MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- After new Basic Allowance Housing rates were released this month, several questions surfaced concerning the effect on residents living in Forest City housing.
The 2014 BAH rates were announced at the beginning of the year thoughout the military and service members will see an average increase of five percent BAH. Personnel residing in Hawaii, will see a 14.7 percent increase. Marines and sailors living in the 802 housing development on MCB Hawaii are the only residents who will see a rise in their paychecks on the 1st and the 15th. Those who do not see their BAH increase may wonder how the BAH increase will benefit them. Residents living in Forest City’s 2,300 homes on Marine Corps Base Hawaii here will continue paying Forest City their entire BAH.
Due to the recent timing of the announcement, Forest City is beginning the initial stages of planning on how to maximize the extra funding for the benefit of its residents. Although the new Forest City budget hasn’t been approved yet, there are projects currently on the table, including maintenance and beautification. For example, Forest City is looking to update air conditioning units for many residences. Upon approval, it will cost millions of dollars to complete.
“There were projects we were looking to implement before the BAH went up this year,” said Greg Raap, regional vice president of Forest City Military Communities Hawaii. “We also set a large sum of money into reserve accounts. The reserve accounts are there to ensure long-term goals are met. Sometimes we have to plan up to 40 years in advance
for some developments.”
Many homes near Fort Hase Beach are approved to be repainted due to the high amount of salt in the air. Forest City officials have realized the importance of keeping the outside of the homes in pristine condition. A few were painted during the budget planning process.
Even after the projects are approved, changes won’t be seen immediately and the air conditioning improvements could take more than a year to complete. All other projects for Forest City homes are waiting until the new 2014 budget is approved. For more information, contact Forest City Resident Service Office at 839-8700.