[CPEO-MEF] FBI renews bid to obtain Camp Bonneville

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Washington
THE COLUMBIAN
FBI renews bid to obtain Camp Bonneville
By ERIN MIDDLEWOOD
Friday, June 13, 2003

The FBI renewed its bid to take over Camp Bonneville for law-enforcement
training, a move that may edge out Clark County's deal with the U.S.
Army to turn the retired base into a park.

"I'm not really sure how that is going to play out," said Eric Waehling,
the base environmental coordinator. "Federal needs may take precedence
over a transfer to Clark County."

The Army stopped training at the 3,840-acre base north of Camas in 1995,
but its plans to turn over the land to Clark County have stalled because
unexploded munitions and other pollution riddle the property. In recent
months, the bureaucratic wheels began spinning toward a transfer of the
land as early as October.

The Army won't clean up the base before turning it over, but plans to
provide Clark County with money for the work as well as insurance to
cover cost-overruns and liability.

Commissioner Judie Stanton said the county knew the FBI had expressed
interest in the base, but thought their bid was a backup. Now it appears
to be competing with the county's plan for a park, which includes
facilities for camping, an outdoor school and an American Indian
cultural center.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.columbian.com/06132003/front_pa/46061.html

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