Maryland got off pretty easy, especially since at least the Adelphi Navy Reserve Center is redundant to facilities in DC and at larger local bases. I’d expect not much punishment from closures.
Me personally? My job never took me to the Adelphi spot yet, but I suppose in time it could have. Just means another trip to the Washington Navy Yard instead. Though I don’t see it on the list, I heard Walter Reed Army Medical Center is set to close, too. I’ll notice that one, as I have an interview or two there each month.
-OMD, Special Investigator for the Office of Personnel Management
Other than the 7000 odd jobs on the sub base itself? or the fact that there are a ton of retirees that use the base on a regular basis to shop at the exchange/commisairy to save some money, use the base hospital to get the benefit that they retired with, that if the dispose of the base, any navy personnel will have to be housed at a cost of about $3000US per month while assigned to a vessel in the yards?
Jebus on a crutch, they are keeping NEWPORT open, and all it has is a Naval War College, a spiffy marina for leisure boats, a commisairy/exchange and a minor OCS. In Groton, there are several schools, boats, multiple facilities and NOT keeping all of ones eggs in one basket <cough-pearl harbor-cough>
While they are adding personnel in Florida (big surprise), Eielson AFB near Fairbanks is all but closing. This removes about 3,000 people from the area of North Pole, AK which will in turn destroy the small but vibrant economy there, and crush the real estate market.
Every region of the US loses jobs, New England by far the most - except the South comes out ahead. Never mind the red/blue correlation, it’s not a good thing to concentrate the military presence and culture in any one region. We have enough divisiveness as it is.
Besides the New London sub base, Otis ANGB is doomed, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is going to close and throw a few thousands out of work (in an economically-shaky area as it is, other than tourism). Brunswick NAS is losing all of its P-3’s to Jacksonville but, oddly, is staying open as a military airport with no operational function. Greater Boston comes out ahead with a net transfer into Hanscom AFB (which also has no aircraft but does have a real function).
It’s hard to argue the big picture otherwise - the Cold War is over and we don’t need many subchasers or even subs anymore.
We live near the Naval Weapons Station (Concord, CA). The local news says that the city has been eyeing the land, making plans, and drooling for years. Ah, but what are those plans, eh?
The value of our house has quadrupled in the eight years we’ve been here, and we were thinking of selling before the boom goes bust. Now we don’t know. If they zone it all commercial (as Mrs. Mann assumes) then our equity could double overnight. If they try to alleviate the housing shortage that has been driving up values by zoning even some of it residential (as I fear) we could lose a lot. Either way, we both think that we had better wait at least until there is some strong indication of which way things will go. A bummer since I had hoped to move during this summer so Little Miss Mann doesn’t have to change schools mid-year.
If they actually close Cannon, it will devastate the town of Clovis. The Farmington Daily Times had a good article about the impact the base closure would have on the town. I don’t know whether the welfare of a small town whose economy depends almost entirely on a base is properly the Air Force’s concern, but there is some sense in the idea of locating supersonic jets at Cannon, far from any larger population center.
Oops, when I wrote that it didn’t affect the local area, I was very unclear. I meant it didn’t affect MY local area, over in Waterbury, CT, which is a 2-hour drive away. So even though it’s making a lot of noise around here (the top headline and the lead story in all the media), it doesn’t have much actual impact.
[QUOTE=aruvqan]
…that if the dispose of the base, any navy personnel will have to be housed at a cost of about $3000US per month while assigned to a vessel in the yards?
[quote]
Oh, that’s easy - just make 'em live on barges. :eek: :rolleyes:
I’m not really disagreeing here, but to be honest, if anyone manages to raid and clobber Norfolk, the Navy’s screwed anyways.