Sequestration WILL have impact to our wing Published April 11, 2013 By Brig. Gen. Anthony Cotton Commander, 45th Space Wing PATRICK AFB, Fla. -- Teammates, the political upheaval of sequestration is here and, honestly, we will not be able to absorb its effects without impact; the latest round of cuts will affect everyone. While all areas across the wing have been hit hard, cuts in the Civil Engineering (CE) area will be evident across Patrick and the Cape. First, we were required to reduce our custodial services contracts. We will now have to take out our own trash, vacuum their own offices and wipe down your own break rooms and office areas. No changes have been made with restroom cleaning or servicing. Our grounds maintenance has been reduced. Shrubs won't be trimmed and grass/weeds in flower beds and pavements may become prevalent. Grass height, particularly at the Cape, will grow higher than normal before being cut. Day-to-day operations will concentrate on preventive maintenance and emergency work required to correct life, health and safety issues or mission accomplishment. We will sustain what we have and keep the mission going. We no longer have the latitude to do "nice-to-haves." Even routine repairs will be prioritized and accomplished in priority order, within current funding and material constraints. What does this mean for you? It means a slower response to your routine work requests. Requests which CE used to respond to rather quickly, such as office space being too hot/cold or one toilet out of five not functioning, may not be accomplished quickly or, in some cases, at all. If a light burns out, it may be a while before it gets replaced if there are other lights functioning. CE still needs you to report all these issues! This will allow them to rack and stack the requirements and accomplish them in priority order as funding permits. If they don't know about it, they can't prioritize it and it will never get done. What can they promise? The mission of the 45th Space Wing will not fail. True emergencies will be repaired in a quick and timely manner and every attempt will be made to minimize the pain. Chances are you will be inconvenienced; that may become the norm rather than the exception. A bright note is some of the work that is occurring throughout the wing from prior year dollars. The AFTAC building continues its construction and should not see large affects of sequestration. The "Beach House" renovation on Hwy A1A is nearing completion. We plan on a grand opening using non-appropriated funds on April 26th to help all of our teammates take their mind off everything happening in our world if just for a couple of hours. Difficult times require preparation. Together, the members of Team Patrick-Cape can weather this storm. So Sharks, let's get prepared and remember to look out for each other.