Cutline: Teammates assigned to the Voyage Repair Team “beautify” a Depot building. Joe Feliciano

Artisans bring buildings back to life!

By Bill Bartkus
NAVAIR Depot North Island

NAS NORTH ISLAND, Calif. – It’s no secret that NAVAIR Depot North Island artisans are adept at repairing aircraft and components and returning them to the fleet where they belong. Navy aircraft belong in the sky and not sitting in a hangar. In fact, Depot artisans are masters at their skills, and aircraft are up and flying again in record numbers and in record time.

Now, some Depot artisans are mastering the art of art, which gives new meaning to being smart and adapting to any given situation!

A few Depot teammates are helping to not only save taxpayer dollars but also beautify Depot buildings and the North Island Naval Air Station as well. They are a special team of artisans who are wielding paintbrushes and rollers and painting Depot buildings and performing ground maintenance by plucking pesky weeds.

The Depot and surrounding areas had to be cleaned up and the command sought potential solutions. Walt Palmer, Industrial Business Operations Department manager, stepped up to the plate and provided Gary Donnelly to lead the “beautification team”. Donnelly was given a few people and organized his team to “beautify” the Depot by painting, and eradicating weeds from around Depot buildings.

“The Skipper wanted us to clean up around our facilities because the Depot didn’t have funding to hire contractors to paint and clean up,” Donnelly said. “And since the weed control contract went by the wayside, we’re uprooting weeds, too!”

Several months ago, Facilities manager Donna Russell spread the word to competency managers that the weed control contract expired and wasn’t renewed as a cost-saving measure. Russell asked the competency managers to pass the word to their workforce to pull weeds whenever and wherever they saw them. “We can’t let the weeds get the upper hand and override our surroundings,” she said. “So I need everyone help to pull weeds from between the cracks in the pavement.”

Donnelly said that shortly after he was handed the job, he procured what equipment the team needed and got Can 30 to store the equipment. Can 30 was the old Transportation Office. “I more or less commandeered the building to keep our paint, ladders, brushes and other gear stored,” he said.
“We also had to implement a hazardous material program because we use lead-based paint.”

Since Day One, Donnelly has dubbed this special program NBP for NADEP Beautification Project.

In addition to painting, Donnelly said that his team has taken over the weed control program “with Sailors loaned to us from the Naval Station.” Voyage Repair Team members are on Donnelly’s beautification team as well.
Donnelly said that the team is painting facilities without the use of air sprayers, power washers. “Everything is being by hand using scrapers, rollers, and brushes,” he said.

The team averages six to eight people and they work every day and, according to Donnelly, most of them are assigned to the Voyage Repair Team.

“This is honest work, and it doesn’t bother me that I’m not working in my field,” said Carlos Hernandez, and electronics mechanic.

And Marcus Kelly doesn’t mind working out of his job as a welder. “We’re doing this for the Depot and we’re all team players,” Kelly said.

Because some of the buildings on the air station are of historical significance, Donnelly had to be sure that the proper color paint was used and they it matched the existing color. “Betty Tong (6.1.1) researched the rules and regulations, and the color of paint so that we conformed to existing regulations,” he said.

Donnelly noted that Russell is prioritizing which buildings need to be worked on.

In addition to Tong and the artisans assigned to the Voyage Repair Team, Donnelly gives credit to David Yee who is supervising the program; Russell Wilkinson for prioritizing priorities; Gary Hunting for tooling; and Russell Wong for providing rigging support. Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Takwai Wong help Donnelly by providing military help.