[CPEO-MEF] Lease deal nearly ready

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

Massachusetts
THE CAPE COD TIMES
Lease deal nearly ready
By Amanda Lehmert
June 23, 2003

Gov. Mitt Romney's administration and the National Guard are close to
making a deal to keep the military on the Massachusetts Military
Reservation until 2051.

Representatives from the governor's office met last week with selected
residents to discuss extending the lease, which currently allows the Air
Guard, the Army Guard and the Coast Guard to stay until 2026. They hope
to have the exact language available to present at a public meeting next
Monday.

The Department of Defense is pushing to have the lease signed by the
governor by July 15.

The governor's administrators who are working on the lease deal -
Secretary of Public Safety Edward Flynn and Chief Secretary for
Commonwealth Development Doug Foy - said in the lease negotiations that
Romney wants to ensure that:

-The lease will incorporate the memorandum of agreement signed into law
last year, which ensures that military or other activities that take
place in the northern 15,000 acres of the military base do not endanger
the drinking water supply or wildlife habitat.

-The current cleanup of the cantonment area continues.

-Better access is provided to the base's southern 5,000 acres for
monitoring.

Foy said the governor's office also wants to make sure the military will
make a commitment to the surrounding towns, in writing, to resolve water
supply problems. Foy said U.S. Rep. William Delahunt's office is
facilitating those discussions between the towns and the military.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/leasedeal23.htm

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