As commander, Col. Mitchell faced various challenges, including a significant water main break that affected the island's potable water.
"Without potable water there is no hope at stuff like sanitation, cooking, and other things. That was a pretty big crisis for us, and that was early on in my command," Col. Mitchell said.
Col. Mitchell says there is no average day on the job.
"The job of the garrison commander is something akin to or a combination of being a mayor and city administrator or city manager," Col. Mitchell said. "We deal with a lot of stuff that you'd see your local city government deal with...maintenance of facilities and roads, utilities and infrastructure."
He says the main tasks fall into five categories. Those include securing the installation, maintaining infrastructure to support the organizations on the island, providing base services like waste management, improving the quality of life of the installation employees and finally being an integral part of the Quad Cities Community.
WVIK asked Col. Mitchell if he had any advice for Col. William Parker III.
"We've been fortunate to have a good amount of time to overlap and spend time together. He's a great friend; I've known his family for a while. It's been a good
transition, and I think he's the right guy for the job. He knows the Arsenal and the people really well. He's off to a good start."
Col. Mitchell may be leaving the Arsenal, but he's not leaving the Quad Cities.
"I just really love the community, and I served 25 years in the army. I'm ready for some different challenges," Col. Mitchell said in a phone interview with WVIK. "I look forward to continuing to be a part of the Quad City community and getting to know the people of the Quad Cities on a personal level."
The change of command ceremony is tomorrow, Wednesday, July 10, at 10 am on the lawn of Quarters One.
