By Larry Jones
June 27, 2005

In a workshop on Responding to Military Base Closings June 13, moderated by Conference Vice President Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill, federal officials from the Department of Defense and the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) told mayors that the federal government is interested in hearing from mayors and others in local communities on the Department of Defense's base closings recommendations. The DOD has recommended closing down 33 major military bases across the nation. Overall, it has recommended closing and/or realigning some 180 bases.

Rory Cooper, director of state and local programs at BRAC, told mayors that the commission will be holding hearings in each of the 33 communities where a major base closing has been recommended. He said, "The commission's plan is not to rubber stamp the recommendations but to make sure they're in the best interest of national security and the future of the U.S. military."

Cooper said the commission understands local communities' emotional attachment to military bases and the economic impact of base closings on local communities. He pointed out that mayors and other community leaders will have an opportunity to express their concerns to the commission at upcoming regional hearings. He mentioned hearings scheduled in Fairbanks (AK) on June 15, Portland (OR) on June 17, St Louis (MO) on June 20, Rapid (SD) on June 21, Grand Forks (ND) on June 23, Clovis (NM) on June 24, Buffalo (NY) on June 27, Charlotte (NC) on June 28, and Atlanta (GA) on June 30. Hearings will continue through mid July. For a complete listing of future hearings and information on BRAC, visit the website www.brac.gov.

Cooper pointed out that the senior U.S. Senator in each state will serve as the point person in developing a list of speakers for each hearing. Mayors desiring to testify should contact their senior Senator's office.

Patrick O'Brien, director of the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) told mayors that OEA was created in the 1960's to assist local communities in adjusting to negative defense impacts. He said OEA provides technical assistance and planning grants to local communities for base reuse and economic adjustment strategies. He cautioned mayors to pace yourself and not to rush into the base closing process thinking that it can be resolved over night. He said it could take many years to close down a base, to agree on a reuse plan and finally to redevelop the land in accordance with that reuse plan.

O'Brien explained that once a final decision is made on base closings, local communities will have to develop a reuse plan within an 18-month period. A number of steps will have to be taken within that time frame, including conducting a homeless outreach screening to notify homeless providers and affording them the opportunity to provide input in the reuse plan. He also encouraged mayors to work closely with local leaders from surrounding communities are also affected by the base closing and keep an open line of communication with them throughout the process.

He informed mayors that a number of federal agencies will be working with DOD to assist local communities facing base closings. The U.S. Department of Labor will be available to provide retraining and job referral assistance to individuals who lose their jobs, the U. S. Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration will be available to assist communities affected by the closings. Also, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will review the homeless component of the reuse plan. In closing, O'Brien said, "DOD will take great strides in working with local communities."

O'Neill discussed the closing of the navy station, shipyard and hospital in Long Beach ten years ago. The shipyard was the home for 38 navy ships and closing it resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs. She said it was one of the first major challenges that she faced after winning election to the mayor's office in 1994. She said the city fought BRAC's decision to close the naval facilities but lost. "After we got over the denial and anger, we decided it was time to do something about it," she said.

She said they used a regional approach to develop a reuse plan because the shipyard affected Long beach and the surrounding communities. O'Neill said local leaders from the surrounding communities met and focused on international trade, tourism and technology in developing a reuse plan. "It has taken ten years to get out of the slump," she said explaining that the plan was successful. The area has been redeveloped with thriving residential and commercial outlets that attract huge numbers of tourists and local residents every year.