Residents of Odenton, Severn, Gambrills and Hanover Who Frequently Use the Facility Should Take Note

Fort Meade officials have announced that beginning April 4, 2016, all personnel attempting to enter the installation without a Department of Defense-issued identification card will have to apply for a daily visitor pass at the Visitor Control Center (VCC). The center is located at 902 Reece Rd. in Severn.

Frequent visitors to the facility are encouraged to pre-register for a long-term Fort Meade Access pass at the VCC. DoD identification card holders must show only a Common Access Card (CAC), military identification card, or other approved access credential issued by the Fort Meade Visitor Center.

The new procedures are being implemented to align Fort Meade with U.S. Army standards across military posts worldwide.

Many residents of the communities immediately surrounding Fort Meade, including Odenton, Severn, Gambrills and Hanover, frequently use the facility, and should take particular note of the new requirements.

As part of the change, beginning April 4, hours of operation for the VCC are being expanded to 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday. The office is closed on weekends. When the VCC is closed, visitors without proper access credentials will have to be met at the gate by whomever they are visiting. The visitors then must be escorted onto post.

All visitors must use the gate at the corner of Reece Road and Md. Route 175 in Odenton. All other gates are for DoD identification card holders only.

Fort Meade officials remind that all privately owned vehicles driven onto the post must be licensed, registered, inspected and insured according to state and local laws. Vehicles entering the post are subject to a 100 percent identification check and all vehicles are subject to inspection by Fort Meade Force Protection personnel.

After entering the installation, visitors should proceed directly to the Vehicle Inspection Station.

Fort Meade visitors who are not DoD-affiliated personnel must have a valid purpose for entering the installation.

For more information on accessing and visiting Fort Meade, call the VCC at (301) 677-1064 or 1065. Or see http://www.ftmeade.army.mil/directorates/des/vcc/vcc.html

Jerry Kline is a Realtor with the Odenton, Maryland, office of Keller Williams Flagship of Maryland (1216 Annapolis Rd., Odenton, MD 21113.) For more information on the local real estate market, contact him at (443) 924-7418.