Quality of life council seeks community’s input

Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) community members and employees who are looking to get more informed and involved with their community are invited to attend the Quality of

Life Council (QOL) meetings.

The QOL Council was created as another avenue for the YPG family,

“to bring up issues in the community to make the community better,” explained Mardy Clark, the Chief, Family Support Division.

Once a concern is brought up at the meeting, Clark can ask a subject matter expert to attend the following meeting to help discuss resolutions if needed. He also tackles the issues that can be resolved with going up the chain of command or reaching out to the entity it involves.

Fifteen people attended the first meeting in July and nine attended the second meeting in September. Clark remarked, “We are concerned about participation.” He wants the community to know that work is being done to follow through on their ideas and concerns.

During the last two meetings, attendees brought up 13 concerns. Of those nine, are considered opened and four are considered closed or resolved.

The resolved issues include changing the music played at the pool to an all-age appropriate selection.

At the request of the community,

MWR planned another skate night. Clark noted that the issue with hosting more skate nights in the summer is that pool employees are also fitness center employees and there is not enough staff to cover the swimming pool and the skate night. The resolution involved scheduling a skate night for Oct. 23.

The request to allow dependents to gain access to the Laguna Airfield gate for convenience when coming from the north was denied because of regulations for restricted access areas.

An idea to start a thrift store at

YPG was brought up. Clark said he’s working through some issues but thinks there is a possibility of it happening.

All this action was taken with just two meetings and Clark hopes the community sees this and participates in the council. Clark said the hope is that one day the QOL Council can be led by a QOL Council member.

“The goal is to have a volunteer QOL chairperson, who can run the meetings, and a government representative as an advisor.”

The government advisor would help with getting the issues resolved.

The meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30

P.M. inside the library at the Palm Garden. For more information, contact Clark at martin.e.clark2.civ@mail.mil or call extension 2332.