Vance AFB information

[WheelsOff]

Does anyone know if Vance has a trap/skeet range? I know that Sheppard and Laughlin do, and maybe Columbus...been searching and can't seem to find any info about it at Vance.

[The Kayla]

Does anyone know if Vance has a trap/skeet range? I know that Sheppard and Laughlin do, and maybe Columbus...been searching and can't seem to find any info about it at Vance.

There is a range in Enid, but the guy is a creeper (plus, his range is nasty) so most people who want to shoot go down to OKC.

For pictures of the dorms, look through pages 1-3 of this thread, I think a guy posted some awhile ago.

[brabus]

There's a gun club in Enid that had a nice range North of town. They shut it down (lost the lease), but as far as I know they re-opened with a range down south. I think the membership skyrocketed to $100/yr, so depends on how much you shoot. There's also a trap/skeet range north of town, but it has weird seasonal hours and I think open shooting for non-members is only on Wed nights, so not conducive to UPT, but maybe if you're casual there. And the one Kayla is talking about, don't bother...if you do go, you'll realize you're an idiot for not listening to me.

[contraildash]

Here's some good information on Enid.

Hacker:

How ya liking (or not liking) it here? I'm out processing next week...lord I can't wait.

[Guest Sparky2]

I am going to PCS to Vance really soon, does anyone have any pictures of what the single officer dorms look like. Called base housing, but they can only tell me what is in the room rather than dimensions or pictures. I know this forum is for Military Spouses, but it seems to be the only relevant place to ask this question

Thanks for any help

[brabus]

They're no different than the average college dorm room except you have your own kitchenette and bathroom. You can fit a bed, desk, dresser and a small couch...that's it.

[UDEL09]

Got some gouge on Pinnacle (Vance AFB Housing):

Pinnacle/Hunt are currently in the process of renovating 122 duplex and single units at Vance AFB. They will be demolishing about 29 units (mostly older 2 bedroom). They have built 30 brand new units. Their original plan was to transfer 30 families from the non-renovated homes to the new construction, opening up 30 units for Hunt to begin renovation on.

Somewhere along the way, between Aug-Nov, Pinnacle allowed to many people off the wait list into housing. The problem compounded itself when Hunt failed to deliver the first renovated units by their scheduled delivery date of October. This higher occupancy rate led to a decrease in the number of units given to Hunt. This is a big deal because if Hunt doesn't have 30 units they begin to lose their sub contractors causing even further delays. Instead of admitting this to the future residents, Pinnacle kept up the charade of "you will have a house in 30-60 days". To further ruin any credibility Pinnacle might have had, one of their former employees was incompetent and could not manage the wait list properly (using wrong eligibility dates for applicants).

In December the first steps were taken to alleviate the situation. The wait list was "frozen" in order to get the required number of units to Hunt for renovation(allowing for a more predictable turnover). Pinnacle hired on new staff and began to tell the situation "how it is" to residents and future tenants . The wait list is now prominently displayed in the office instead of being some secretive document that only Pinnacle staff can view. Forced relocations are still a certainty for people in non-renovated units but an effort is being made to conduct them around training schedules and PCS dates.

Long Story Short:

Expect to wait 6-9 months for housing at Vance

Call or stop by the Housing Management Office and they can help you out with off-base options

Forced relocations are a reality in non-renovated homes(You can get DITY pay)

If anybody has any specific questions don't hesitate to PM me.

Edited January 5, 2010 by UDEL09

[Guest KM]

I've also seen the other letters. Good stuff in them. Would be nice to see the Vance version! Anybody?

Here is some welcome info distributed by the 71OSS.

Newcomers websites.doc

Newcomers 2.doc

[Guest Tdog]

Does anyone happen to know the regs on having dogs if you live in base housing?

[The Kayla]

You can only have a max of two pets, and there is a banned breed list.

I was there prior to Pinnacle taking over, and I had my two German Shepherds and Rottweiler :) The good ol' days!

[brabus]

By the way, I wouldn't even tell them about cats (if you have both cats and dogs). You can easily hide cats, so don't let that deter you from the 2 max allowed (i.e. you have 2 cats and 2 dogs).

[Guest wannabeflyer]

Just thought I'd give my two cents for those who want to live on base at Vance: don't. My wife and I decided to live on base due to the low BAH for a 2Lt and the convenience of living close to work. At the end of the day the housing company is so terrible it's not worth the convenience. The houses are mainly old duplexes. There are a few stand alone units and some nicer duplexes over on the newer side but those are few and far between. Our house was conveniently located on the railroad tracks, the trains come by at all hours of the night and shake the house, not to mention the constant blaring of not only taps, revelry and retreat, but also the command post telling you it's 90 degrees outside. The houses are full of asbestos and lead based paint. Testing is "ongoing" to determine which houses have lead based paint according to the housing company. They told us that a year ago but have yet to actually share the results.

