US base panel approves closing Ft. Monmouth, N.J.

[UpInArms]

http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2005-08-24T132559Z_01_N24597338_RTRIDST_0_ARMS-USA-BASES-MONMOUTH.XML

WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - The Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted on Wednesday to approve Pentagon's proposed closure of Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.

The closure would shift the U.S. Army's communications electronics command to the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland and result in a net loss of 5,272 military and civilian jobs from the New Jersey facility, according to Defense Department materials.

The base is the center of the Army's "C4ISR" activities comprising command, control, communications, computers, intelligence and reconnaisance. The Army has estimated that the closure would save more than $1 billion over 20 years and would improve development of weapons, communications gear and electronics by locating such activities at its main weapons testing center in Aberdeen.

...more...

[Squatch]

1. Never understood why Monmouth was still operating.

The Army's Signal Center at Ft Gordon should fill the role that Monmouth is now.

[genieroze]

6. No, they aren't moving it to Ft Gordon, it's going to Aberdeen Maryland

with no real facilities. They will need to be built.

[Squatch]

8. Yes, thank you...I *can* read, you know.

I'm saying they *should* move it to Gordon, where the Signal Center is.

[genieroze]

10. They should do many things but they aren't, it has nothing to do with

money. This is some sort of political punishment or payback. Being that it's going to a place not equipped to handle it, I would say payback.

[alkaline9]

14. the reason it's at Fort Monmouth is...

...because the contractors who develop the signaling software are located here. I for one will not leave the NJ area to follow the contract. I think the Army is striking a blow to the software engineers developing this high level technology by leaving the area. I don't see a whole lot of people who have lived in NJ and worked with Fort Monmouth for year wanting to move to an area like Aberdeen, let alone to Fort Gordon. Monmouth County NJ is a very desirable place to live, and anyone who has lived here will tell you the same.

[patcox2]

16. Its in Monmouth because telecommunications was invented there.

The area around where ft monmouth is located is where pretty much every major development in telecommunications was either invented or developed, beginning with the telephone itself, and then the radio.

[alkaline9]

18. yup, like telegraph hill. nt

[ramapodem]

2. Poor NJ

Just another case of the bluest state in the nation being the president's whipping boy. :evilfrown:

[mcscajun]

4. Yup...and don't think putting over 5000 residents of our state on

the unemployment lines didn't enter into it.

The ripple effect in that county will be enormous.

[genieroze]

7. NJ isn't all the blue, my whole county of Ocean voted for the chimp.

We do have electronic voting which may be the cause. My husband works for Ft Monmouth and there will be repercussions in Ocean as well.

[mcscajun]

3. Wonder what will happen to the land now?

Fort Monmouth is in a fairly desirable area of NJ, and comprises over 1,300 acres of land. However, it's a hazardous waste site contaminated by PCB spills, various metals, radon, petroleum hydrocarbons, and lead paints. Both groundwater and soil are affected.

Will the government retain ownership of the land long-term? Or are real-estate developers champing at the bit to get McMansions on it?

[JerseygirlCT]

11. I would imagine that there will be a big rush for the land

contaminated or not. I cannot believe how many McMansions they can squeeze onto a 1/4 acre these days. And the prices! Don't know how any families can afford to live in that area of Jersey anymore. I grew up there, and I think it's beautiful, but wowzer.

[patcox2]

17. Not to mention the BOMARC site.

Where a nike missile with a nuclear warhood exploded and burned (chemical explosion, not nuclear), destroying the warhead and spreading plutonium around pretty extensively. Its probably one of the most dangerous sites in NJ.

[DawnneOBTS]

5. Monmouth County voted for the Chimp-Look it up n/t

[genieroze]

9. Not every single town in Monmouth County did, unlike Ocean County

did even with their large minority and Jewish towns. These typically go democrat but we do have electronic voting so figure it out.

[alkaline9]

13. Monmouth and Ocean Counties...

...are probably the nicest part of NJ. I find it hard to believe that Ocean County voted red. I grew up in Brick Twp on the northern end of the county, and mostly everyone I know voted blue. There are "the sticks" towns in southern ocean, but I would imagine quite a bit of blue voting there too.

