The first-ever quarterly barracks council took place in the lounge area of barracks 2074 on March 20, 2014. The meeting included Marines from barracks 2074, 2046 and 2003 who came to discuss issues they have had with the barracks and talk about future projects.

“I wanted to do this because the Marines who work on this base deserve a place they can come home to and be comfortable,” said Capt. Ross Garnett, the Headquarters and Service Bn. supply and safety officer, who led the meeting. “I want this to be a place away from work even though you can see the shop you work in right outside your window.”

The Marines from the barracks who attended the meeting talked about issues like heating and air conditioning, getting cleaning supplies for the common areas of the barracks and changing the air filters in the rooms. While many of the topics had already been addressed, Garnett gave updates on their progress.

“We have several projects in the works right now,” said Garnett. “Right now we are working on getting pull-up bars located right outside each barracks and building a few smoke decks that are several times bigger than the ones we have now. We also want to put bigger grills next to the smoke decks so if anyone wants to cook out there, they can have some good equipment to work with.”

The next barracks council meeting will be held in June and is open to all Marines who live in 2003, 2046 and 2074. The exact date will be announced through the battalion newsletter, “The Beast,” under the S-4 section.

“These meetings are open forum so Marines can come in and discuss their issues and ideas,” said Garnett. “I want them to ask themselves, ‘What do I want in my barracks?’ and then come to this council so that we can work together to get these ideas in to the project phase and then on through to completion.”