BY
VINCE LITTLE
Stars
and Stripes
|
Sunday,
June 5, 2005
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Yokota housing officials are wrapping up
a $300,000 effort to replace the front-door locks on units in the base's
20 tower apartments.
The installation of CorKey Control Systems, which
require mechanical key cards, should be completed by Friday. The metal
keys, called Powercards, are half the size of credit cards and contain
magnetic coding sufficient to operate the locks without batteries or electrical
outlets.
While many Yokota residents questioned the need
for new dead bolts, housing officials defended the project, saying it
will streamline the turnover process within each unit and ultimately provide
significant cost savings to U.S. taxpayers.
"When a unit is required to have locks replaced,
we no longer must pay for entire lock replacement, but simply reprogram
existing code on the access card for the CorKey system," said Elizabeth
Wilson, housing chief for Yokota's 374th Civil Engineer Squadron. "Reusable
access cards will save the government a substantial amount of money over
time."
Prior to CorKey's arrival, she added, each tower
had its own key set.That meant 20 different master keys had to be issued
to the fire department, security forces and civil engineer lock shop for
emergencies
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such as occupant lockouts, fires or safety concerns. The new locks will
allow housing officials to provide a grand master key to those agencies.
The cost to swap out the old key-lock system in
Yokota's towers ranged from $50 to $70 per unit, Wilson said. Recoding
the new access cards is a five-minute task.
The tower replacement wasn't triggered by any security fears or spike
in home invasions.
"This was done for operational reasons and
cost-saving," she added.
Wilson said the mechanical access cards are highly durable and carry a
five-year guarantee.
"If the access cards are used for the intended purpose — to
unlock and lock doors — they will not bend or break," she said.
But if keys are somehow damaged, residents should follow the same emergency
lockout procedures outlined in the housing pamphlet issued during housing
assignment. For 24-hour emergency service, they can call 225-5790 or 225-5791.
There are no immediate plans to change the lock
systems in Yokota's garden apartments, Wilson said.
E-mail
Vince Little at: littlev@pstripes.osd.mil |