[CPEO-MEF] NAVAIR Delivers Unprecedented Early Transfer

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

The following release can be viewed online at:
http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=9099
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NAVAIR Delivers Unprecedented Early Transfer
Story Number: NNS030821-07
Release Date: 8/21/2003 1:29:00 PM

_From Naval Air Systems Command Public Affairs

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. (NNS) -- Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) has set
a new standard in property conveyance in its recent transfer of the
former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) Toledo to the
Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority in Ohio.

NAVAIR owns several government owned-contractor operated (GOCO)
facilities and is working with the local communities, state agencies and
operating contractors to transfer these properties for economic
development – the 28-acre NWIRP Toledo facility was one of them.

The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority formally sought this property in
November 2002 under Section 2847 of the fiscal year 2002 National
Defense Authorization Act, which authorized the no-cost transfer of the
NWIRP property to the Port Authority. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind
of activity and document preparation.

What makes this conveyance unique is that the entire divesting process
was turned around in what Joe Kaminski, NAVAIR’s program manager for
GOCO facilities, calls “Bureaucratic light speed. From beginning to end,
this process took only six months."

Within these six months, the transfer required coordination with and
approval by Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur; Acting Secretary of the Navy
Hansford T. Johnson; Ohio Gov., Bob Taft, the Ohio Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA); NAVAIR; Naval Facilities Engineering Command
(NAVFACENGCOM) Southern Division; the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority
and Teledyne Technologies, Inc. (the current operating contractor).

According to David Criswell, an environmental engineer at NAVFACENGCOM
Southern Division that worked with this team and deals mainly with early
transfers, this was fast track indeed. “For a facility of this type, a
typical transfer could take about two and a half to three years,” said
Criswell.

Equally impressive is that all of this was accomplished despite known
environmental contamination. Various laws, including the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA),
require the Navy to ensure environmental contamination will pose no risk
to future site users prior to transfer.

Although NAVAIR has divested the property, the Navy will continue to
have remediation responsibilities. NAVFACENGCOM Southern Division will
continue to work with the Ohio EPA to determine the most effective
cleanup treatment, as CERCLA allows property conveyance as long as
controls are in place to prevent exposure to any contamination; however,
these circumstances are not the norm, and the Ohio EPA approached this
concept with trepidation.

Graham Mitchell, the Ohio EPA federal facilities oversight chief,
commented, “The EPA was initially apprehensive in taking this approach,
but we’re glad to have gone through this process – this is an
unprecedented team approach that worked very well.”

This team approach cultivated the trust that was absolutely vital for
all parties involved to accomplish this transfer with remediation
efforts still underway.

Jim Hartung, Toledo-Lucas Count Port Authority president, is extremely
pleased with the rapid progress of the transfer, stating, “This transfer
is truly an innovative approach. The Port Authority has joined with the
Toledo-Teledyne Business Growth Consortium to pursue government and
foreign investment in the economic development and use of this facility.
The University of Toledo is eagerly working with us to establish a Small
Turbine Institute to study new applications of small turbine technology,
and Teledyne is also looking into commercial growth aspects.”

The Navy is looking to promote this transfer as a case study for future
efforts.

NAVAIR provides advanced warfare technologies through the efforts of a
seamless, integrated, worldwide network of aviation technology experts.

For related news, visit the NAVAIR - Naval Air Systems Command Navy
NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/navair.

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