Articles
"Officials ask for time in fort land use decision"
Jonesboro,
April 27, 2006
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Chandra Harris
(770-210-5073)
News Daily - Officials ask for time in fort land use decision
The following article appeared in the News Daily and was authored by Ed Brock.
The city of Forest Park and U.S. Rep. David Scott want the Army to take more time deciding how parts of Garrison Fort Gillem will be used after the base closes. Fort Gillem, along with its parent facility Fort McPherson in Atlanta, were included on the Base Realignment and Closure list. Scott, D-Georgia, sent a letter to the Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey on Wednesday regarding plans by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to retain parts of the fort. Scott says he supports a request by the Forest Park Fort Gillem Local Reuse Authority that the Army postpone its decision for six months, saying he is “very concerned that the closure of Fort Gillem proceeds, as intended, in a way that stimulates the economy of the affected community.” “I believe the issue of the transfer of a large portion of Fort Gillem to FEMA needs further study by both FEMA as the requesting agency and by the United States Army,” Scott wrote. Scott said he wants to make sure there is room for economic development, adding that he has been told a manufacturing facility that could provide up to 1,800 jobs has expressed interest in the property. He also wants some of the land left open for the possibility of “re-growing” the military’s presence at the fort. According to the current plan a military enclave will be left at the site that will include, among other things, the Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory. “We need to have a strong military presence near Atlanta,” Scott said. Forest Park Mayor Corine Deyton, said there have been parties interested in the fort but didn’t specify what they were. She was in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to meet with Scott and Army officials. “We want the best plan possible,” Deyton said. The forts are set to close in the next four to five years. |