Last Swath of Fort Ord is Turned Over to Local Group for a $100M Privatized Cleanup

• 

  Your Email: *

  Your Name: *

  Send To: *

  Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.

  You are going to email the following: Last Swath of Fort Ord is Turned Over to Local Group for a $100M Privatized Cleanup

  Message Subject: (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from GreenBiz.com®

  Message Body: (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from GreenBiz.com®.

  Your Personal Message: *
  
• 
• 
• 

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A 3,300-acre Superfund site at the once vast Fort Ord in Monterey County has moved from federal hands to a group of local authorities that will oversee a $100 million environmental cleanup funded by the U.S. Army and will set the stage for redevelopment.

The site, which was riddled with bullets, bombs, artillery shells and other potentially explosive devices, comprises the final swath of the former 28,000-acre Army training base that was designated for transfer to Monterey Bay communities.

Federal, state and local officials yesterday marked the handover as the end of the federal era for the former Army base that was established in 1917 and became a military training and staging powerhouse for soldiers in three wars. Fort Ord was also an economic engine and a prime job source for the region's civilians.  Its closure in 1994, during a decade of base shutdowns around the country, brought hard times to the area.

In announcing the land transfer, officials also hailed the arrangement as a move that would further recovery of the region. They said privatization of the cleanup will knock years off that project, expedite other preparations for land reuse, and hasten the ultimate handover of the property to the communities that will redevelop the acreage.  Plans for the land include commercial and retail development, affordable housing, education facilities and a new veterans' cemetery. Almost 75 percent of the land is to remain open space for habitat conservation, trails and recreation.

"I've always said that economic development and environmental protection can go hand in hand and this project is a perfect example." Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "The transfer of this land to the Monterey Bay community is yet another victory in our efforts to preserve and protect the environment, and advance economic recovery."  

"This is central to our efforts to building a balanced, sustainable program at Fort Ord,"  said Michael Houlemard Jr., the executive officer for the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA).  The group is overseeing the environmental cleanup and restoration by a team of independent contractors – LFR Inc., Weston Solutions Inc. and Westcliffe Engineers Inc. – and is laying the groundwork for redevelopment.  FORA's governing board is made up of elected officials from local communities and other jurisdictions.

The arrangement with the Army that enabled the handover is significant on many fronts, said Houlemard and representatives for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state's Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), which will regulate the cleanup process.

Share: LinkedIn   StumbleUpon   Digg