News
Legislators Seek Meeting With Army On Future Of Fort
By John Burton
FORT MONMOUTH - New Jersey's two U.S. Senators and two area congressmen are seeking to meet with the secretary of the Army to talk about the future of Fort Monmouth as the military installation plans for its closing in about 18 months.
Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, joined U.S. Representatives Rush Holt and Frank Pallone Jr. in sending a recent letter to Secretary John McHugh, in Washington, D.C., with the federal lawmakers hoping to impress upon McHugh the role that the fort plays in assisting active military deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for area veterans.
Fort Monmouth is an approximately 90-year-old military installation encompassing parts of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport. The federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) voted in Aug. 2005 to close the fort, over the objections of local officials and those of Pallone and Holt's whose district include the host towns.
Holt and Pallone argued against closing the fort, noting that its work in communications and electronics has played a vital role in aiding military operations overseas. BRAC members, while not reversing their decision, conceded this point and attached a proviso on its closing recommendation, saying the fort could only be closed if the closing is shown to not have a detrimental impact on military operations.
Officials at all levels here have also maintained that the closing of Fort Monmouth could have series ramifications for the local economy, causing the loss of civilian government jobs and those of government contracting firms that employ thousands in the area.
The fort also provides support for area veterans at the Patterson Army Health Clinic and its commissary shopping facility.
In their April 21 letter to McHugh the Democratic lawmakers stressed that it will take years to train the necessary personnel and successfully transfer operations from Fort Monmouth to a new facility in Maryland. They argue that some operations could remain at Fort Monmouth with the assistance of state and federal entities.
The legislators recommended the retention of a veterans clinic in the area, noting that the Veterans Administration has indicated it would like to have some facility in Monmouth County. Monmouth County Freeholder Director Lillian Burry last week pledged her support for the effort to keep the clinic here.
The McAfee Center, located on the fort property, is dedicated to electronic research and development and instead of closing the facility it should be transferred to the state or to an appropriate not-for-profit to continue similar work. "Conveyance of the McAfee Center to New Jersey would ensure those facilities continue to be used for critical defense, intelligence and homeland security projects for years to come, as well as assisting the state of New Jersey with its economic recovery efforts," the letter stated.
Fort Monmouth is scheduled to close its gates no later than Sept. 15, 2011. The Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority (FMERPA) has drafted a 20-year master plan for the fort property's redevelopment plan, currently being evaluated by the federal Department of Defense and Department of Housing and Urban Development.
