PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — Say you’re a soldier at Camp Humphreys, and after work you want to grab some chow, buy snacks at the shoppette, work out at the gym and get in some good reading at the library.
It might be difficult given scheduled closing times at those places.
Or maybe you’re a mom who drops off the kids at morning day care and wants to pick up groceries heading home. Given the commissary’s scheduled opening time, you might have to go home first, wait till they open, then make a separate trip.
But Camp Humphreys commander Col. John E. Dumoulin Jr. is taking an “across-the-board” look at revamping operating hours to better meet the needs of the post community.
“What I’m trying to do is look at different services that we have and make sure that we accommodate all of our [community members],” he said Tuesday.
Dumoulin commands U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, which manages day-to-day operations at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek; Camp Eagle and Camp Long in Wonju; and a U.S. Army compound on Suwon Air Base, a South Korean air force installation.
“I think between now and Christmas, we’ll have a good plan of where we’re going with all of our hours of operation,” he said.
As for the commissary, Dumoulin said, he’ll “look at maybe opening it up an hour earlier ... and maybe extend it a little bit longer for soldiers who get off at five or six o’clock.”
With plans to open two new Camp Humphreys fitness centers, the post will have three gyms in service, and Dumoulin said he’ll look at keeping one open later than the others.
He’ll also look at the library, child development center and other school-age services for possible adjustments.
In addition, Dumoulin said, he’ll continue to work closely with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service general manager at Humphreys, George B. Ricker, on whether shoppette hours should be adjusted. AAFES maintains one shoppette at Zoeckler Station and another at MP Hill.
“He’s been very cooperative in ensuring that we have the right hours of operation for our soldiers and our families,” Dumoulin said of Ricker.
The Zoeckler Station shoppette’s opening time was changed from 10 a.m. to 8 a.m. as of Monday.
“Two extra hours because we’re getting a lot more traffic at those locations,” Dumoulin said.
Dumoulin said his review of hours is in keeping with an Army-wide effort to support military families and soldiers. But it’s also driven by the plan to transform the post into the U.S. military’s flagship installation in South Korea under a South Korea-U.S. agreement.
Some 5,000 soldiers, family members, Defense Department civilian employees and contractors belong to the Humphreys community. The population is expected to grow to about 17,000 as the transformation proceeds. That does not include the South Korean employees and South Korean KATUSA soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army.
Humphreys officials will survey customer needs at the facilities and services under review and then weigh what changes, if any, they should make, Dumoulin said.
On the clock
The following are the operating hours at some of Camp Humphreys’ key services. Commander Col. John E. Dumoulin Jr. said he is reviewing hours at those and other on-post services to explore which ones might be changed to better meet the Camp Humphreys community needs.
CommissarySunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.Monday closed.
LibraryOpen daily, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.Children’s Story Hour, Wednesday at 10 a.m.Book Club, first and third Thursdays at 11:30 a.m.Investment Club, second and fourth Thursdays at 11:30 a.m.
GymMonday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.Sunday, holidays, 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Child Development CenterMonday through Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.Closed weekends and holidays.
Source: Camp Humphreys public affairs office
