and we will find ways to meet those demands” he said. “Renewable energy is a part of our long-term energy strategy.” While not everyone currently a part of Team Beale will see all of the improvements mentioned, Col. Broadwell believes they are an investment for future AF families and the future of the installation.