policy and advocacy
Resource Guide for Military Base Closings
Memo
| To: | Local Arts Organizations |
| From: | Americans for the Arts Office of Government & Public Affairs |
| Date: | October 2005 |
| Re: | Resource Guide for Local Arts Organizations Located Near Military Base Closings |
This memo is to inform you of possible Federal funding opportunities found through the closure of military installations in your state and community. It is available in PDF format also.
These closures will be met with anger and disbelief in some communities, and acceptance and hope in others. For local arts organizations and related cultural groups with a forward-looking perspective a base closing can be a chance to revitalize your community through the arts and culture.
It is through the base closing process and its expected dynamic of planning that we direct your attention, as a great opportunity for a local arts organization to find a new home, new venue, new gallery space, new museum, new funding and an improved quality of life for the community.
2005 BRAC
BRAC, or the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, is the congressionally authorized process the U.S. Department of Defense uses to reorganize its base structure to more efficiently and effectively support U.S. forces, increase operational readiness, and facilitate new ways of doing business. The Department of Defense held four previous rounds of base closures and realignments in 1988, 1991, 1993, and 1995.
Starting in early November, 27 states will have major base closures or realignments made through the 2005 BRAC process. A complete list of installation names is attached, but the affected states are:
| Alaska | California | Florida |
| Georgia | Idaho | Illinois |
| Indiana | Kansas | Louisiana |
| Maine | Massachusetts | Michigan |
| Mississippi | Missouri | New Jersey |
| New Mexico | New York | North Carolina |
| North Dakota | Oregon | Pennsylvania |
| Texas | Utah | Virginia |
| Washington | Wisconsin |
The bases closings in these states will result in the loss of thousands of Department of Defense civilian jobs and the end of much of the current economic activity that these bases maintain. However, through the last four BRAC rounds, the Department of Defense, along with the U.S. Department of Labor, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Economic Development Administration have provided $1.6 billion in coordinated grant assistance. These funds were part of the local economic recovery strategy that was led by the Defense Department’s Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA).
Examples of the Arts at BRAC Installations
OEA has issued a report, “Economic Transitions of BRAC Sites,” that tracks the economic transition activity from military to civilian use at 73 locations adversely impacted by a previous major BRAC closure or realignment. This report has provided some insight into the types of businesses and activities that can be a part of the restructuring of these bases. Here are some arts-related examples found on those bases:
- Lowry AFB, Denver—The transformation of Lowry Air Force Base includes craft spaces in their new Montclair Recreational Center, dance classes at the Colorado Free University, and a significant public art program in Bayaud Park and throughout the facility. The Lowry Foundation has incorporated the history of the base into its current designs and artwork on the base.
- Glenview, IL, Naval Air Station—Glenview Naval Air Station has been renamed “The Glen” and now houses the Kohl Children’s Museum and a 145-acre Gallery Park that includes an amphitheater and a cultural arts wing.
- Fort McClellan, Anniston, AL—McClellan is promoting itself as a center for the arts while providing entertainment and educational opportunities for the region. Plans are to reach people that might not otherwise have the opportunity or exposure to these venues. The historic Post Recreation Center, one of the early McClellan buildings, is currently undergoing a $2 million dollar rehabilitation effort as a regional venue for the arts. The Alabama Symphony Orchestra now performs a summer concert series on the base. Executive Director of the Alabama Symphony, Paul Ferrone, is thrilled about the new venue. "This is just a win-win situation in terms of reshaping and transforming a community. The arts have such a positive impact on doing that. It’s tourism. It’s economic development, quality of life, image, creating an identity for the community." [Joint Powers Authority, Fort McClellan, news release]
- Fort Benjamin Harrison, Lawrence, IN—In just 3½ years more than 100 percent of the nonmilitary jobs have been replaced. The Schneider Corporation, Indiana’s largest private-sector employer and largest architectural and engineering firm, relocated in October 2000. This creative industry business employs over 200 engineers, architects, and support personnel.
- Loring AFB, Limestone, ME—At Loring Air Force Base, the Loring Job Corps Center employs 140 staff and provides job training in painting, web page design, and the culinary arts.
