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Late last month, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission upheld Department of Defense recommendations to add 7,344 additional post personnel to Fort Lee. That number would not only double the existing complement of civilian and military personnel at Fort Lee, it would create 5,000 so-called spin-off jobs, increasing the net gain to 12,000 additional jobs. It was the second hurdle cleared in a three-step process that will hopefully culminate with final approval from President Bush on Nov. 7.
Fort Lee already is the area's most powerful economic engine, annually pumping $800 million into the Tri-Cities. It's not too big of a stretch to believe that number will double, or better.
We're not on the verge of this incredible development by accident. It took vision, planning and execution by a team of dedicated individuals to bring us to this point.
In a three-year period, Congress authorized and the post spent more than $100 million improving and modernizing what had become substandard housing for military personnel at Fort Lee. Additionally, officials worked to transform Fort Lee into a joint training center for all branches of the military. Land was also purchased near Fort Lee to expand weapons training capacity.
Further, local and post officials added a $1.10 bus route from Fort Lee to Petersburg and Colonial Heights to save money for the soldiers on post who had been paying eight to 10 times as much for taxi cab rides. It also provides them with daily access to additional shopping, entertainment and cultural opportunities.
The people who have made these good things happen aren't lighting celebratory cigars just yet, even after clearing the first two steps in the BRAC process. Instead, they are holding meetings to prepare area business owners and government officials for the change. They are seeking financial and technical assistance from government agencies to help locals adjust to the changes. And they're creating a web site that will list job opportunities for spouses of the new military and civilian personnel.
In other words, they're not counting their soldiers before they're stationed. And neither should we. But the road ahead sure looks promising, thanks to the hard work of many involved the BRAC process at Fort Lee.
