Subscribe
Community
Navy, officials join for better relations
Governments will meet regularly with base representatives
Friday, Oct. 3, 2008
 Click here to enlarge this photo U.S. Navy photo by GARY WAGNER
On hand for the inaugural meeting of the South Potomac Community Relations Council were, left to right, Joe Grzeika for the King George County Board of Supervisors; F. Wayne Cooper for the Charles County commissioners; Richard Owen, community planning and liaison officer for Naval Facilities Engineering Command Washington; Capt. Catherine Hanft, Naval Support Activity South Potomac commanding officer; Cmdr. Dennis Quick, NSASP executive officer; Mayor Dennis Scheessele for the town of Indian Head; and Mayor Frederick Rummage for the town of Colonial Beach.
|
E-Mail This Article
‘‘The council will serve as a means to promote consistent and efficient two-way communication between the military communities of Dahlgren and Indian Head and the civilian communities adjacent to both bases,” Capt. Catherine Hanft, commanding officer for Naval Support Activity South Potomac, said in a press release.
‘‘I am committed to fostering a strong partnership with our local communities in Virginia and Maryland,” added Hanft, according to the release. ‘‘Ultimately our community relations council will be a vehicle to help Navy and area civilian leaders achieve goals and objectives of mutual benefit to both the military and civilian communities of Dahlgren and Indian Head.”
Hanft met with officials from Charles County and the town of Indian Head, and from Virginia’s King George County and the town of Colonial Beach on Sept. 17 in the first session of the council’s executive committee.
NSASP will host quarterly meetings of the executive committee.
NSASP’s commanding officer will serve as co-chairman of the committee along with a civilian co-chairman who will be rotated annually among elected officials from Charles County, King George County, Indian Head and Colonial Beach, the release stated.
The executive committee will govern the activities of the council.
F. Wayne Cooper (D), president of the Charles County commissioners, will co-chair the executive committee for the coming year.
Plans are for the South Potomac Community Relations Council to encompass a broad spectrum of membership, to include representation for all military commands resident on NSF Dahlgren and NSF Indian Head.
Civilian membership on the council will include elected and appointed county and town officials, business and civic leaders, representatives of state, regional and federal activities adjacent to Indian Head or Dahlgren and local media.
State senators, U.S. congressmen for Indian Head and Dahlgren districts and state delegates for both areas will be invited to attend council meetings as honorary members.
‘‘It’s important to note that the South Potomac Community Relations Council is not intended to supplant any other community organization currently functioning,” Hanft said. ‘‘We view this council as complementary to the activities and functions of other entities, such as the Indian Head Defense Alliance or the Military Affairs Council sponsored by the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce.”
Quarterly meetings of the council will be hosted on a rotating schedule among Charles County, King George County, Indian Head and Colonial Beach.
The first council meeting will take place next February and will be hosted by Charles County.
