Highlights of DERTF Conference

[Don Zweifel <zweifel@chapman.edu>]

Do believe it would be fair to say that we were all particularly
impressed with Ben Williams' (with California governor Pete Wilson's
Office of Planning and Research) presentation on the effects of base
closure on California and base reuse successes.

We have 26 major BRAC closures or realignments and 40+ other BRAC actions
in California and we've lost nearly 100,000 jobs since the first BRAC I
closing was initiated. Specifically 56,807 military and 40,430 civilian
positions, not to mention the periferal jobs that were indirectly
impacted. The lion's share of these jobs were well-paid and/or had
excellent benefit plans. The overall economic loss amounted to $9
billion... There are those that say that it will take at least a 
generation to recoup these catastrophic losses.

Really would appreciate seeing how any other state in the union could have
faired if they had to undergo a commensurate debacle...

California is attempting to rise like a phoenix from the ashes to cope
with this unsavory situation. Williams remarked that up to ten new
airports are in the planning stages as well as two major seaport
expansions, referencing the former Long Beach Naval Base and L.B. Naval
Shipyard plus the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, if I'm not mistaken. He also
alluded to the over 20,000 family housing units that are about to be or
may be available for public and limited homeless reuse. 

On the other hand there's a bit of a down side to all this because
infrastructure upgrades will end up costing over $2 billion to reconstruct
and may take 20 to 30 years to complete... We're talking about streets
which will take up about 50% of the total. Water, sewer, storm drains and
utilities will probably amount to 20 to 30%. Building demolition and
rehabilitation will be approximately 15 to 20% and parks plus public
facilities making up the final 5% of the total.

When we look at building demolition one imagines that many of these
structures earmarked for demolition were probably needing to be torn down
anyway. That conclusion couldn't be further from the truth if the Long
Beach Naval Base and Naval Shipyard are utilized as a case in point. Much
of the housing there is relatively new or in very good condition. The NCO
family apartment high-rise there is only about four years old. The Allen
Center Officer's Club is considered a historic landmark but it is also
scheduled for the wrecker's ball, all in the name of "progress." 

The city fathers of Long Beach (via their LRA) and the Port Authority made
this determination because enlargement of the port was their singular
goal and all other crying needs were to be blind-sided and sacrificed on
the alter of expediency. 

One former high-ranking officer of the naval base we met at the
conference told us that retention of the existing structures at both
sites could have been a $6 billion windfall for the city if it had
implemented a proposed plan he and others had promulgated recently.

This case brings to mind the matter of whether we should try to salvage
one of the largest free-standing wooden blimp hangers in the world. The
Guiness Book of Records lists these two 1,000+ foot hangers at Marine
Corps Air Station, Tustin, Ca. and the other two at the Moffett Naval Air
Station in northern California as national landmarks ostensibly suitable
for preservation.

The City of Tustin's LRA (Local Redevelopment Authority) would prefer to
tear down one of the hangers because it runs counter to their master plan
to extend a road. However, if the city can get a favorable FOSL (Finding
on Suitability to Lease) from the Department of the Navy (DON) then
Universal Studios may decide to reutilize it as the world's largest sound
stage. The DON prefers to have a request for lease in their hands before
they will consider a FOSL. The tentative leasee prefers to hear from the
DON first before it expends any of its funds attempting to determine
whether it's suitable or not. Catch 22 situation? 

This matter has been pending since February of '96 due to inter-necine
squabbling.

More later...
 Don Zweifel
 CalEPA DTSC Adv Grp Mil Base Closure Member