Georgia set to gain 7,000 defense jobs despite four base closings

By The Associated Press

Posted 3:35AM on Friday 13th May 2005 ( 20 years ago )

The bad news: four Georgia military bases are targeted for closure. The good news: the state stands to net more than 7,000 military jobs under the Pentagon's plan unveiled Friday.While state leaders vowed to fight the planned shutdown of four bases in the Atlanta area and Athens, they were pleased to learn that Georgia looked to gain more troops and personnel than any other state except Maryland."You probably have 47 states that would change places with Georgia on this report," Rep. Jack Kingston, a Georgia Republican who sits on a panel that directs defense spending.The bases slated for closure _ Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Fort Gillem in Forest Park, the Naval Air Station-Atlanta in Marietta and the Navy Supply Corps School in Athens _ are in urban or suburban areas of fast-growing north Georgia.They were among 180 military installations recommended by the Pentagon in its latest round of base closures. Historically most bases on the list for closure end up being shut down; a Georgia loss would be the state's first."We're not taking defeat as an option," pronounced Gov. Sonny Perdue, standing outside the gates of Fort McPherson and vowing the state would lobby hard to avoid being on the final closure list expected late this year.Fort McPherson, Atlanta's seventh largest employer, would lose the most jobs of any base on Georgia's hit list _ 4,141 jobs. Even if all four bases were shuttered, though, Georgia would end up with 7,423 more defense jobs because of gains at other bases.Among the winners are Fort Benning near Columbus with 9,839 new jobs _ the third largest gain for any base in the nation _ and Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base near St. Marys with 3,367 new personnel _ an increase of more than a third of its current 8,000 workforce."We were expecting some additions to our base, but this going to be just phenomenal," said St. Marys mayor Deborah Hase.Georgia's state economist, Rajeev Dhawan of Georgia State University in Atlanta, has examined the impact of Georgia's 13 military installations and said closures would be a huge economic blow for the locals."It may turn out to be a wash" for the state, Dhawan said. "But it will be painful for those areas around the base. All the businesses that supply the base _ the local gas station, food vendors, all of that _ they will have a very tough time to deal with the closing."His point hardly needed to be repeated to David Evans of Royal Trophy, less than a mile from Fort McPherson. His trophy shop is full of American flag cases and eagle designs, with about a third of the business coming from the base that locals call "Fort Mac.""Cutting that much business is a very big deal. We're going to suffer," he said.Fort McPherson is home to three major headquarters _ the U.S. Army Forces Command, 3rd U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve Command. Fort Gillem is a satellite of McPherson in nearby Forest Park, and it houses the headquarters for the U.S. Army Recruiting Brigade and 1st U.S. Army.McPherson is one of the nation's oldest bases. First established in 1886, it became a permanent Army installation in 1889. Known for its on-base golf course, McPherson has 40 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.Gillem is Clayton County's third largest employer. Together McPherson and Gillem have military personnel numbering 2,771 and a civilian work force of 2,451 _ for a total annual payroll of $512 million."The fight has just begun," said Rep. David Scott, a Democrat whose district includes Fort Gillem.In Marietta, the Naval Air Station-Atlanta is targeted for closure _ a loss of 1,274 military personnel and 224 civilian workers with a total payroll of $48 million. However, the adjacent Dobbins Air Reserve Base, which currently has a workforce of about 1,000, will grow by 118 jobs.Also on the plus side for the state, Robins Air Force Base near Warner Robins will have a net gain of 749 new jobs _ all contractors, and Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta, Ga., will net 575 _ all military.No personnel changes were proposed for Fort Stewart near Savannah and Fort Gordon near Augusta.Two other Georgia military installations, the Inspector/Instructor facility in Rome and the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Columbus, were also on the closure list. They each have nine military employees and no civilian employees.Supporters of Athens' Navy Supply Corps School, which has a total of 513 personnel, said they were plotting their next move to try to get the school off the closure list."We certainly hold out some hope. It ain't over 'til it's over, but it may be close to being over. It doesn't look good right now," said Tom Chasteen, member of the Athens-Clark County Commission.The proposed list will now be considered by a federal base closing commission. State politicians insisted Georgia would go all-out to persuade the commission that bases here should remain.But already work has been done to consider new uses for the four bases if they were closed. The same community groups that lobbied to keep their bases off the list will now start mapping redevelopment strategies, said retired Brig. Gen. Philip Browning, head of the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Committee.Browning said earlier this week that the closure round was so sweeping it would've been foolish to think Georgia could escape."We weren't naive; we thought we'd lose something," he said.___Associated Press writers Jeff McMurray in Washington, Dick Pettys in Atlanta, Charles Odum in Athens and Russ Bynum in Savannah contributed to this report.___On the Net:HASH(0x1ce0638)HASH(0x1ce06e0)HASH(0x1ce07c4)Navy Supply Corps School: https://www.npdc.navy.mil/css/nscs/Welcome.aspHASH(0x1cdde48)

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