Georgia bases on list look to next step. - The optimist sees the doughnut, the pessimist sees the hole.
Amid the bad news that four Georgia bases for the first time are included on a list of suggested closings by the Pentagon was a sliver of comfort - at least those bases are all in fast-growing north Georgia, boosting the odds of successful redevelopment.
Unlike some bases closed in previous rounds that languished for years while local communities decided what to do with the land, the four Georgia bases on the list could be more quickly converted to civilian use.
At least that's the goal of retired Brig. Gen. Philip Browning, head of the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee, the state's group that prepares for base closures.
"The planning will begin as soon as possible," Browning said, though he noted the first priority will be lobbying to delete the Georgia bases from the final closure list, expected by the end of the year.
In Marietta, chamber of commerce executive Don Beaver said last week that it would be an economic blow to lose the Naval Air Station - but that Cobb County was prepared to redevelop the land if necessary.
"That's all very, very valuable dirt," he said of the installation.
The largest base slated for closure - Fort McPherson - is even closer to Atlanta. McPherson is an unusual base in that it houses mostly administrative military officials and has a golf course and 40 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.
That historic quality and McPherson's proximity to Atlanta could position it well for civilian use, said Fred Bryant of the state committee. "That will make it more economically feasible to redevelop," he said.
In Athens, where the Navy Supply Corps School has long been considered the state's most vulnerable installation, locals will look first to its colleges to use the buildings if closure can't be avoided.
Larry McKinney, president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce, said he hoped the buildings could be used by the University of Georgia or Piedmont College if the Navy school closes.
Georgia's state economist, Rajeev Dhawan of Georgia State University, said no matter how quickly a military base can be redeveloped, its closure would still be a blow to local business.
"The question is, will the metro area be able to take this? In the short term there will be pain, but then in a couple years the pain goes away," Dhawan said. "It depends how strong the rest of the economy grows during this time."
The toughest challenge would be on the south side of Atlanta if McPherson and Gillem close, said state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. Already those counties - Fulton and Clayton - have the highest unemployment rates of any counties near a big Georgia city.
If Delta Air Lines, which is headquartered in that area, continues to struggle, and those bases close, Thurmond worries the area won't be able to bounce back quickly.
(5-16-05 article by Kristeen Wyatt of the Associated Press.)
Unlike some bases closed in previous rounds that languished for years while local communities decided what to do with the land, the four Georgia bases on the list could be more quickly converted to civilian use.
At least that's the goal of retired Brig. Gen. Philip Browning, head of the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee, the state's group that prepares for base closures.
"The planning will begin as soon as possible," Browning said, though he noted the first priority will be lobbying to delete the Georgia bases from the final closure list, expected by the end of the year.
In Marietta, chamber of commerce executive Don Beaver said last week that it would be an economic blow to lose the Naval Air Station - but that Cobb County was prepared to redevelop the land if necessary.
"That's all very, very valuable dirt," he said of the installation.
The largest base slated for closure - Fort McPherson - is even closer to Atlanta. McPherson is an unusual base in that it houses mostly administrative military officials and has a golf course and 40 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.
That historic quality and McPherson's proximity to Atlanta could position it well for civilian use, said Fred Bryant of the state committee. "That will make it more economically feasible to redevelop," he said.
In Athens, where the Navy Supply Corps School has long been considered the state's most vulnerable installation, locals will look first to its colleges to use the buildings if closure can't be avoided.
Larry McKinney, president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce, said he hoped the buildings could be used by the University of Georgia or Piedmont College if the Navy school closes.
Georgia's state economist, Rajeev Dhawan of Georgia State University, said no matter how quickly a military base can be redeveloped, its closure would still be a blow to local business.
"The question is, will the metro area be able to take this? In the short term there will be pain, but then in a couple years the pain goes away," Dhawan said. "It depends how strong the rest of the economy grows during this time."
The toughest challenge would be on the south side of Atlanta if McPherson and Gillem close, said state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond. Already those counties - Fulton and Clayton - have the highest unemployment rates of any counties near a big Georgia city.
If Delta Air Lines, which is headquartered in that area, continues to struggle, and those bases close, Thurmond worries the area won't be able to bounce back quickly.
(5-16-05 article by Kristeen Wyatt of the Associated Press.)
posted by Sid Cottingham | 5:13 AM
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