Monmouth County has a much wealthier population, but again I imagine most voted blue (except Rumson, Fair Haven, Little Silver, etc). Funny thing is, those rich towns are practically next door to Fort Monmouth.

I think what's going to happen to Fort Monmouth (where I work as a govt contractor with General Dynamics) is that the land will rot for years and years with the US govt paying taxes on the land (which really doesn't make sense if they are really trying to "save money"). The same thing happened to the land previously occupied by Camp Evans in the Wall Twp area. There was so many contaminants in the soil that it's pretty much just become abandoned and a dead area. It's very close to Shark River too, which would make it just as desirable as the Fort Monmouth land.

As far as the numbers for employees of Fort Monmouth, they are WAY off. #1 the 5000ish people they claim are strictly govt jobs. These numbers don't includes the thousands of contractors that depend on the base for work. Nor does it include the surrounding businesses (eateries, shopping, gas stations, etc) that will pretty much be forced to close or relocate.

The closing of this base will leave a black hole in Eatontown on Route 35 for many many years. Looks like it's time to post my resume on monster.com *sigh*.

[genieroze]

15. All of Ocean County voted red, I have the stats. Even places like

Manchester and Lakewood voted red which seemed very suspicious to me. My husband works for a contractor as well. They aren't counting the contracting jobs? My husband says most of the people he knows there are working for contractors with a government people watching over things. I wonder what the REAL total is then.

[alkaline9]

19. the thing is...

...that people won't even get to go on unemployment either. Because most govt jobs will be "relocated", if you don't move with the job and take the pay cut, it will be as if you "quit".

My mom works in contracts at the fort. She's an actual govt employee. She is in the 5000 count, where I am not (as a contractor). She and my dad took a trip to Aberdeen, MD to see about a possible move. They said that it looked very similar to Browns Mills (nearby Fort Dix?) except not as developed yet. Some advertisements in the few houses listed on the market there had things such as: "Recently upgraded full concrete septic system!". I remember 15-20 years ago when Brick Twp forced most everyone onto the main sewer system. It sounds like Aberdeen is at least 30 years behind the standards of living that this area is.

People accustomed to living in Monmouth and Ocean Counties are simply not going to enjoy living near Aberdeen. The govt is going to lose MANY very intelligent people that have worked with Fort Monmouth for a long time.

[genieroze]

20. Pallone was just on NJ News and he says he's going to fight this.

He said that the Pentagon is ignoring it's own rules by closing Fort Monmouth. Aberdeen is too underdeveloped to handle anything on the same level as Fort Monmouth and it would hurt the war effort. The Pentagon said that it will not close any bases that would interfere with the war on terror. Fort Monmouth is one of the biggest major support areas for command and communications for the U.S. It would be like trying to move Manhattan to Vermont and expect it happen overnight.

[genieroze]

21. I don't don't think government will give a pay cut because they would

want to give an incentive to move. I think you can still get unemployment, because it would be a layoff besides they are totally ignoring the contractors which make up much of the work force. They want to uproot people and expect them to take a pay-cut. There is no way they can replace all of the highly educated people from all over NJ that work there with people from the sticks overnight.

[njdemocrat106]

22. Brick here. I definitely believe Ocean County is red.

After seeing the amount of Bush/Cheney stickers this past election, it doesn't surprise me in the least that Ocean is red (and I still see a lot of Bush/Cheney and W'04 stickers, too). The local media (especially the Asbury Park Press) comes across as solidly Republican as well. I recently had to respond to an editorial where a "Democrat" lashed against party leaders such as Dean and Reid. They didn't publish my letter; instead, they published a letter in SUPPORT of the nutjob I responded to.
If I recall, the '04 race was a lot closer in Monmouth, but Bush still won that county, even though they have the old lever voting machines (and Gore did win Monmouth in '00). I don't think Sequoia needed to tweak the machines in order to win Ocean.

[soleft]

12. I went to Nursery school at Ft. Monmouth

My Dad worked there from the mid fifties til he retired in the early 80's. In fact he met my Mom there. They have a friend who's past retirement age who's been working there a long time, guess she'll have to retire now.