[CPEO-IRF] Column - Fort Devens (MA) success

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

A community springs out of Fort Devens

By Robert L. Culver
Boston Globe
May 9, 2006

A NEW COMMUNITY has taken root in Devens, bringing economic growth and 
prosperity to north central Massachusetts, thanks to a decade of 
cooperation among federal, state, and local governments.

On May 9, 1996, the US Army closed Fort Devens and turned over 4,400 
acres of grounds and facilities to the state. The troops left behind 
1,764 empty homes, contaminated soil, unexploded ordnance, and obsolete 
and crumbling buildings. However, they also left behind a robust utility 
infrastructure as well as rail lines for industrial access.

The Army's move eliminated more than 7,000 local jobs, of which 2,900 
had been filled by civilians from the region. All in all, closing Fort 
Devens dealt a body blow to north central Massachusetts. The towns 
surrounding Devens -- Ayer, Harvard, Lancaster, and Shirley -- faced a 
financial tsunami in the massive redevelopment effort. So the state and 
the towns came together to craft a common plan that provided a blueprint 
for developing the land.

...

For the entire column, see
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2006/05/09/a_community_springs_out_of_fort_devens/

--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org
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