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| Saturday, July 31, 2010 |
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BRAC boom on way
Published December 16, 2009
An estimated crowd of 600 people heard Redstone Arsenal leaders and others say the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) was on schedule during a presentation at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville Tuesday.
“It’s been here a year,” said Redstone Arsenal’s garrrison commander, Col. Robert Pastorelli.
Pastorelli said 2,407 jobs had been transferred to Redstone as of the end of November. He added the Army has already filled 2,063 of those slots.
“Forty-two percent of the workforce resides outside of Huntsville and Madison County,” Pastorelli said.
Greater Jackson County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rick Roden, who narrated the presentation, said $23 million of Redstone’s payroll comes from people living in Jackson County.
“It’s a big deal,” Roden said. “This is the biggest new project in the state, maybe the entire country.”
BRAC is expected to move about 5,000 federal jobs and three major Pentagon units to Huntsville, including the U.S. Army Material Command and most of the Missile Defense Agency.
“There are 1,700 positions coming to Huntsville,” said Teresa W. Gerton, acting executive deputy to the Commanding General in regard to the Army Material Command.
Joe Ritch, chairman of the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee, said 36,000 lots have been approved since 2004, adding that all communities in the Tennessee Valley will be affected.
“The dynamics are already changing,” Ritch said. “Construction and personnel moves are on schedule.”
Roden said he didn’t know a number on how many had already moved to Jackson County.
“We’ve got some already,” he said. “Some have already built houses here.”
Roden felt optimistic the county would receive more people relocating for BRAC.
“We have a lot to offer in Jackson County with the outdoors, water and mountains,” he said.
BRAC is expected to be completed by September 2011.
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