Bedford Minuteman
Wednesday, October 1, 2003

HATS on board for fight to keep Air Force base on the map

By Barbara Forster / Correspondent

"We want to help" was the message from the four Hanscom communities to Bay State officials Sept. 26. Not surprisingly, the issue facing the Hanscom Area Towns Committee involves aviation. What is different is that the subject is military aviation and whether Hanscom Air Force Base disappears from the landscape.

Currently the federal government is in the process of determining which military bases around the country should close. That bases will close is a given; what is less clear is which ones. Although the federal government has the last word, the state is trying to make its voice heard. MassDevelopment is coordinating the state's efforts to insure Hanscom's continued presence.

The reasons are simple, explained Alan MacDonald, vice president of Community & Legislative Affairs.

"Hanscom represents $3.2 billion and 26,000 jobs," he said. "The military is the state's ninth largest employer in terms of revenue and number 14 in sheer numbers of employment."

Hanscom employs 9,000 directly. The rest are spread among Lincoln Labs and various contractors.

The government wants to cut those costs by creating facilities that serve all military branches instead of a single entity such as the Air Force. The state's goal is to keep the money and the jobs while possibly expanding research at the base. That could mean more personnel.

Currently Hanscom is the state's only active base. Natick Soldier's System Center, often called Natick Army Labs, is a similar type of research/development operation engaged in developing all "life" services for the Army including food, uniforms, shelters such as tents, and even bio-medical research.

According to MacDonald, the four Hanscom communities have a role in this effort now and down the road. He noted that because Internet searches for "Hanscom" frequently turn up references to objections to aviation, one critical task is to differentiate clearly between commercial and military aviation.

Save Our Heritage in conjunction with the National Trust for Historic Preservation recently sent off a letter explaining their objections to expanded commercial activity and not Air Force planes.

"That was helpful," said MacDonald. "Local effort doesn't necessarily close a base, but a lack thereof makes it easier (to close)."

Later in the process, community reps will most likely be asked to join state leaders in Washington as they talk to the powers that be.

MassDevelopment has spent the last few months trying to convince the military that research/development and technology sites like Hanscom should not be evaluated by the same criteria as traditional military bases.

"If Hanscom is going to survive the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure Commission), the [evaluation] process has to change," said MacDonald.

The argument, continued MacDonald, is that Hanscom's Electronics System Center was able to develop new equipment including laser weaponry here for a
reason: the intellectual resources available in the greater Boston area.

"And these can't evolve (further) without using the resources that are here," he added.

Helping the Air Force focus more on military-related functions is another objective for the state. Recently, for example, the Air Force privatized various aspects of base maintenance including housing. Additional moves could include finding ways for the state to help with tasks such as snow removal.

Another argument to retain the base is that closing Hanscom would represent the "entire abandonment" of a region.

"Hanscom is the last Air Force base in New England," said MacDonald.

-- Massport's Role

Sara Mattes, of Lincoln, chairwoman of HATS, questioned Massport's recent release of a Request for Proposal to develop additional hangars at the field. She suggested a "disconnect" between general aviation expansion if the military needed additional space for research/development.

"It's very confusing and unnerving to see Massport growth when we're concerned about military expansion," she said.

Jeanne Krieger of Lexington added that businesses like Federal Express could also consume space available for research/development.

"We're supporting the (aviation-related) businesses on Route 3," said Richard Walsh of Massport. "We have a critical role in the very limited flight mission of the Air Force."

Part of that role is Massport's agreement with the military to maintain the air field.

Although final decisions on base closures aren't expected until 2005, interim deadlines are very important. The first one is Dec. 31, 2003 when the Secretary of Defense submits proposed criteria used to make recommendations for installation closure or realignment. In March, the president will submit the nominations to the Senate and nine members to the commission.

Two months later, the commission will receive the list of bases that are recommended to be closed. The state's goal is not to make the list. During the last round of closures in 1995, Hanscom survived a recommendation to move the base to New Jersey because state senators intervened.

In September 2005, the president must accept or reject the list in its entirety and the commission has another 30 days to resubmit the list if the president gives it a thumbs down. Congress gives the final decision in November 2005.

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