All of this really isn't that big a deal though compared to the customer service of the housing company. During the remodel process they are forcing most people to move from their homes before their lease is up. In our case they told us we had 30 days to move right before I went TDY to Altus. I asked if we could stay in our home a for 6 more months until we PCSd, no dice. The kicker is that the lease clearly states that if your lease isn't up they have to give you 90 days notice. They knew this but still insisted I move in 30 days until I got the base legal office involved. This is not an isolated incident at all but typical of the way they treat their customers. They then tried to get us to move into a smaller house with a smaller back yard, even though I was now paying them more BAH then when we moved into the original house. I said if I have to move then I want to get it done before I go TDY so my wife doesn't have to do the whole move by herself. They said great we have a house that will be ready. A week later the house wasn't ready and they told me they had nothing until after I was going to be TDY. Again only after threatening not to move for 90 days did a house magically become available. The bottom line is they treat you more like criminals then paying customers. I'm not a person that's hard to please or easily offended but trust me I'm not the only one who feels this way. I will be moving in a few months and never living in Pinnacle owned housing again. Do yourself a favor and live off base!

[The Kayla]

I take it you lived in Hurst? :)

I didn't mind living on base (pre-Pinnacle). I absolutely hated that bitch Dana. I did a happy dance when she was fired.

I truly lived living on base. I lived the community that it formed. But I have Pinnacle, and I hate the new rules.

Pinnacle totally screwed us over when we moved out. Frist: they were 2hrs LATE in doing our inspection. Why? Because the girl that was going to do the inspection quit the day before, and they didn't know about it. Then, when Jacey came nd did teh inspection, she ripped into us. Everything that Kat said we didn't have to worry about, she (jacey) got us on. Since Jacey didn't have the paperwork from Kat, there was no "proof" of what Kat told us. We can to give them a $150 check before we left. I was livid. I had to hide at my neighbor's house while this was going on.. I was NOT a happy camper!!!

Edited April 8, 2010 by The Kayla

[Guest wannabeflyer]

I take it you lived in Hurst? :)

I didn't mind living on base (pre-Pinnacle). I absolutely hated that bitch Dana. I did a happy dance when she was fired.

I truly lived living on base. I lived the community that it formed. But I have Pinnacle, and I hate the new rules.

Pinnacle totally screwed us over when we moved out. Frist: they were 2hrs LATE in doing our inspection. Why? Because the girl that was going to do the inspection quit the day before, and they didn't know about it. Then, when Jacey came nd did teh inspection, she ripped into us. Everything that Kat said we didn't have to worry about, she (jacey) got us on. Since Jacey didn't have the paperwork from Kat, there was no "proof" of what Kat told us. We can to give them a $150 check before we left. I was livid. I had to hide at my neighbor's house while this was going on.. I was NOT a happy camper!!!

Yes we lived on Hurst until we were "relocated" and are currently living in Pinnacle housing down the street. I think the biggest plus side about living on base was the community, we loved all our neighbors and it is great not having to lock your doors or worry about your wife going running at night. now that we are post UPT all our friends have moved so that benefit is gone. Again I will have to say that dealing with Pinnacle for me has now outweighed the benefits. The community looks much worse right now due to the construction, they're also tearing up the ground to put in electrical meters so they can start charging for electricity. There are ditches everywhere and Pinnacle has made little to no effort to re-landscape, basically they mow the lawns occasionally and that's about the extent of their included "yard work". But mainly it's about the way their employees treat you as a "paying customer," I could go on and on with concrete examples but I'd rather just say they can be very difficult and rude.

Edited April 13, 2010 by wannabeflyer

[Ryder1587]

I just moved in a house a couple of weeks ago. They've treated me good. I've heard stories but had no problems. Yeah there was a 3-18 month wait to get on base but I got on after 2 weeks. Yes, the houses are older and yes I have to move in 6-9 months to a renovated house during UPT but who cares? It's close to work, living around other studs is cool and everything off base is just as shitty.

[Guest wannabeflyer]

I just moved in a house a couple of weeks ago. They've treated me good. I've heard stories but had no problems. Yeah there was a 3-18 month wait to get on base but I got on after 2 weeks. Yes, the houses are older and yes I have to move in 6-9 months to a renovated house during UPT but who cares? It's close to work, living around other studs is cool and everything off base is just as shitty.

How long have you lived on Base? Sure they're happy to have your money now, just wait. I predict a different tone in 6-9 months when you're 2 weeks away from track select and trying to figure out why you're moving your entire household down the street....but I hope I'm wrong and you enjoy your stay, being close to other studs and work is really nice during UPT. 3-18 but got in after 2 weeks? Again does this sound like good management? Don't believe everything they tell you.

