thedrifter
06-26-07, 04:17 AM
Navy secretary lauds Beaufort Marines, community
Published Tuesday June 26 2007
By LORI YOUNT
lyount@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5531
Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter told Beaufort leaders he was impressed with the community's understanding relationship with its bases and "to hold onto what you've got" during his visit Monday to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
"It's nice being in an area that wants it," he said in a meeting with top local officials.
Winter was the first secretary of the Navy to visit the air station since 2004 and also spent time at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island late Sunday and early Monday as part of his tour of Navy and Marine installations.
Defending the bases from encroaching development is one of the biggest battles his department fights at home, Winter said.
"Encroachment is very important to us," he said, adding the best defense is working on the relationship with the community as soon as possible. "Right now this community has an opportunity to ensure (the air station) serves the needs not only of the Marine Corps of the present but also the Marine Corps of the future."
Local leaders assured Winter they were doing just that with land-use restrictions passed in December to limit development near the base and with a partnership between the county and federal governments to buy land rights to create buffer zones around the air station.
The partnership has bought 184 acres since 2004, and with approval of a $50 million bond referendum, officials are looking to buy up even more development rights, Beaufort County Council Chairman Weston Newton said.
"Its an opportunity to get to the man on top and tell him we're working to put our money where our mouth is," he said.
Newton said the military bases pump an estimated $1.5 billion into the local economy each year, which rivals the amount of money brought in by tourism on Hilton Head Island.
The Beaufort area was able to recoup more than $7 million in federal money for such land purchases for fiscal year 2008 that was threatened to be cut until local governments passed the land-use regulations last year, said Carlotta Ungaro, president and CEO of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The Military Affairs Committee with the chamber of commerce worked to keep all three Beaufort bases open during the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure and continues to work to fight the next round, which hasn't been scheduled yet.
Last year the committee received the results of a $20,000 study that assessed regional sites as potential outlying airfields for some of the noisier jet practices at the air station.
"Just because we didn't come up with one stellar find doesn't mean it wasn't money well spent," said retired Col. John Payne, the committee's chairman, adding it helped exclude some sites once thought to be viable options.
Payne said the committee is waiting for further interest or instruction from top Navy officials to decide whether to pursue more study. However, Winter said the Navy is at the moment pushing for an outlying field at a controversial site in Washington County, N.C., to serve as a remote practice area for East Coast flight training.
Also during his visit, Winter acknowledged Marines' work in Iraq by presenting an air station Marine, Gunnery Sgt. Adan Morones, with the Bronze Star for heading up an explosive ordnance disposal unit while deployed to the combat zone last year, including leading the team out of an improvised explosive device trap and disabling IEDs after being hit by one himself.The unit he served with in Iraq was based out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., and Morones has been with the air stations' explosive ordnance disposal unit since January.
He said the greatest honor was "my whole team made it back."
Ellie
Published Tuesday June 26 2007
By LORI YOUNT
lyount@beaufortgazette.com
843-986-5531
Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter told Beaufort leaders he was impressed with the community's understanding relationship with its bases and "to hold onto what you've got" during his visit Monday to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
"It's nice being in an area that wants it," he said in a meeting with top local officials.
Winter was the first secretary of the Navy to visit the air station since 2004 and also spent time at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island late Sunday and early Monday as part of his tour of Navy and Marine installations.
Defending the bases from encroaching development is one of the biggest battles his department fights at home, Winter said.
"Encroachment is very important to us," he said, adding the best defense is working on the relationship with the community as soon as possible. "Right now this community has an opportunity to ensure (the air station) serves the needs not only of the Marine Corps of the present but also the Marine Corps of the future."
Local leaders assured Winter they were doing just that with land-use restrictions passed in December to limit development near the base and with a partnership between the county and federal governments to buy land rights to create buffer zones around the air station.
The partnership has bought 184 acres since 2004, and with approval of a $50 million bond referendum, officials are looking to buy up even more development rights, Beaufort County Council Chairman Weston Newton said.
"Its an opportunity to get to the man on top and tell him we're working to put our money where our mouth is," he said.
Newton said the military bases pump an estimated $1.5 billion into the local economy each year, which rivals the amount of money brought in by tourism on Hilton Head Island.
The Beaufort area was able to recoup more than $7 million in federal money for such land purchases for fiscal year 2008 that was threatened to be cut until local governments passed the land-use regulations last year, said Carlotta Ungaro, president and CEO of the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The Military Affairs Committee with the chamber of commerce worked to keep all three Beaufort bases open during the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure and continues to work to fight the next round, which hasn't been scheduled yet.
Last year the committee received the results of a $20,000 study that assessed regional sites as potential outlying airfields for some of the noisier jet practices at the air station.
"Just because we didn't come up with one stellar find doesn't mean it wasn't money well spent," said retired Col. John Payne, the committee's chairman, adding it helped exclude some sites once thought to be viable options.
Payne said the committee is waiting for further interest or instruction from top Navy officials to decide whether to pursue more study. However, Winter said the Navy is at the moment pushing for an outlying field at a controversial site in Washington County, N.C., to serve as a remote practice area for East Coast flight training.
Also during his visit, Winter acknowledged Marines' work in Iraq by presenting an air station Marine, Gunnery Sgt. Adan Morones, with the Bronze Star for heading up an explosive ordnance disposal unit while deployed to the combat zone last year, including leading the team out of an improvised explosive device trap and disabling IEDs after being hit by one himself.The unit he served with in Iraq was based out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., and Morones has been with the air stations' explosive ordnance disposal unit since January.
He said the greatest honor was "my whole team made it back."
Ellie