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The Villages of Benning has been building history and leaving its historical mark right along with the Fort Benning installation! While significant historical events have happened in the area of East Main Post, not all history lessons reside in this historical marker. Historical significance can be found throughout all six villages on the installation, to include the areas of new construction. Although many of our homes consist of new construction, many of these homes still hold a historical place in history. One such home, 5762 Arrowhead in McGraw Village, was the address of the late Command Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley. CSM Plumley dedicated approximately 32 years to the service, from 1942-1974, including serving in the Battle of Ia Drang in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam. Recognized by Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore, whom he served with in the Battle of Ia Drang, Plumley was known as an “outstanding NCO and leader.” Retiring on December 31st, 1974, CSM Plumley was awarded 28 various personal, unit, campaign and service awards. CSM Plumley is now laid to rest in the Fort Benning Cemetery amongst fellow soldiers. In representation of their leadership to the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of Ia Drang, Colonel Freeman presented the addresses/homes of Lieutenant Colonel Harold G. Moore and Command Sergeant Major Basil L. P lumley with specia l p laques on November 25th, 2015. Both plaques remain displayed at each location, 237 Austin Loop, located on East Main Post, and 5762 Arrowhead in McGraw Village.

601 Lumpkin St. Ft. Benning, GA

31905

Events are betteratbenning

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Christmas Tree Pick-up

Garbage Disposals

EVENTS Benning Events

Porter Events Light It Up Contest

RESIDENT REMINDERS

Resident Referrals Cold Weather Tips

WWW.VILLAGESOFBENNING.COM JANUARY 2018

The Villages of Benning January Monthly Newsletter

2MAYOR’S CORNER EMPLOYEE OF THE

MONTH Page 7- Calendar

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100 Years of History…

LTG Moore and CSM Plumley Plaque Mounting Ceremony, November 25th, 2015

Christmas Tree Pick-up

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Garbage Disposals Garbage disposals are one of the unsung heroes of a household, safely and cleanly disposing of food waste without running the risk of clogging plumbing. Garbage disposals are designed to run daily without complaint, but like any other device, they can occasionally run into trouble. Many times, the trouble stems from inappropriate objects that are placed down the disposal: items that can’t be broken down and that grind up against the gears as they turn. Rings and other forms of jewelry can also be a serious problem and should not be worn while doing the dishes or performing other operations around the sink. Other times, the trouble can stem from more traditional sources. A clogged drain in the disposal will back up a sink, for example, while an overloaded motor will shut off the disposal to keep it from turning on again. Note: Pots, pans and plates should be scraped off into the trash can prior to rinsing in the garbage disposal.

3 COMMON PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED BY A GARBAGE DISPOSAL • No power. Garbage disposals require electrical power, and when that

power gets interrupted, it won’t function. Disposals can also become overloaded by a power surge or a similar issue, which will shut it off before it burns out. Most disposals have a red reset button on the bottom. Press it and see if that fixes the issue. If it doesn’t, the problem requires a trained plumber’s attention.

• A jam. Certain items should never be placed in a garbage disposal, including chicken bones, peach pits, fibrous vegetable peelings from carrots and potatoes, and metal utensils. They can clog the mechanism and result in a jam. Never try to unclog a jam yourself; you could severely injure your fingers. A trained plumber can adjust the masher plate and safely unjam the mechanism before restoring power.

• Leaks. Garbage disposals can sometimes bring leaks from breached hoses, loose fittings and faulty seals. A plumber can clear them up in much the same way he or she repairs leaky faucets: by replacing the faulty components and ensuring that the new seal is tight.

Note: Cleaning of garbage disposals should be conducted once a month. To clean a garbage disposal, place several cubes of ice into the garbage disposal side of the sink and turn on the hot water and garbage disposal at the same time to allow the ice to be ground and flushed.

WWW.VILLAGESOFBENNING.COM JANUARY 2018

Maintenance Corner

WEEKLY TRASH SCHEDULE: •Monday: Indianhead, McGraw* (All of McGraw with the exception of the 5 streets scheduled for Tuesday) •Tuesday: Lower Davis (Kawamura, Port, Fernandez), EMP (Austin Loop, Lower Baltzell, Eames, General Officer’s Homes, Miller Loop, Norton, Perkins, Sigerfoos, Lumpkin), MacDonald, McGraw* (Seminole Loop, Baker, Arrowhead, Chickasaw, Kialegee Way) •Wednesday: Custer •Thursday: Bouton, Upper Davis (Hartsock, Langhorn, Lozada, Warren), EMP (Iron Triangle, Rainbow, White Elephants) •Friday: Patton, Upatoi

BULK TRASH: •Bulk Trash will take place the weeks of January 2nd-6th and January 22nd-26th. It will coincide with the scheduled trash pick-up schedule below, with the exception of McGraw. All Bulk Trash for McGraw will take place on Monday.