[Ryder1587]

I've only been on base a couple of weeks. The management might be the best but no gripes from me up to this point. Sure there are cons to it it all, but in my opinion, don't outweigh the pros. Just the convenience of the community, safety, close to base and having all utilities included outweigh having to move in a few months. As far as landscaping and electric meters, it may bug people but I'm a guy so I could really care less. To each his own.

[The Kayla]

I've only been on base a couple of weeks. The management might be the best but no gripes from me up to this point. Sure there are cons to it it all, but in my opinion, don't outweigh the pros. Just the convenience of the community, safety, close to base and having all utilities included outweigh having to move in a few months. As far as landscaping and electric meters, it may bug people but I'm a guy so I could really care less. To each his own.

Just wait.. We LOVED living on base. We just HATED Pinnacle. and we tried to avoid them at ALL costs.

[contraildash]

FWIW I lived off base and loved it. Most of my class did as well. As with anywhere, housing is hit or miss, but most of the folks had some sweet places. And while my apartment wasn't the greatest out there, management was good, we had a pool 30 feet from my door (and you could drink at it! try that at the base pool) and I made money off my BAH. Friends were more apt to visit off base due to the fact that none of us wanted to drink and party on base (thanks for sucking SF).

Plus I didn't have a T-6 flying over my house every 30 seconds, the train in the middle of the night, or that damn giant voice. It's not that I hate the "sound of freedom", I just like it quiet when I'm trying to sleep (a commodity in UPT)

[ripster]

Is there a place on base studs post where they need a room mate? I saw the board at the gym, it was empty, but I am looking to share a place but do not know where postings would be.

[osulax05]

Is there a place on base studs post where they need a room mate? I saw the board at the gym, it was empty, but I am looking to share a place but do not know where postings would be.

Casual Office in the OSS

[Guest nsthayer]

Hi, My name is Nina. We just found out we are getting orders for Vance!! Im glad since I am from South Oklahoma and now getting back closer to home!! I have a few questions..

Anyone know any good realitors that are easy to work with considering we are in Nebraska right now.. And cant drive down to often to look at houses. We should be arriving in November.

Does anyone suggest certain neighborhoods (maybe ones kid friendly, with more military families in the area, close to schools/parks)? Good schools (kids ages 4, 10, 11)? Play groups/Mom groups?

Also anyone familiar with modular homes? Any businesses close to Enid that has modular homes? We are considering going that route since we dont want to live in base housing (we have been in base housing at Offut for 3 yrs and ready to buy), we actually want to buy a home. But we need a 4 bedroom and from looking online just seems most homes are 3 bedroom/2 bath and not a huge selection of 4 bedrooms.. Any info would be nice!!!

Thanks, Nina

[Hacker]

The housing market in Enid is surprisingly strong. Fortunately, the town is very military friendly, so you're not going to find many realtors who are going to try and shaft you. Courtney Colby is an ex-AF officer who does a lot of business with people on Vance. Ty and Kelly (who have the strange 'Laverne and Shirley' video on a previous page in this thread) are also a good realtor team.

I don't see much in the way of modular homes anywhere that people from the base live. Most of the 4 bedroom houses are in the neighborhoods where Capts and above live (on the north and west side of town, primarily) and start north of $200,000. BAH in the area is enough to make such houses affordable. There's a pretty decent rental market in that price bracket, too.

Schools are pretty good all around (two school districts in the area) -- Eisenhower Elementary is right on base property if you end up living on/close to base, and Glenwood Elementary is on the west side of town near where many Vance IPs live in any of about 5 or 6 neighborhoods out there.

Edited August 19, 2010 by Hacker

[osulax05]

Cranium's up for those that are currently at Vance or anywhere in OK for that matter: https://www.tax.ok.gov/upmin071510.html

OK is allowing military members to exclude 100% of military wages from state taxes until 2014. About ~$1800 in savings a year for an O-2.

[Guest atlantis15]

Commissioned in May through ROTC and moving to Vance the second week of November.

This thread has been pretty informative and I found some basic information on the Vance website (the Arriving APT Inprocessing Guide), but have a few questions.

Single guy here; while the guide says to go to the housing office upon arriving and checking into the base, can I be proactive in making arrangements and calling prior to entering active duty?

When would be the best time to try and contact my future unit to ask for a sponsor? Is a sponsor really all that helpful if I can use a map and find the offices I need to or a common practice?

I EAD in November but don't have IFS until May; what's casual status like at Vance? I like to keep myself occupied but am curious if they have work for us full time or we will have significant free time to study or volunteer.

As for entertainment and social life; do a lot of people travel to Oklahoma City, Wichita, or Tulsa on weekends and is there a lot to do there? Enid sounds pretty quiet with life centered around the local chain restaurants. I like nightlife that is...a little less country (not that there's anything wrong with that!).

Lastly, I read that Verizon doesn't have towers and piggybacks off other carriers -- is it really that bad that I might be inclined to switch to AT&T?

Thanks for all your help!