CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
Comment:
Hello, I was calling about the base theater. I was [recently in] the theater, and it had a very bad odor and I noticed that the carpet was wet. It seems every time it rains, the base theater always floods and leaks. How come we spent $3 to 4 million to build this thing and we can't even get it not to leak. Also, the big curtain was not working correctly. Someone had to manually close it instead of operating it automatically. If it continually leaks and floods, it is going to mold and mildew and when that happens, it is very hard to get the smell out and dry the carpet. I am sure this is some kind of safety hazard and also hurting morale. Thanks.
Response:
Thank you for taking the time to call in and report what you saw. The flooding near the stage isn't a result of the new construction, but instead a persistent problem related to two ground water pump systems installed outside the foundation of the facility used to extract water away from the foundation. This time, our engineers made a system repair that should hopefully solve this problem permanently. Unfortunately, as you probably noticed, there was damage to the carpet and we had to have it professionally cleaned. The curtain is an easier fix, and like all moving parts, it fails from time to time. Our base support personnel do great work, this is another example of how they respond to things that affect our base. Providing a theater on base takes a lot of work and support, and I'm glad you're taking advantage of it.