Sand around playground areas

  • Published
  • By Anonymous
  • 39th Air Base Wing
Question: I am writing in reference to all of the playground areas here at Incirlik. I am concerned about the sand around them. There is a very large number of stray cats here on base and they use the sanded areas as their "restroom." I know this is not hygienic for the kids. Are there any measures on removing the sand and inputting any other material down? Other bases do not have sand but a soft-like material. I am concerned for my children and my daughter has already been told that she has contacted the Ecoli virus. If we are going to live here, I think the situation should be fixed ASAP and not on someone's "to do list." Children playing in animal feces is unacceptable and should be taken care of. If the cat population cannot be controlled, something else needs to be done for the children.

Answer: You are quite right and we are not sitting idle on this one. There are two things we are doing to try to stop stray cats from using the playgrounds as litter boxes. First, is continuing our stray animal contract that has removed 478 stray cats from the base since March 2005 and has resulted in a steady decline in stray cats. Secondly, we are seeking funds to replace all the sand at our playgrounds with a rubber tile similar to what you have seen at other bases. That project is currently our #2 priority in our Military Family Housing program. We have asked for $150K to complete that project and will assess our ability to fund it internally when this year's money is formally allocated. Please feel free to follow up with our housing office at extension 6-6232 if you have further questions or are looking for an update.