BRAC

Defense Bill Would Keep Up To 6,000 Jobs in Arlington, For Now

By ARLnow.com

A bill being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives this week would delay the scheduled move of up to 6,000 defense jobs from Arlington to Alexandria.

The language was included in the 2011 Defense Authorization bill by Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), who is a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

Moran says he’s concerned about the traffic on I-395 around Alexandria’s Mark Center, the development where the jobs are set to move to by September 2011 as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC)..

“If nothing is done and the relocation continues as scheduled, VDOT has stated there will be ‘complete gridlock’ on Seminary Road and Beauregard Street and ‘severe’ congestion between the King Street and Duke Street exits on I-395,” Moran said in a statement.

The bill now before congress would cap the number of parking spaces at the Mark Center at 1,000 and would ban the lease of additional spaces near the development, effectively preventing the relocation of thousands of jobs. The cap would only be lifted when the Defense Department completes traffic improvements that meet congressional approval. It’s not clear how long such a project would take, but it would probably be measured in years.

About 6,400 defense personnel who now work in Metro-accessible office space in Northern Virginia are slated to move to the Mark Center, which is not near a Metro station. About 6,000 of those jobs are with the Defense Department’s Washington Headquarters Services division, which has offices in Crystal City, Rosslyn and Ballston, according to Arlington Economic Development spokesperson Karen Vasquez. The scheduled relocation of those jobs would be delayed if the bill passes, Vasquez said.

“The Pentagon dropped the ball on transportation planning for the base realignment at the Mark Center. A building of this size with no access to Metro should never have been considered at this location,” Moran said. “Now we’re pulling out all the stops to mitigate the consequences of the Defense Department’s mistakes.”

Afternoon Notes: Library Closure, Memorial Day Tax Holiday

By ARLnow.com

Glencarlyn Library Closed This Week — The Glencarlyn library will be closed tomorrow through Friday for repairs to the library’s 50 year old water pipes. The bookdrop will remain open.

Tax Holiday for Emergency Supplies — Starting tomorrow, Virginia is holding a tax holiday for emergency hurricane preparedness supplies. So stock up on batteries, bungie cords, bottled water and anything else you may need in the event of the near-perfect storm.

Arlington to Spend $275k on Prison Laundry Machines — Arlington County will spend $272,550 to replace three washers and dryers at the county jail, the Examiner reports. Arlington spends more per inmate than per public school student, but still spends less than most Northern Virginia jurisdictions.

WaPo Examines Fate of Crystal City Underground Post-BRAC — What will happen to the 140 Crystal City Underground merchants when thousands of DoD and contract jobs leave next year as a result of BRAC? The Washington Post spoke to a few business owners who were remarkably optimistic.

As Thousands of Jobs Leave Arlington, Workers Plan to Stay

By ARLnow.com

The Defense Department will be losing hundreds — if not thousands — of experienced, talented and security-cleared employees over the course of the next 16 months, if yesterday’s BRAC job fair was any indication.

About 500 enlisted employees, DoD civilians and contract workers showed up at the Crystal Gateway Marriott to find alternatives to moving to out-of-state bases or commuting to traffic-clogged exurbs. The moves are mandated by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closing Act, which will result in the closing of dozens of government offices and the loss of about 17,000 jobs in Arlington by next September.

The job fair attendees shared two common traits: they all like their current job and they all want to stay here.

“I might move with it because I like my job, but my family and my support system are here,” said one Army employee whose job is moving to Texas. “If I can find something and stay here, that’s what i’m going to do.”

“We have so many meetings at the Pentagon… I don’t understand why we’re moving to San Antonio,” she continued. “To me that does not make a lot of sense.”

Several other attendees said they would not move under any circumstances.

“I wouldn’t dream of going outside this area to seek employment,” said a military human resources employee whose job is moving to Fort Knox, Ky. She said 90 percent of her office was planning to stay in D.C. instead of moving to an area where “there’s nothing around but the base.”

“Not a chance,” responded one man — a manager in an office that deals with missile defense systems — when asked if he would consider moving with his job to Huntsville, Ala. (which is having a hard time accommodating new BRAC workers). He said he has lived in the area for 24 years and will learn new job skills if necessary.

The man added that his office will be losing at least 75 percent of its staff to the move.

“It’s detrimental to the department,” he said. “I’ve built a good team over the years, and it’s going to a situation where people don’t have nearly the experience we have.”

(more…)

Afternoon Notes: County To Spend Millions on Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Arlington to Spend $90 Million To Improve Crystal City — Arlington County will spend about $90 million improving roads and parks in Crystal City in the wake of the 13,000 jobs set to leave the area by September 2011 as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) plan. A long-range economic development plan for Crystal City is expected to be approved this summer. More from the Washington Examiner.

Man With Gun Tried to Visit Fictitious Admiral At Pentagon — From WTOP we learn that on April 9, a month after the  shooting outside the Pentagon Metro station, a man approached a screening area at the Pentagon and told security he was visiting an admiral — an admiral whose name was made up. Pentagon police later searched the man’s car and found a loaded 9-millimeter pistol. More from WTOP.