Christmas Tree Pick-up will coincide with Bulk Trash Pick-up for the month of January. Bulk Trash will take place the weeks of January 2nd-6th and January 22nd-26th. Mainscape will pick up Christmas Trees at this time, and trees can also be placed in the dumpsters at the A and B Maintenance Shops, located at 385 Vibbert Avenue and 5850 Santa Fe Road.

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Upcoming Events

WWW.VILLAGESOFBENNING.COM JANUARY 2018

Fort Benning

It Up Contest Winners: LightCuster- 7671 Kessler Dr. Davis- 553A Hartsock Lp. Indianhead- 302 Meehan

McGraw- 8198 Magrath

EMP- 503 Wickersham Porter- 15 Lucas Ct. Patton- 5455 Spearhead

Throughout 2018, The Villages of Benning will partner with the Armed

Services Blood Program to host monthly Blood Drives. Keep watch for

additional dates and locations!

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WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS Coyotes and other wildlife are frequently observed on areas of Ft. Benning. In nearly all instances, these animals will simply go about their business and stay clear of people; however, animals living in and around our neighborhoods are generally more tolerant of human p r e s e n c e and may not always demonstrate a fear of humans. Occasionally, these animals can have diseases which increases the potential for undesirable and/or unsafe interactions with people. In any and all instances, you should never approach or feed any wildlife. Additionally, if you observe an animal acting aggressively or approaching people, please notify our office so that we can contact appropriate personnel to respond.

WWW.VILLAGESOFBENNING.COM JANUARY 2018

Resident Reminders COLD WEATHER REMINDERS Don’t forget that with the colder temperatures, the risk of frozen pipes increase. The following tips can help you safeguard your home before, during and after a pipe freezes: • Allow a faucet to drip slightly (lukewarm water) in

order to minimize freezing. • Keep your house temperature at 65 degrees or

higher. • Open cabinet doors below sinks to allow heat from

the home to circulate, and disconnect all gardening hoses and install covers on all outside faucets.

• Close all windows near water pipes, and cover or close open-air vents.

• If a pipe does freeze or happens to burst, contact the Maintenance Department immediately at 706.685.3929.

COLD WEATHER CONSERVATION TIPS • Choose the correct temperature setting- for every

two degrees you lower/raise your thermostat, you can save approximately 5% on your heating cost.

• Thermostats should never be turned up high or low to heat/cool a home quickly. It won’t heat/cool your home any faster, and it will use more energy.

• Beware of portable space heaters. Space heaters are best when used to heat one room. If you use more than one, you can use more energy and can spend more money than using your heating system.

RESIDENT REFERRALS

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT ALL HOLIDAY DECORATIONS SHOULD BE REMOVED 15 DAYS

AFTER THE HOLIDAY.

Moving Out?? Receive $400.00 for leaving Your Home

Move-in Ready!Contact your Local

Community Management Office for

details!

*Special is for select units only and is for a limited time. Offer

is subject to change, at any time, without notice.

Mayor’s Corner STREET LIGHTS • The Villages of Benning management teams drive their properties routinely to inspect street lights.

Typically, if lights are inoperable, a call is made to the appropriate utility company (Georgia Power or Flint) to report the outage. Once the call is made, repairs are made in a timely manner. The project has, however, been experiencing delays in repairs, specifically on Pintail Trail in Custer Village and in East Main Post.

• An electrical issue was found on Pintail Trail which was the source of the delay. On November 27th, 2017, the Maintenance Supervisor received an e-mail from Georgia Power stating that it would require additional work to get the lights repaired, which would take approximately 10-14 days to resolve. The Custer/Upatoi team is currently tracking the issue.

• In addition, East Main Post experienced multiple lights out. The outage was due to the installation of a new storm sewer in the area. In some locations, the storm sewers were too close to the light pole, and wiring was mistakenly cut and had to be repaired. In other locations, the lights were removed temporarily so that they would not be damaged by the construction activity.

• As of December 12th, 2017, we have been informed that all lights in East Main Post are working with the exception of two on Stewart (305 & 307), which are scheduled to be repaired soon.

• Thank you to all of our residents who reported the outages. Residents should call their management office or the 24-Hour Maintenance line to report outages. To report inoperable lights not located on VoB property, please contact the TIYA Service Request Line at 706.545.2135.

