Selling: new opportunities for public parks and recreation surface with the latest round of base closures.

Our Military Bases for Parkland

The latest round of military base closures and realignments has created high anxiety in hundreds of communities across America. The economic benefits of a U.S. military installation in or near a community are huge, and the thought that they might disappear overnight along with personnel and payroll strikes fear into elected officials, community leaders and business owners.

A new list of bases has been put on the chopping block by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) the fifth such round of closures and realignments since the commission began this process in 1989. While most communities react with dread upon seeing their base included on the closure and realignment list, some communities have come to realize that despite the short-term dislocation, there may be many unexpected opportunities and benefits from having their base closed or realigned.

In the previous four rounds of base closure and realignment, nearly 100 major bases and hundreds of smaller installations have been closed around the country. In addition, hundreds of accompanying realignments have changed the mission, and thus the impact of bases on their host communities. In this fifth round of closures and realignments BRAC, an independent panel appointed by the president, has recommended the closure of an additional 22 major facilities and nearly 400 additional National Guard and Reserve facilities. Under the law, the president must now review and forward those recommendations to Congress without change, and Congress must vote the complete up or down without change. Congress is expected to act on this latest round by late fall 2005.

Base closures are final and often irrevocable. "Realignment," however, means that the mission of a military installation will change in some significant way, but it doesn't necessarily mean a base will become smaller or less important. Realignment can mean anything from a base with only a caretaker presence remaining, to completely redefining the mission of a base and significantly increasing the numbers of personnel and activities that go on within it.

The process of closing a military installation and converting that installation into civilian infrastructure is a gut-wrenching process for local communities. Workers are relocated, local businesses sometimes wither, the tax-base temporarily declines and families are uprooted. The pain is real, and can be long-lasting. Nevertheless, once a community grasps the real opportunities inherent in the closing of a base or its realignment, a multitude of new opportunities become apparent.

The base closures that have occurred since 1989 have shown that in the long term, the overwhelming majority of closed bases have been successfully converted into vibrant centers of business, education, transportation and recreation that actually contribute more to the economic health, physical and social well-being of their host community than they did as military installations.

In 2001, the National Park Service (NPS) transferred 292 acres of the closed Myrtle Beach Air Force Base in South Carolina to the city of Myrtle Beach for a new regional park. The transfer included a gymnasium, ball field complex, youth athletic fields, recreation center, duck pond and the Whispering Pines Golf Course. Jimmie Waiters, the city's director of Culture and Leisure Services says, "If the city had to duplicate what we're doing today, it would cost $20 to $25 million."

Just like in Myrtle Beach, the park and recreation benefits that eventually come to a community can be numerous. Military bases often have outstanding conservation lands and recreational facilities that can be converted for public use at minimal cost. On larger bases, there are often exceptional natural resources and wildlife that has been protected for decades. Wetlands, streams and rivers are often undisturbed and have outstanding conservation and wildlife viewing value.

Golf courses, community centers and recreational amenities are frequently in excellent condition and usable with few modifications. No matter what the primary mission of the military base, when the lands and facilities are considered in a post-military context, there is inevitably strong public desire to preserve large portions of the land and natural resources in a conservation status and make some portions of the converted facilities and lands available for public use and recreation.

Understanding the Base Closure and Realignment Process

Once a base is officially slated for closure, the decision-making process to determine eventual reuse of the facility can take about six months to two years to complete, with implementation of the plan to take even longer. The process is governed not just by the BRAC law, but also by a number of other federal property disposal and environmental laws that lay out steps for communities to follow.

The Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) provides help in funding the planning and implementation of base reuse, as do most state governments. Funding is of course a key question in any new park or conservation opportunity, and should be carefully considered up front as a part of the reuse planning process. While communities may hate to pass up the $10 million worth of parks infrastructure available from their base, the city budget may not be able to sustain operations and maintenance in the long term.

A basic understanding of how BRAC works is fundamental to protecting natural resources and recreational opportunities on the land in question. There are two parallel processes involved in converting a base: 1) the declaration of the facility as surplus to federal needs, accompanied by an environmental impact analysis of current conditions and projected reuses; and 2) a land use planning process undertaken by the local government entities responsible for the converted infrastructure.

The first step in an environmental impact analysis is the gathering of baseline information like the identification of contaminents, locating underground tanks and forest mapping. The military significantly improved its stewardship of natural resources during the past 20 years, partially spurred by the BRAC process, but most bases still operate some industrial processes as a part of military mission support such as vehicle maintenance, weapons and ammunition repair and storage, and storage of large quantities of fuel.

Based on these realities, looking at the quality of soil and water should be part of this process. While the issue of environmental contaminants can be a hindrance for eventual park and recreation, it doesn't have to be, as the example of Fort Meade in Maryland proves.

When 8,100 acres of prime, developable land was suggested for closure in the first round of base closings in 1989, developers were salivating. This much "new" land was unheard of in the rapidly developing Baltimore-Washington corridor, and real estate interests and local politicians were absolutely giddy with the possibilities for new mixed use development, shopping centers and high-tech corridors.

However, questions about unexploded artillery and environmental contaminants made much of the land unsuitable for development. Further, the outstanding natural features of the properties and their proximity to the world-renowned Patuxent Wildlife Research Center of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with some heavy hitting congressional support, transferred these lands in their entirety to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for additions to the Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge. The lands today are managed with the active help of a volunteer group and are open for fishing and hunting and other recreation.

At the same time that this baseline documentation is being prepared by the military, state and local government agencies will designate or create a Local Reuse Authority (LRA) to act as the focal point of land use planning and management of the facility. This entity will begin gathering input from interested citizens, stakeholder groups, and state and local government agencies to prepare a reuse plan.