- Alameda Naval Air Station, Alameda, CA—The Navy has donated the U.S.S. Hornet to the Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation for use as a museum, a big band site, and one of the biggest event venues in the area. Manex Entertainment, a leading special effects film production company, has established its international headquarters at the former air station with the intention of making the site a major film production center.
- Castle AFB, Merced, CA—Through the U.S. Air Force Heritage Program, communities and organizations are offered limited assistance in establishing air museums in which vintage military aircraft may be preserved. Accepting the challenge of restoring, maintaining, and displaying World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam Era aircraft, a group of dedicated enthusiasts in the Atwater-Merced area formed the Castle Air Museum Foundation, Inc., which is now a nonprofit organization.
The Next Step—The LRA
“Redevelopment can also be the single most important opportunity for an affected community to overcome the impacts of a realignment or closure while building upon community strengths and vision. Each community response is unique and reflects the impacts on local businesses, workers, and other community components. Redevelopment creates an opportunity for the community to achieve multiple goals. For instance, a community may diversify the local economy by creating new businesses and jobs, expanding the tax base, and satisfying a range of community needs for new public facilities.” [“Responding to Change: Communities & BRAC,” OEA]
Starting on or around November 1, 2005, each base will establish a Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) and build a planning organization of local leaders, planners, community organizations and investors to map out a strategy to convert existing military structures and land into buildings and offices for civilian use. The “Planning LRA” will submit a base reuse plan to the Department of Defense and the Department of Housing & Urban Development. Once the Federal agencies have worked out the plan, an “Implementation LRA” will continue the redevelopment work at a local level to lease, sell, renovate, build, and remove parts of the installation.
Below is some data on the approximate timeframe for each step of the process based on past BRAC closings. However, according to OEA staff, the 2005 BRAC process is expected to move much faster than it has in the past.
| Milestone | Average Time |
| BRAC Announcement to Planning LRA | 4 months |
| BRAC Announcement to Implementation LRA | 20 months |
| BRAC Announcement to Reuse Plan | 30 months |
| BRAC Announcement to Closure | 43 months |
| Closure to First Lease | 5 months |
| Closure to 25% Job Replacement | 17 months |
| Closure to 100% Job Replacement | 30 months |
| Source: MIT Project on Military Base Redevelopment Note: Averages relate only to installations that reached the specified milestone. | |
Although the closing and full redevelopment of a military base can take the better part of a decade, there are short-term opportunities for the arts as well. As various facilities, such as aircraft hangers, are shut down, they can be leased or used as low-cost solutions to storage or performance spaces. These uses provide ways to launch cultural activities on a base while the plans for redevelopment are still underway.
Over time, LRAs can grow into arms of local government, or turn into new public authority entities. In either case, the initial steps of an LRA are born out of a series of local and regional public meetings that seek to capture a consensus vision. This vision can include a place for the arts.
It will be a priority for local arts organizations to become familiar with their LRAs’ activities and meeting schedules and, when possible, to take on a leadership role within the LRA. As an OEA bulletin suggests, “The [LRA] organization should reflect a cross section of public and private sector leadership. It is not a ‘blue ribbon’ committee created to give visibility to certain persons, or narrow objectives, with no commitment to action. It must be a core of dedicated strong, knowledgeable, capable individuals that know how to get a job done quickly, that have the community’s future uppermost in their minds, and have a track record of accomplishment.” Furthermore, among the list of suggested LRA subcommittees are tourism, recreation, and economic/business development—all areas in which local arts organizations may play a role.
Federal Funding Resources
Once established, the Local Redevelopment Authority becomes the managing authority for the redevelopment process. Two Federal agencies provided key assistance: the Defense Department’s Office of Economic Adjustment, which provides planning and organizational assistance grants; and the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), which makes grants for infrastructure and business development.
In addition to these grant programs, the soon-to-be-updated Base Redevelopment and Realignment Manual has a great deal of practical information on Defense Department policies on land conveyance, the redevelopment plan process, leasing regulations, and other matters related to the operations on a military base post November 1.
