Brac

When word came down that U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta wants to do another BRAC, the comment was greeted with measured enthusiasm at the Harford County Development Advisory Board meeting last week. By and large, optimism was expressed that follows the line because Aberdeen Proving Ground has a lot of territory relative to the size of the area occupied by buildings, the post is a prime destination spot for various military components that end up being relocated and consolidated from elsewhere in the country.

When word came down that U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta wants to do another BRAC, the comment was greeted with measured enthusiasm at the Harford County Development Advisory Board meeting last week. By and large, optimism was expressed that follows the line because Aberdeen Proving Ground has a lot of territory relative to the size of the area occupied by buildings, the post is a prime destination spot for various military components that end up being relocated and consolidated from elsewhere in the country.

The restaurants around Fort Monmouth in New Jersey used to be packed. Now that lunchtime crowd gathers 150 miles to the southwest, in Aberdeen. Javier Rodriguez, who just relocated to Aberdeen Proving Ground last month, was struck by the familiar feeling the mass migration has created in his still-unfamiliar new home. "I went out to lunch with a couple of my co-workers … and it was exactly how I remembered it when I first started at Fort Monmouth," said Rodriguez, 33. The national reshuffling of military bases that has brought thousands of jobs to Maryland hits a key milestone this week: It's officially done.

As President Barack Obama proposed a new round of military base closures and reorganization, Maryland's political and business forces already are working to protect installations here and position the state to benefit from any future moves. Maryland still is growing from the last round of the base realignment process known as BRAC, which brought new commands, new missions and tens of thousands of new jobs to Fort Meade, Aberdeen Proving Ground and other military installations around the state.

Has Harford's BRAC boom gone bust? Way back when it first came to light that the U.S. Base Closure and Realignment Commission (known by the curiously jumbled acronym BRAC) would take action resulting in a net expansion at Aberdeen Proving Ground, the first reaction locally was a sigh of relief. After all, there had been concern that APG could be one of those military installations that would end up being closed. Relief gave way to near jubilation, especially in local government circles, as BRAC became synonymous with feast locally, even as it has come to mean famine in places where military installations have been mothballed.

The proposed Odenton Town Square is the kind of development that should be replicated as Maryland prepares for the arrival of thousands of new federal workers. It is transit-oriented; it offers a mix of residential, commercial and hotel space (plus some affordable housing); and it represents public-private investment. Managing the expected growth from the military base realignment and closure process (BRAC) will be shared by state and local governments. But the state should use its power to ensure that the BRAC development revitalizes old communities and complements existing ones.

With the prospect of tens of thousands of new jobs headed to Maryland courtesy of the military base realignment and closure (BRAC) decisions, the last thing needed is to fuel a series of economic development bidding wars that pit county against county or against Baltimore. Yet that is the danger when Annapolis starts talking about giving subdivisions greater authority to offer tax breaks to BRAC employers instead of spending money where it ought to go - on badly needed local infrastructure.

As President Barack Obama proposed a new round of military base closures and reorganization, Maryland's political and business forces already are working to protect installations here and position the state to benefit from any future moves. Maryland still is growing from the last round of the base realignment process known as BRAC, which brought new commands, new missions and tens of thousands of new jobs to Fort Meade, Aberdeen Proving Ground and other military installations around the state.

The Boeing Co. is the latest defense contractor to lease space in Aberdeen as part of the federal government's base realignment and closure program. Boeing leased 5,490 square feet of space from St. John Properties at the Government and Technology Enterprise project, a 413-acre business community under construction within the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford Co., and plans to move 25 employees to 6245 Guardian Gateway by fall. The Chicago-based contractor is coming to Harford County to support the Command, Control, Computer, Communication, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR)

A dance under a circus-sized tent at Aberdeen Proving Ground has raised more than $300,000 for a network of houses that offer free lodging to the families of wounded warriors. The first Support Our Heroes Ball held in Maryland drew more than 500 guests, a sell-out crowd, Saturday to the Harford County Army post. Many of those dancers were newcomers to Aberdeen, who have transferred here from Fort Monmouth, N.J., where the ball tradition began and has raised nearly $1 million in the last six years.

