Winter requirements for on-base housing

As temperatures and snow fall, it is important for Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s Aurora Military Housing tenants to be aware of what is expected of them in terms of winter procedures and policies.

As with any rental agreement, responsibilities are shared between the landlord and the tenant.

It is Aurora’s responsibility to remove snow from neighborhood roads within 48 hours of two or more inches of accumulation. At times, dispatch of AMH’s snow removal contractor may be deferred or take longer than 48 hours due to visibility, quiet hours, weekends or holidays when many vehicles are parked on streets.

Snow removal is conducted between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m., observing quiet hours unless JBER command allows for a variance due to extreme road conditions.

Parking on residential streets during snow removal is strongly discouraged and extremely dangerous; vehicles may be towed at the owner’s expense. AMH reserves the right to use overflow parking areas as snow storage areas. Vehicles are subject to towing if they interfere with snow storage or removal.

It is the tenant’s responsibility to remove snow and ice from driveways and sidewalks within 24 hours of snowfall. These areas must be shoveled edge to edge. Tenants must remove vehicles from streets during plowing and ensure snow is not shoveled into the street.

Tenants who have a mailbox or fire hydrant within 75 feet of their unit are expected to remove snow and ice to allow for safe access.

Tenants are also responsible for ensuring adequate emergency egress from their unit, including removing snow from gate areas, egress windows, exterior stairwells, porches, decks and patios.

To prevent heating issues, AMH staff recommend residents check furnace filters every 30 days and replace them every 90 days to maintain the health of the furnace and good air quality.

Furthermore, AMH hangs red lights in the windows of vacant units. When a red light goes on, it means that unit has no heat. Upon seeing one of these red lights, residents are encouraged to call AMH’s emergency maintenance line any time of the day, and they’ll be out to check on it. This helps prevent entire buildings from freezing.

Extremely cold temperatures are a common occurrence during Alaska winters. Failure to properly plan for the cold can have devastating consequences to the unit and personal items. Water pipes can freeze and break, resulting in a flooded house if not properly cared for.

“If you suspect frozen water pipes, call AMH maintenance for help immediately. During extreme cold periods, keeping bathroom and kitchen sink cabinet doors open will help prevent pipe from freezing,” said Chris Anderson, AMH tenant manager. “Make sure beds, drapes, and furniture do not block heat registers. All furniture should be a minimum of two to three inches from walls for proper heat circulation. Always leave windows closed during winter months. Pipes will freeze rapidly if windows are left open.”

AMH also recommends fitting your outdoor faucets with hose bib covers, which insulates the lines and provides further prevention against frozen pipes.

“We like to supplement the expectations we have for our residents with readily-available resources, and most of those resources are provided at U-Fix-It,” said Daniel Gregoire, AMH logistics manager.

U-Fix-It is a shop located behind both of the AMH offices that offers over 150 unique items to all residents, such as tools, air filters, ice chippers and shovels to residents, free of cost. Items such as light bulbs and air filters require a one-for-one exchange; simply bring in the old item and swap it out with a new one.

For more procedures and policies, AMH provides its residents a tenant handbook, established for comfort, convenience and safety. The handbook is available at https://www.auroramilitaryhousing.com/handbook/.

For more information, contact AMH at 753-1091, or visit www.auroramilitaryhousing.com.