Bedford Minuteman
Wednesday, March 9, 2005

State politicians push hard for Hanscom before May deadline

By Bethan L. Jones/ Staff Writer

With such a long winter, it's difficult to wait until May to know the
fate of Hanscom Air Force Base.

Although the Base Alignment and Closure commission is not expected to
deliver its decision until then, the state has taken a proactive role to try
to preserve the facility. Gov. Mitt Romney, supported by Sen. Edward
Kennedy, D-MA, have put forward a bond bill earmarked to invest $242 million
into Hanscom, increasing the facilities and improving the infrastructure.

"Clearly the Romney administration has made the preservation and
expansion of Hanscom ... a top priority. There facilities are extremely
important for the state's economy and the governor is doing all he can to
ensure these facilities remain and continue to expand," said Joseph Donovan
of the state's economic development office.

The bonded millions put forward by the state are designated for several
base improvement projects, overseen by the Massachusetts Defense Technology
Initiative, a public-private partnership designated to preserve Hanscom and
the Natick U.S. Army Soldier System Center.

This current BRAC is the fourth review Hanscom has undergone since
1991, the most recent in 1995. For this review, the MDTI have focused on
Hanscom, not as a traditional military base but a key part of the technology
development which gives the U.S. military such an edge in warfare today.

"For this mission, [Hanscom] is the ideal location in the world," said
MDTI president Alan Macdonald, citing the large number of private companies
and academic research that is conducted in this area for defense missions.

MDTI sees the physical location of Hanscom ideal, but the current
facilities highly lacking. The $242 million will do a lot to improve the
inadequacies, said Macdonald.

In a release from Romney's office last month, he said he was pleased
that so many new jobs would be created at Hanscom and Natick.

"The preservation and enhancement of these two important technical
facilities are critical for our state economy and the evolving mission and
capabilities of the nation's military," said Romney.

He added, "Working with the community, our congressional delegation and
members of the Legislature, we have been making the case to military
officials that Massachusetts possesses a critical cluster of intellectual,
economic and human resources that maximizes the military value of these
installations."

"With this bond, the commonwealth is demonstrating its commitment to
Natick and Hanscom," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in the same release. "We
know the great importance of these bases to our national security today and
their potential impact in the years ahead is even greater. I'm confident
that many in the Department are convinced of the strength of our case."

The largest and most expensive part of the project will be the
construction of 1.25 million square feet of office and research and
development space, a 125-percent increase to what is presently at the site.

Additional funds will go toward improving the infrastructure, both
inside and outside the base. Four to $5 million will be spent to improve the
jug-handle intersection of routes 4 and 225 and Hartwell Avenue in
Lexington. Hartwell Avenue will also be widened to four travel lanes with
signals at Wood Street and McGuire Road.

Much of the expansion of the base will be done on underutilized parking
areas, said Macdonald, adding one of the main goals was to increase the
capacity of the base without increasing its footprint.

"[The plan] takes what is now inefficient ... and uses that as a key to
unlock development opportunities," said Macdonald.

The research and development and office space will be housed in several
three- to five-story buildings. Multi-story parking lots are also included
in the plan. An additional 800 housing units will also be constructed at the
cost of $168 million. The new housing was not included in the bond as the
homes will be paid for through individual personnel housing allowance,
making the project cost-neutral.

The planned expansions are expected to bring an additional 4,000 jobs
to the area.

The renovations and expansion will only happen, however, if the BRAC
chooses to keep Hanscom open and operational. Macdonald said as of now the
MDTI has no planned action if the base is to be closed.

If the word does come that Hanscom will be shut down, Macdonald and
others will appeal on the base's behalf, emphasizing the importance of the
base to weapons development.

"We are 100 percent focused to getting to yes," said Macdonald.

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