The general officer who became the face of BRAC at Aberdeen Proving Ground and around Harford County over the past two and a half years relinquished command of theU.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command during a change of responsibility ceremony on post Friday morning. Maj. General Nick Justice turned over leadership of RDECOM to a civilian, Dale E. Ormond, who will have the title of RDECOM director. All the seats in the APG Post Theater were full for the ceremony which marked a milestone in the history of APG and in the career of Justice, who is retiring after 42 years of service in the Army.

Has Harford's BRAC boom gone bust? Way back when it first came to light that the U.S. Base Closure and Realignment Commission (known by the curiously jumbled acronym BRAC) would take action resulting in a net expansion at Aberdeen Proving Ground, the first reaction locally was a sigh of relief. After all, there had been concern that APG could be one of those military installations that would end up being closed. Relief gave way to near jubilation, especially in local government circles, as BRAC became synonymous with feast locally, even as it has come to mean famine in places where military installations have been mothballed.

Failure of the congressional "supercommittee" to strike a deal on deficit reduction has left lawmakers scrambling to address a half-dozen bills of major importance to Marylanders, from extending tax breaks to paying Medicare doctors to securing federal money for roads near military bases. Before the end of the month, a bitterly divided Congress must decide whether to keep paying unemployment benefits that 14,300 out-of-work Maryland residents collect and whether to continue a payroll tax cut received by 2.6 million wage earners in the state.

To borrow a turn of phrase from Dorothy upon landing in Oz, we're not in the country any more. It may be possible to drive an hour and be in the country, but the territory around Aberdeen and Havre de Grace isn't a sleepy backwater as it is sometimes portrayed, and once may well have been. There's plenty of evidence of this transformation, be it in the form of shopping centers, newly-built neighborhoods or industrial parks. Possibly, the greatest indication of this area's transformation from country to congestion, though is that hour it might take to drive from downtown Aberdeen to an area that could truly be called country.

The event was called "Beyond BRAC: Shining the Light on Innovation & Opportunity in the CSSC Region," and not surprisingly it was a business function that sought to highlight the economic opportunities brought about as a result of the expansion at Aberdeen Proving through the Base Closure and Realignment Commission's actions. The keynote speaker at the event, organized by the Chesapeake Science & Security Corridor and held in Edgewood, was locally prominent economist Anirban Basu, who posed the question: "Why is the American job machine so broken?"

The restaurants around Fort Monmouth in New Jersey used to be packed. Now that lunchtime crowd gathers 150 miles to the southwest, in Aberdeen. Javier Rodriguez, who just relocated to Aberdeen Proving Ground last month, was struck by the familiar feeling the mass migration has created in his still-unfamiliar new home. "I went out to lunch with a couple of my co-workers … and it was exactly how I remembered it when I first started at Fort Monmouth," said Rodriguez, 33. The national reshuffling of military bases that has brought thousands of jobs to Maryland hits a key milestone this week: It's officially done.

Just outside the main gate of Aberdeen Proving Ground, construction workers are finishing up a three-story building's brick exterior, preparing to install windows and divide the vast interior into offices. Nearby, a cleared parcel sits ready for a second building to start soon - even though the developer has yet to sign up a single tenant. The work at North Gate Business Park symbolizes the rush to build offices in Harford County as the long-awaited influx of jobs from a nationwide military base restructuring nears.

BRAC is here, just about. Sept. 15 is the federal government's deadline for its implementation at Aberdeen Proving Ground. A week before that deadline, on Sept. 7, Harford County Executive David R. Craig, along with representatives from Harford County Government as well as ranking officials from the U. S. Army and Aberdeen Proving Ground, will host the final BRAC Town Hall. This final meeting will include an update regarding milestones achieved, teaming efforts as well as future outlook and potential federal impact moving forward.