Real Estate Prices Rise in Arlington — The sales price of real estate in Arlington rose three percent in April compared to a year prior, according to Arlington Real Estate News. Foreclosures rose region-wide in April, but fell 4.6 percent in Arlington, according to data from RealtyTrac.

Weekend News Roundup

By ARLnow.com

Secretary Gates Calls For Reduction of DoD Spending — On Saturday Defense Secretary Robert Gates gave a blistering speech that called for a significant restructuring of Pentagon spending, reports Andrea Stone at AOL News. Citing a “gusher of defense spending” following 9/11, Gates stated his desire to reduce spending on weapons systems and military health care. He also called for a reduction in the number of generals and admirals in the services. Defense spending is a major component of the local economy.

BRAC Moves May Cause Traffic Woes — The transfer of 13,000 DoD jobs from Crystal City to Ft. Belvoir, Alexandria’s Mark Center development and elsewhere may cause major traffic problems, the Washington Post reports. The areas where the jobs are moving to are not Metro accessible and are not prepared to receive the ensuing crush of traffic, several people told the Post. By law, about four million square feet of office space in Crystal City must be vacated by September 2011.

Karzai To Visit Arlington National Cemetery — Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, whose relationship with the U.S. has been rocky as of late, will be visiting Arlington National Cemetery during a trip to Washington this week. Karzai is expected to arrive in town today. He is scheduled to visit the cemetery, where hundreds of service members who lost their lives in Afghanistan are buried, on Thursday.

Even The Army Is Making April Fool’s Day Jokes

By ARLnow.com

Update at 3:15 p.m. — On our Facebook page, Robert Cannon responds with another possible move: “Richmond announces its planning to relocate Arlington to the Soviet Union..”

It’s looking like a bleak day for south Arlington. First, Greater Greater Washington revealed that the 14th Street Bridge may be closed on nights and weekends to help plug the District’s budget gap. Now, in a press release, the Army said it’s looking to relocate the Pentagon to northwest Kansas.

The move, which is tentatively being planned for this August, will be one of the greatest undertakings ever attempted, according to the Wilbur Q. Johnson, who is a long-time Pentagon employee and who will also oversee the move.

“The move will take place in three primary phases,” said Johnson. “Initially we will use a giant crane to lift the building onto a barge in the Potomac River. From there we will float the barge down the Atlantic Coast and into the Gulf of Mexico. Then, we will sail the Pentagon up the Mississippi River to just south of St. Louis. In the final stage, we will place the building on large flat-bed trucks and drive it the rest of the way.”

It’s a lighthearted joke, of course, but it can also be described as a bit of dark, self-deprecating humor, considering arduous BRAC transition process the military is currently going through.

The transition has major implications for Arlington, as we described last week.

Although the military says they’re on track to relocate BRAC-affected facilities by the September 2011 deadline, we’ve heard from county leaders that the military is having trouble convincing skilled workers to move from Arlington to the far-flung military bases where many agencies are being relocated. The end result may be a major military brain drain over the next few years, we’re told.

That’s not a very funny thought, but we give the Army credit for trying to find humor in it.

How George W. Bush Helped Make a Street Art Exhibit Possible

By ARLnow.com

As G-40: The Summit, Crystal City’s ambitious street art exhibit, comes to a close this weekend, it’s worthwhile to look back and see how it came about.

Much of the credit can be given to Art Whino and Shane Pomajambo, who curated the massive 75,000 square foot show, and to the Crystal City Business Improvement District, which came up with the initial concept and brought together Pomajambo, funding, and the space at 223 23rd Street South.

But there’s someone else who deserves some credit: former president George W. Bush. It was Bush who approved the recommendations of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 2005. BRAC required many of the military agencies that inhabit office buildings in Crystal City to move to cheaper, more secure locations.

By BRAC law, about four million square feet of office space in Crystal City must be vacated by September 2011. Along with the offices will go thousands of jobs, a serious economic blow that the federal, state and county governments are trying to cushion.

Crystal City BID, formed in 2006, was essentially an off-shoot of BRAC. A business improvement district for Crystal City had been discussed prior to BRAC, but BRAC was the catalyst for the county to take action to reverse Crystal City’s stodgy, unfashionable image and to attract new residents and businesses.

Around the time of Crystal City BID’s founding, an Arlington BRAC Transition Task Force recommended the establishment of a marketing arm for Crystal City. That role was filled by the BID.

Ever since, the BID has been organizing events intended to make Crystal City a hipper, more livable place — a “destination” rather than a place that empties out after quittin’ time.

A perfect event to show off Crystal City’s new “edgy, provocative and engaging” side, to convince prospective residents and businesses that the neighborhood is no longer a drab stretch of nondescript government offices? A street art exhibit.

So celebrate the irony of a Republican president and a multi-billion dollar Department of Defense initiative helping to facilitate a decidedly R-rated art exhibition (there are some things you definitely don’t want the kids to see) by attending the G-40 closing party Saturday night. See our events calendar for more information. If you can’t make it Saturday, the exhibit will also be open Tuesday Wednesday night.