Base Makeover By Way Of Paint Brush

The ongoing "beautification initiative" has not only changed the landscape of Naval Station Mayport, but has saved money in the process according to Senior Chief Yeoman Demarco Washington, who leads the hard working crew.

"This team's diligence and strong work ethic displayed during the station's beautification initiative to include the refurbishment of the station's MWR ITT Center, Bowling Alley, Navy Federal Credit Union, Post Office, Command Counselor Center, Beachside Community Center and pending projects such as the Chapel by the Sea significantly saved the government in excess of $100,000 in outside labor costs," said Washington.

Washington said that pride and professionalism during this project has been nothing short of outstanding.

"I have had the pleasant opportunity to work closely with several outstanding young Sailors during my time in the Navy; however, I have never been more pleased to lead a group of Sailors as I am of those that are assigned to base services. Regardless if you are military, DoD Civilian or a family member, you can be proud of the detail 'No Fun' work completed by this department. Their motivation and dedication to mission accomplishment is admirable and I have been quite impressed by their ability to lead from the front despite most of their 'Limited Duty' status. I will absolutely work in any capacity with either of these Sailors' in the fleet," added Washington.

"The change of overall look of the base is amazing," said Naval Station Executive Officer, Cmdr. Mike Watson. "This all started a couple of months ago when I noticed a building was looking 'tired' and I asked if Base Services could paint it. Once they started this particular project, they did it in less than a week! On their own, they identified other projects and it was almost impossible to stop them. Today they have painted buildings, and in addition to beautifying the base, they have saved the Navy several thousands of dollars in maintenance and upkeep costs. I have never witnessed a more motivated group of Sailors and I am very proud of them."

"We are currently working on the base chapel," said Quartermaster 2nd Class Angel Rivera, while taking a minute from his painting duties to talk about being part of the project. The words he used to describe his role on the team came very easy and with an ear-to-ear smile.

"This is our base our base and we take pride in it. It doesn't matter if we are picking up trash or painting buildings, we all take pride in what we do," said Rivera. "When I drive around the base and go by a building we have made to look better, I always say to myself, we did that."