They will be provided with a list of all the existing facilities and infrastructure on the base, including statements of condition, and will likely retain consulting help to prepare their plan. This inventory is a public document that should be made available to all stakeholders. Another role of the LRA is to become the conduit of information and communication between its community and the military.

Create a Seat at the Table

The key to successfully advocating for and implementing your vision of what the installation should become is early and consistent engagement. This is especially true for citizens, interest groups and local government agencies who want to see conservation and recreation uses for the property, or who are concerned with ensuring a balance between economic development, environmental impact and social responsibility with these new land uses.

It is vitally important that advocates for recreation and conservation uses be engaged with the LRA from its inception, and ideally that they have a presence on either the governing board or staff of the organization, or both. This is the first opportunity for such advocates to express their desires in the process. Military bases often include gymnasia, ball fields, trails, community centers, libraries, swimming pools, lakes and streams, open space, golf courses and other recreation and conservation resources as a part of their existing infrastructure.

Converting these facilities and resources to civilian use is often just a function of changing the sign on the door from a military logo to the local park and recreation department logo. In March 1999, the NPS transferred 93.1 acres of the closed Sand Point Naval Air Station in Seattle, Wash., including 10 historic buildings, for park and recreation use. The city provides this space to non-profit arts, civic, environmental and sports organizations for services and office space.

In 2003, the city completed renovation of the former base indoor recreation center, transformed the former brig into a community center, and adopted a refined plan for the development of sports fields, a tennis court complex and the restoration of a historic wetland in the area of the former airfield.

While there are many success stories like this one, there are also many stories of failure to convert recreation and conservation resources to public use in the annals of the past four rounds of BRAC. In nearly every case, that failure was the result of interested parties not working closely with the LRA to make their voices heard.

As the environmental analysis nears completion and the LRA gets on its feet, a notification of surplus property availability will go out from the military to interested parties. There is a strict order established under federal law for the transfer and disposal of federal property to a variety of entities that serve the public interest. This is the second and possibly most important opportunity for advocates for recreation and conservation to influence the decision-making process.

Under the laws mentioned above, other federal agencies have the first opportunity at facilities no longer needed by the military. The Federal Lands to Parks Program (FLP) of the National Park Service can obtain control of recreation and conservation resources at this stage of the process, and can transfer control of those resources to state or local government entities at little or no cost.

The window of opportunity is tight, requiring that the state or local government in question express interest in the parcel within 20 days of the notice of availability. Citizens and interest groups who advocate for parks and conservation should work closely with their local park and recreation agencies to contact the FLP representative in their region early, and to have the necessary planning and documents completed prior to the final and formal notification of availability.

One caveat: an important component of any application through FLP is the ability of the local or state government entity to operate and maintain the property for public park and recreation use in perpetuity. While military bases may appear to be goldmines of recreation and conservation opportunity, realistic planning should be a guiding principle for local reuse plans. When Myrtle Beach received its land, the property was transferred to the city at no cost. In return, the city made a commitment to use the property for recreational purposes forever. "It's kind of like a marriage vow," says City Attorney Tom Ellenburg.

Once expressions of interest from federal agencies, services providers, state government, tribes and other stakeholders are complete, the LRA folds these into its own master plan for the installation. At this point, the environmental impact and local land use planning processes converge, and an analysis of various reuse options is conducted under the environmental process.

The results of this study are provided to the military, and the secretary of the military service who operates the base makes the final decision on disposal of the property, called a Record of Decision, which is then used to transfer property to governmental or non-governmental owners. The Department of Defense (DOD) provides additional technical expertise and monetary help for the conversion of the facility to civilian use through the OEA.

There is one other important twist to this process: It may be possible to obtain control and use of military property before all the deeds are signed and the keys turned over. This "interim use" is accomplished through low-cost leases, and enables communities to begin making productive use of facilities that are no longer needed by the military while all the environmental process proceeds.

For example, when Fort Benjamin Harrison was slated for closure in 1991, Indiana applied for 1,700 acres of the base's 2,500 acres, envisioning a new state park. In 1995, the National Park Service also deeded a 230-acre parcel containing a well-developed golf course to the state at a discounted cost of $2.4 million.

Although NPS is currently in the process of preparing documents to transfer another 1,400 acres, at no cost, to the state to complete the park, in the interim, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has been leasing the property from the Army for $1 a year. This allowed the park to be created, buildings occupied and used, and the park used by the public while environmental cleanup was still taking place. At the dedication ceremony in 1996, then Governor Evan Bayh called the park "the most significant addition to the Indiana park system in 60 years."

The BRAC process is convoluted and sometimes confusing. It can be almost overwhelming for local communities reeling from the draconian impacts anticipated from closure or realignment. The politics driven by many competing interests may cloud the understanding of the long-term benefits and values of using lands and facilities of closed bases for conservation and recreation. Park and recreation supporters should not lose focus or heart as the politics and process gets complicated and stressful. The long-term payoff for citizens and communities is well worth the effort.

Wendy Ormont of the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program of the National Park Service contributed to this article.

Resources to Help your Community

There are many different resources available to help in planning and
implementing your vision, such as the National Park Service Rivers,
Trails and Conservation Assistance Program, NRPA services, your state
parks and natural resources departments, and other state, federal and
private organizations. The first step is education. We recommend the
following online resources:

National Park Service Federal             www.nps.gov/flp
Lands to Parks Program

DOD Office of Economic Adjustment         www.oea.gov

Base Realignment and Closure Commission   www.brac.gov

Web sites of the Military Services:
Air Force                                 www.af.mil
Navy                                      www.navy.mil
Army                                      www.army.mil
Marine Corps                              www.marines.mil

National Park Service Rivers, Trails,
and Conservation Assistance               www.nps.gov/rtca

NRPA                                      www.nrpa.org