Re: Highlights of DERTF Conference

[Terry Olesen <oles@redshift.com>]

RE: Conversion of old military buildings. Those BRAC and local reuse
authority officials who lack vision and community sensitivity will be
missing some great opportunities. For example the large hangars you
mentioned could be used for multipurpose events from large Live-Aid Type
Music Concerts to Indoor Ecosytem Greenhouses complete with their own
microclimates (I'm told the Moffatt Hangar had its own fog form inside!) 
or San FRancisco Exploratorium type science museums. Besides the community
value and reuse these projects/exhibits could if well managed generate
revenues. Good management combined with vision and local democratic public
governing (say through local elected citizen boards) could work wonders. A
good case example was the convrsion of the old Ft. Mason Liberty Ship
Docks in San Francisco into Ft.Mason's multicultural center which
generates several milliions in revenue per year I am told.

There are struggles now to do something similar out at Ft. Ord but its
important that Army Brac Cleanup Team there manage well their
responsbilities to the public input process. As I and others at the Ft.
Ord Toxic Project observe there is or has been a fair amount of
manipulation and even intimidation re: the Restoration Advisory Board
(e.g. forbiding public input from the Sierra Club via public workshops)
and the deeding over of land to unsuspecting nonprofits. Army/DOD should
also make clear what Army's /DOD responsbility will be 10 years from now
should some of the UXO/Toxics resurface or contaminate further the area. 
It could make future BRAC type closures very suspect. 

The Chinese sign for danger-opportunity represents the situation quite
well. Either hasty tear-downs or hasty cleanup can cost us all more in
the long run. I welcome comments.

Terry Olesen
Citizen of Monterey CA