UPATOI FENCE UPDATE • Due to the ongoing cemetery improvements, a temporary orange fence was installed behind the 1st

playground on Terry Drive. At this time, the DPW Engineers are dealing with a small wetland issue and are aware that the temporary fence is failing. The Villages of Benning has been informed that the failing fence will be replaced with a temporary 6 foot tall chain link fence.

We will keep all residents informed as we receive updated information pertaining to the project.

MCGRAW CROSS WALK AND RUMBLE STRIPS • On December 4th, 2017, The Villages of Benning began re-striping all crosswalks in McGraw Village,

and additionally, rumble strips have been installed at the bottom of Baker Street.

• The request for additional stop signs on the corner of Moon and McGrath has not been approved.

RESIDENT RESPONSIBILITY GUIDE • The Villages of Benning is currently reviewing and revising the current Resident Responsibility Guide

and is anticipating to release the updated version at the beginning of 2018.

FREEZE WARNINGS • As a reminder, should we experience freezing temperatures, pipes in your home are at risk of damage

from freezing conditions. Low temperatures can cause your water pipes to freeze, and in some cases, burst. Please make sure you have disconnected any hoses you may have outside and leave your faucets dripping in your home.

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WWW.VILLAGESOFBENNING.COM JANUARY 2018

HOLIDAY BLOCK LEAVE • Holiday Block Leave is scheduled for December 20th- January 3rd, 2018. Please refer to the below

Access Control Point time adjustments:

• ACP 2 (Benning Blvd.) will remain open with normal hours (0600-1800) with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas. On these days, the ACP will close at 1200 on December 24th and will reopen at 0600 on December 26th, 2017. ACP 3 (1-185) will remain open at all times.

• ACP 2 (Benning Blvd.) will remain open with normal hours (0600-1800) with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas. On these days, the ACP will close at 1200 on December 24th and will reopen at 0600 on December 26th, 2017. ACP 3 (1-185) will remain open at all times.

• ACP 5A (Sand Hill) will be closed completely during the holidays beginning at 1700 on December 19th until 0500 January 4th, 2018.

• ACP 7 (Harmony Church) will close all normal inbound lanes except for the truck inspection lane at 1200 on December 19th, 2017. All vehicles will use the truck lane to enter the installation from December 19th,2017 to January 2nd, 2018. The ACP will close for Christmas Eve and Christmas, at 1800 on December 24th, and will re-open at 0600 on December 26th, 2017.

• ACP 8 (Eddy Bridge) will remain open at all times.

• We would like to thank Columbus Postmaster General Sandy Strozier of the United States Postal Service for addressing the Mayors at the December Mayor’s Meeting. If you need to contact the Postal Service directly with any issues or concerns, please contact your Mayor or Community Management Office for a direct Point of Contact (POC).

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The Villages of Benning is honored to introduce Donald Crayton as January’s Employee of the Month.

As a Maintenance Technician and Turn Inspector, at The Villages of Benning, Donald has excelled at teamwork and dependability. He has been described by his fellow employees as being dependable, professional, an asset to his team and a true team player. He is very educated in his profession and is always eager to lend a helping hand when needed. He teaches as he explains how to perform specific tasks, being respectful and setting the standard for customer service.

Donald began his career at The Villages of Benning, as a Maintenance Technician, in September 2011, and has since been promoted to a Turn Inspector.

Thank you, Donald, for all that you do! We are lucky to have you as a valued member of our team!

WWW.VILLAGESOFBENNING.COM JANUARY 2018

“A great employee is like a four leaf clover, hard to find & lucky to have.” -Tammy Cohen

Employee of the Month:

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WWW.VILLAGESOFBENNING.COM JANUARY 2018

Rent is Due Rent is Late

THE VILLAGES OF BENNING COMMUNITY DIRECTORY:Welcome Center Director: Kathy Barry 706-685-3939 Indianhead Village Manager: Lori Bowers 706-685-3933 McGraw Village Manager: Cyndi Silva 706-685-3935 Patton Village Manager: Connie Grafton 706-610-5500

Custer & Upatoi Village Manager: Alyssa Bell 706-685-3930 Davis & Bouton Village Manager: Keri Parsons 706-685-3940 East Main Post Manager: Candy Miles 706-685-3925 24-Hr. Maintenance 706-685-3929 RCI: 706-545-8119

Bulk Trash Bulk Trash Bulk Trash Bulk Trash Bulk Trash

Bulk Trash Bulk Trash Bulk Trash Bulk Trash Bulk Trash

Blood Drive- Indianhead 11AM-3 PM

Happy New Year’s!- Offices Closed

VoB Movie Night- Custer 6 PM

MLK, Jr. Day- Offices Closed

CARE Meeting- ACS 10:30 AM

MWR Hike @ Roosevelt State Park 9 AM