BRAC commissioner member says Fort Gillem could avoid closure.

Fort Gillem might be able to avoid being closed by the Department of Defense, said James T. Bilbray, a member of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

"Fort Gillem has an excellent chance of getting off this list," Bilbray said Friday after visiting the base. "I can't guarantee anything but I was very, very impressed."

What might help Fort Gillem avoid closure is more than $240 million in new building projects there including a state-of-the-art forensic crime lab and facilities for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross, U.S. Rep. David Scott said.

(6-11-05, The Associated Press.)
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This is great news. In a 5-20-05 post I wrote:

I personally do not understand the closure of Fort McPherson.

The reason you read that 85% of the initial Pentagon recommendations remain final is because the changing the list requires seven of nine votes from the BRAC commission. Thus it is unlikely that the list will see any major changes, although Fort McPherson could be within the 15% that the independent BRAC commission changes.

Although I have had high hopes that Fort McPherson might survive, I had Fort Gillem on the dead on arrival list. Again, what great news that at least there is a strong prospect that Fort Gillem might survive.