Fort reuse board looks at former Mass. base
Congress expected to vote on final BRAC listing on Nov. 8
BY SUE MORGAN
Staff Writer

EATONTOWN — A onetime military base in Massachusetts that now is host to an industrial park, hotel-conference center, and housing could serve as a model for how Fort Monmouth’s facilities could be revived if it closes as expected.

But whether or not the members of the recently organized Fort Monmouth Reuse Committee (FMRC) look to the former Fort Devens in Massachusetts as a prototype of how to best redevelop a closed military base is not the most pressing issue, according to Eatontown Mayor Gerald Tarantolo, who co-chairs the committee.

What matters is that the FMRC begins planning and working now to make the fort viable and economically profitable as soon as possible after its anticipated closing under the Pentagon’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process in 2011, he said.

Upon visiting Fort Devens for the National Association of Installation Developers/Association of Defense Communities (NAID/ADC) conference earlier this month, Tarantolo and other FMRC members toured the thriving industrial park hosting several major corporations, a Marriott hotel and conference center on-site now situated on what was a U.S. Army base.

A brand new golf course, 240 units of duplex-type housing, and even a state prison occupy the land which, like Fort Monmouth, spreads out over three separate host communities, Tarantolo said.

However, those who helped bring those new uses to fruition have worked steadily since Fort Devens closed under a previous BRAC round in 1993, he pointed out.

“When you stop to think that what we were looking at took 12 years to create, you realize that the redevelopment process is very slow,” Tarantolo said.

“We’re trying to close that gap,” he continued. “We’re trying to get a leg up wherever we can.”

The NAID/ADC is a nationwide organization that works with the Defense Department’s Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) to assist communities impacted by federal base closings to recover and find new uses for the land and buildings once the military vacates the premises.

Members of the FRMC who attended the three-day NAID/ADC conference on Oct. 9, 10, and 11 were told by the organizers that they are “on target” as they prepare a plan of action for the 1,126-acre Fort Monmouth, which is physically located in portions of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport.

“We were assured by a panel of experts that we are organized properly. We are right on schedule,” Tarantolo said.

Representatives of other military bases in the Northeastern U.S. that are targeted for shutdown or restructuring under the BRAC process also attended the same conference, Tarantolo noted.

Throughout the three days of meetings with various NAID/ADC panels, the FMRC members gathered ideas for creation of an official redevelopment authority for Fort Monmouth.

In resolutions passed by the three host communities authorizing creation of the FMRC, the stated goal of that board, which includes representatives from Eatontown, Tinton Falls, and Oceanport, is to organize a formal redevelopment authority.

In particular, the FMRC members learned how the three towns that once hosted Fort Devens, with the cooperation of the Massachusetts commonwealth government, redeveloped that installation for private uses and put the land back on the tax rolls.

Essentially, the FMRC members learned what to expect post-base closing from those who have actually been there, Tarantolo explained.

“The data that we were getting was from individuals who went through base closings in 1992 and 1993,” Tarantolo said.

The NAID/ADC representatives also advised FMRC members to be aware of any unresolved environmental issues, such as chemicals or pesticides that have infiltrated the grounds, or unexploded ordinances before developing the property, he noted.

“We’re learning from other people’s experiences,” Tarantolo said.

The federal BRAC document that lists Fort Monmouth and more than 30 other installations for shuttering is still pending a vote by the U.S. Congress before it becomes law.

Information posted on the NAID/ADC web site indicates that Congress is expected to vote on the BRAC legislation on Nov. 8.

New Jersey Commerce Secretary Virginia S. Bauer, Tinton Falls Councilman Brendan Tobin, and Oceanport Councilman Gerald Briscione, all FMRC members, traveled with Tarantolo to the NAID/ADC conference.

John Leigh, a project manager with the OEA who is working directly with the FMRC, accompanied the local representatives as well.

The FMRC is considering a possible mixture of uses such as commercial, residential, and light industrial for the fort.

Under the BRAC process, the bulk of Fort Monmouth’s military and civilian personnel will be relocated to the Aberdeen (Md.) Proving Ground once the 88-year-old fort closes.