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February 11, 2009 · San Antonio is one of many cities around the country preparing for a realignment of military bases over the next three years. Defense contractors and government officials gathered in the Alamo city this week to discuss the obstacles that face them as they try to meet project deadlines.
Dozens of construction projects are underway on all three military bases surrounding San Antonio.
“For those that find themselves on Fort Sam Houston – 65 percent of the base – roughly is under construction,” said Randy Holman, Executive Director of the Joint Program Office in San Antonio.
He’s coordinating most of the construction at Fort Sam Houston and Lackland and Randolph Air Force Bases. It’s all part of BRAC – or the Base Realignment and Closure Commission – a plan approved by the federal government to reorganize the nation’s military bases. While some cities are losing bases, San Antonio is expanding with more than 10,000 people scheduled to relocate here over the next three years. The funds to complete the plan were approved by Congress in 2005. Dr. Clarence Maxwell is executive director of the joint efforts between the bases. He says the funds to complete the project will keep coming – without the help of stimulus bill being debated by Congress.
“We may get some additional money of out of stimulus, but right now it’s very hard to tell – but I don’t think that the stimulus package is going to have really any impact on what our schedule and plan is right now for BRAC,” said Dr. Clarence Maxwell.
But most cities don’t have money to build out infrastructure. Michael Houlemard is head of the Association of Defense Communities - the group who organized the conference. He says those cities could benefit from the proposed stimulus bill.
“Our military communities are always planning and designing and moving ahead with projects and so they have shovel-ready projects – ready to go in about 70 percent of our communities and so that could help communities that are looking at how to fund infrastructure,” said Houlemard.
Houlemard says that San Antonio is ahead of most cities as they try to reach a deadline of completing the BRAC plan by 2011. |
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