BRAC commissioner member says Fort Gillem could avoid closure

<p>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.</p><p>"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."</p><p>Fort Gillem _ along with Fort McPherson, the Naval Air Station in Marietta and the Navy Supply Corps School in Athens _ has been tapped for closure.</p><p>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.</p><p>Bilbray said the figures given by Department of Defense officials on the cost to close Fort Gillem and relocate its operations did not match figures given by base and local officials.</p><p>"I think (the Defense Department's) figures are very, very low," Bilbray said. "We're going to analyze it very closely."</p><p>BRAC commissioners have been visiting bases recommended for closure. They are deciding whether to change the list or pass it on to President Bush as is.</p><p>Congress will decide in November which bases will be spared. In previous base closing rounds, most bases on the list ended up shutting down.</p><p>Supporters of the four Georgia bases will have one more chance to try to persuade commissioners on June 30 during a hearing at Georgia Tech.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cd9efc)</p>