Beale's future brightens

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California
APPEAL-DEMOCRAT
Beale's future brightens
By Daniel Witter
December 23, 2003

Beale Air Force Base's future is looking brighter after Yuba-Sutter
officials learned Monday what criteria the Department of Defense will
use to close military installations in 2005.

The criteria, summarized in eight points, were disclosed Monday in a
memo between two Washington, D.C.-based firms that deal in military
issues.

The criteria for the Base Realignment and Closure list range from the
cost of operations and the manpower implications to the economic impact
on existing communities near military installations.

The memo, dated Dec. 22, was from George P. Schlossberg, an attorney
with Kutak Rock LLP, to Gerald Ford, executive director for the National
Association of Installation Developers.

Yuba-Sutter leaders had plenty to say Monday after they read the
criteria.

"I think the criteria is slanted in our direction," said Tim Johnson,
executive director of the Yuba-Sutter Economic Development Corporation.
"If these hold true, there are at least six out of the eight that go
extremely well for us." No one from the Pentagon could be reached for
comment Monday, and Beale officials will not comment on the base closure
process.

Among the criteria that will be weighed is the economic impact of
closing a base on the communities around the installation.

Beale injects about $500 million annually into an eight-county region
surrounding the base, Johnson said. The loss of Beale would devastate
cities, especially in Yuba County where Beale is located, he said.

The base also has room for other military missions and can provide a
place for other branches of the armed forces to be stationed, another
criterion on the list.

"We could add thousands of new jobs," Johnson said.

Beale sits on 23,000 acres along the western edge of Yuba County. Bill
Simmons, a Yuba County supervisor, said the base is an important part of
the community and has been for years.

"Beale is like a city to us," he said. "It's like an unincorporated
city. It's something to be proud of."

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/2003/12/23/news/local_news/news3.txt

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