thedrifter
05-12-05, 07:33 PM
Sent to me By Mark aka The Fontman
Beaufort Braces for BRAC
Paul Floeckher
WSAV News 3
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Retired Marine drill instructor Ron White runs Sgt. White's Diner in Beaufort. He says the military accounts for about 50 percent of his customers and 75 percent of his catering business.
"If the bases did close, we'd all be in trouble," White said Thursday.
But White is extremely confident that won't happen. He says he won't be holding his breath Friday when the Pentagon releases its list of bases recommended for realignment or closure.
"I just have to operate on faith and I have to believe that it's a done deal that they won't close any (in Beaufort). So I'm not even worried about it," White said.
Others in the community are more guarded in their optimism.
"We are cautious. We don't have a crystal ball or a magic list. Nobody does. We'll have to wait like everybody else does," said retired Marine Col. Bob Semmler.
Semmler is vice chairman of Beaufort's Military Enhancement Committee. For about a year-and-a-half, the committee has been working to show how important the Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station, Parris Island Marine Recruit Depot and Beaufort Naval Hospital are to the community.
The committee has made six trips to Washington, D.C., to talk to military leaders, Semmler said. The MEC raised $600,000 for lobbying and marketing, including funds from Beaufort County and the towns of Hilton Head, Bluffton, Beaufort and Port Royal.
"It's been a community-wide effort from the beginning," Semmler said.
"I really believe that going up there (to D.C.) and talking, and just showing interest, and buying property around the [air station] to keep people from developing around it, really helps a lot," White said.
Along with hurting local businesses, a base closing would also impact the University of South Carolina-Beaufort.
About 500 active-duty military are enrolled full- and part-time each year, according to the university's public relations office. Along with its campuses in Beaufort and Bluffton, USC-Beaufort has campuses on Parris Island and the Marine Corps Air Station.
"Many of the students are either related to, married to or are themselves Marines, so [a closing] would definitely affect the student body," said Johnathan Lucky, USC-Beaufort Student Government president.
Lucky acknowledged that a base closing would "change the way our town works." But, he added, "I think, even if a base does close down, the city will survive no matter what."
But Semmler points to two economic impact studies of the worst-case scenario -- Beaufort losing all three of its bases. A Georgia Southern University study estimated Beaufort's economy would lose $454 million a year; a University of South Carolina study put the annual loss even higher, at $700 million.
"It would take 17 years to recover if all three bases closed," Semmler said.
Semmler predicts that all major military installations in the U.S. will be affected in some way by the Base Realignment and Closure. He's optimistic that Beaufort's bases will not only survive, but actually grow -- by absorbing resources from bases that are closed.
"We want to be on the realignment growth list. That would be fantastic," Semmler said.
"I think people need to be preparing themselves for a lot more military people coming to this town and this town just exploding," White said.
Keep in mind the Pentagon's list isn't the final say. The BRAC Commission will have to hold public hearings and then issue its recommendations to President Bush. If the President accepts the list, it then has to go to Congress.
"(After) the list comes out Friday, we don't pack our bags and close the door," Semmler said. "We have to keep working and we have to keep lobbying to stay off any kind of closure list."
Ellie
Beaufort Braces for BRAC
Paul Floeckher
WSAV News 3
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Retired Marine drill instructor Ron White runs Sgt. White's Diner in Beaufort. He says the military accounts for about 50 percent of his customers and 75 percent of his catering business.
"If the bases did close, we'd all be in trouble," White said Thursday.
But White is extremely confident that won't happen. He says he won't be holding his breath Friday when the Pentagon releases its list of bases recommended for realignment or closure.
"I just have to operate on faith and I have to believe that it's a done deal that they won't close any (in Beaufort). So I'm not even worried about it," White said.
Others in the community are more guarded in their optimism.
"We are cautious. We don't have a crystal ball or a magic list. Nobody does. We'll have to wait like everybody else does," said retired Marine Col. Bob Semmler.
Semmler is vice chairman of Beaufort's Military Enhancement Committee. For about a year-and-a-half, the committee has been working to show how important the Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station, Parris Island Marine Recruit Depot and Beaufort Naval Hospital are to the community.
The committee has made six trips to Washington, D.C., to talk to military leaders, Semmler said. The MEC raised $600,000 for lobbying and marketing, including funds from Beaufort County and the towns of Hilton Head, Bluffton, Beaufort and Port Royal.
"It's been a community-wide effort from the beginning," Semmler said.
"I really believe that going up there (to D.C.) and talking, and just showing interest, and buying property around the [air station] to keep people from developing around it, really helps a lot," White said.
Along with hurting local businesses, a base closing would also impact the University of South Carolina-Beaufort.
About 500 active-duty military are enrolled full- and part-time each year, according to the university's public relations office. Along with its campuses in Beaufort and Bluffton, USC-Beaufort has campuses on Parris Island and the Marine Corps Air Station.
"Many of the students are either related to, married to or are themselves Marines, so [a closing] would definitely affect the student body," said Johnathan Lucky, USC-Beaufort Student Government president.
Lucky acknowledged that a base closing would "change the way our town works." But, he added, "I think, even if a base does close down, the city will survive no matter what."
But Semmler points to two economic impact studies of the worst-case scenario -- Beaufort losing all three of its bases. A Georgia Southern University study estimated Beaufort's economy would lose $454 million a year; a University of South Carolina study put the annual loss even higher, at $700 million.
"It would take 17 years to recover if all three bases closed," Semmler said.
Semmler predicts that all major military installations in the U.S. will be affected in some way by the Base Realignment and Closure. He's optimistic that Beaufort's bases will not only survive, but actually grow -- by absorbing resources from bases that are closed.
"We want to be on the realignment growth list. That would be fantastic," Semmler said.
"I think people need to be preparing themselves for a lot more military people coming to this town and this town just exploding," White said.
Keep in mind the Pentagon's list isn't the final say. The BRAC Commission will have to hold public hearings and then issue its recommendations to President Bush. If the President accepts the list, it then has to go to Congress.
"(After) the list comes out Friday, we don't pack our bags and close the door," Semmler said. "We have to keep working and we have to keep lobbying to stay off any kind of closure list."
Ellie