Below is a list of some Federal grant programs that LRA’s can pursue:
- OEA Advance Planning Grants
- OEA, Technical & Grant Assistance Programs
- HUD, Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
- HUD, State Administered CDBG (formerly named Small Cities Block Grant) —for cities not eligible for CDBG funds
- Commerce Department, Economic Development Administration (EDA)—grants include Planning, Technical Assistance, and Public Works programs, also a BRAC-related website.
- Interior Department, National Park Service, Historic Preservation Tax Credits
- Small Business Administration, Business & Community Initiatives, HUBZone, also see SBA press release on program.
BRAC Resources
Below are some key documents and websites that may assist local arts organizations as they become involved in the base closing in their state or community.
- Documents
- “Economic Transition of BRAC Sites,” U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Economic Adjustment, 1988–2004
- “Responding to Change: Communities & BRAC,” U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Economic Adjustment
- Base Reuse & Realignment Manual, OEA—This publication was initially titled the Base Reuse Implementation Manual (1997). The renamed and updated edition is expected fall 2005.
- “From Barracks to Business: The M.I.T. Report on Base Redevelopment,” Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce, March 2000.
- OEA, Economic Adjustment Technical Bulletins:
- Websites
- BRAC Installations by Name, OEA website—links to local redevelopment authority website
- National Association of Installation Developers, NAID, www.naid.org
- U.S. Housing & Urban Development, Community Planning & Development, Military Base Reuse & Homeless Assistance website.
- U.S. Commerce Department, Economic Development Administration, Defense Conversion website
2005 BRAC
- Major Closures
- Army (12)
- Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant, CA
- Fort Gillem, GA
- Fort McPherson, GA
- Newport Chemical Deport, IN
- Kansas Army Ammunition Plant, KS
- Selfridge Army Activity, MI
- Mississippi Army Ammunition Plant, MS
- Fort Monmouth, NJ
- Umatilla Chemical Deport, OR
- Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant, TX
- Deseret Chemical Depot, UT
- Fort Monroe, VA
- Navy (5)
- Naval Air Station Atlanta, GA
- Naval Station Pascagoula, MS
- Naval Air Station Willow Grove, PA
- Naval Station Ingleside, TX
- Naval Air Station Brunswick, ME
- Air Force (5)
- Kulis Air Guard Station, AK
- Onizuka Air Force Station, CA
- Brooks City Base, TX
- General Mitchell ARS, WI
- Cannon Air Force Base, NM*
- * Closure recommendation goes into effect if the Secretary of the Air Force does not designate a new mission for the installation by December 31, 2009.
- Major Realignments
- Army (6)
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (at Bethesda), (MD)
- Rock Island Arsenal, IL
- Fort Knox, KY
- Army Reserve Personnel Center, MO
- Fort Eustis, VA
- Red River Army Depot, TX
- Navy (13)
- Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, CA
- Naval Base Ventura City, CA
- Naval Base Coranado, CA
- Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA
- Naval District Washington, DC
- NAS Pensacola, FL
- Naval Station Great Lakes, IL
- Naval Support Activity Crane, IN
- NAS Corpus Christi, TX
- Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, VA
- NAS Oceana, VA
- Naval Support Activity, LA
- Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Concord Detachment, CA
- Air Force (12)
- Eielson AFB, AK
- Elmendorf AFB, AK
- Mountain Home AFB, ID
- Pope AFB, NC
- Grand Forks AFB, ND
- Lackland AFB, TX
- Sheppard AFB, TX
- McChord AFB, WA
- Otis Air National Guard Base, MA
- W.K. Kellogg Airport Guard Station, MI
- Niagara Falls International Airport Air Guard Station, NY
- Pittsburg International Airport Air Reserve Station, PA
- Defense Agencies/Multiple Services (2)
- NCR Leased locations, DC
- Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) VA
- Proposed Closures Rejected by the Commission
- Hawthorne Army Depot, NV
- Naval Support Activity, CA
- Submarine Base New London, CT
- Naval Shipyard Portsmouth, ME
- Ellsworth AFB, SD
- Proposed Realignments Rejected by the Commission
- NAS Brunswick, ME**
- Maxwell AFB, AL
- Portland International Airport Air Guard Station, OR
- DFAS Cleveland, OH
** Commission recommended closure instead
