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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ACT Board Honors State Lawmakers for Pro-Military Legislation Havelock , N.C. – Today the Board of Directors of Allies for Cherry Point’s Tomorrow (ACT) presented a resolution to its North Carolina legislative delegation, honoring them for the excellent service they performed on behalf of the military. There were many laws passed during the recent General Assembly session that support the military and encourage its continued growth in our state. Receiving special thanks and recognition from ACT were state Senator Scott Thomas (D-New Bern) and state Representatives Mike Gorman (R-Trent Woods), Jean Preston ( R-Morehead City) and William Wainwright (D-New Bern). According to ACT President Jimmy Sanders, 2004 may have been the most pro-military session of the General Assembly in the state’s history. “Our legislators understood that they needed to pass laws that give tangible support to Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen and women stationed in North Carolina, and that allow expansion at our military installations. By doing so, they demonstrated to the nation’s military leaders that we want our bases to remain in service beyond the next BRAC round.” The Department of Defense is gathering data in preparation for the appointment of next year’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission. That commission will evaluate the nation’s military infrastructure and determine which facilities will shrink or close all together, and which will grow. Especially important to ACT are new laws that will affect military base expansion in North Carolina. One law would require communities and counties surrounding bases to share with military leaders any zoning or other land-use changes that could potentially impact future growth of the installation. Another new law would create a fund with which localities can conserve land around military bases to discourage private development that could encroach on the facilities. “These are excellent pieces of legislation,” says ACT’s general counsel Hugh Overholt, of Ward & Smith, P.A. “Encroachment that threatens a base’s operation or curtails growth is one of the most important criteria that the BRAC Commission will use to evaluate a facility’s fitness.” Another new law provides financial support to non-residents serving in the military and National Guard by offering their children in-state tuition at North Carolina universities and community colleges. Still another sells special automobile license tags honoring the National Guard and military reserves, the proceeds of which will help support dependent families whose father or mother is deployed overseas. These new laws, plus a budget that helps military communities promote their bases, really shows that our legislators are taking the BRAC process seriously, and are doing what they can to make North Carolina the most military-friendly state in the nation,” adds Jimmy Sanders.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Allies for Cherry Point’s Tomorrow Welcomes Governor Easley Havelock, N.C. – Allies for Cherry Point’s Tomorrow welcomed Governor Michael F. Easley to Havelock on June 3. Gov. Easley presented the ACT Board of Directors with a check for $150,000 to continue its work on behalf of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and NAVAIR Depot Cherry Point. ACT President Jimmy Sanders accepted the check from Gov. Easley. “ACT is very pleased that the Governor and the administration recognize how important our Cherry Point facilities are to our nation’s security and the economy of eastern North Carolina.” The $150,000 is part of a $2 million appropriation that Gov. Easley earmarked in 2003 – 04 to advocate for North Carolina’s military installations in the upcoming Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, begun this year and set to culminate in 2005. The money will primarily be used by ACT for public education and outreach. Mr. Sanders continued, “This budget will allow us to continue to tell the Cherry Point story to the public, and demonstrate to the BRAC Commission how strongly North Carolina supports our military.” Allies for Cherry Point’s Tomorrow was originally formed in the 1990s as a group of concerned civic and business leaders advocating for MCAS Cherry Point and the NAVAIR Depot during earlier rounds of the BRAC process. ACT believes that the next BRAC Commission should recognize that these facilities are absolutely critical to future US military success and should have their missions maintained or enhanced.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Allies for Cherry Point's Tomorrow President Jimmy Sanders presents the very first ACT Lapel pin to Congressman Walter B. Jones. Congressman Jones addressed the Executive Committee of the ACT Board of Directors on March 15." |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The BRAC draft selection criteria outline the factors that will be used by the BRAC Commission to close up to 25% of the nation's military installations in 2005. ACT is concerned that the proposed draft criteria are not specific enough in focusing on the efficient use of assets, reduction in long-term costs, and improved operations. Indeed, the criteria are so broad and open to interpretation that ACT is worried that the criteria may be manipulated to achieve particular pre-determined results. "While ACT supports the general goal of developing a stronger and more efficient Department of Defense, we feel that the BRAC criteria are too broad and open to misuse," Sanders explained. ACT emphasized the importance of community support and a need to protect military bases from incompatible development in its comments. Sanders noted that the City of Havelock, home to MCAS Cherry Point and NAVAIR Depot, is hard at work addressing these issues. "North Carolina's military installations play a critically important role in both the security of our Nation and the economic health of North Carolina," stated Sanders. Sanders praised ACT for submitting constructive comments that demonstrate North Carolina's dedication to defending the state's military bases from closure. "These comments ensure that the Pentagon will focus on important issues and address many of the concerns we have with the BRAC process," he added. "We are committed to engaging in constructive dialogue with the Department of Defense, and ACT's comments help set the foundation that we will use to support the Marine Corps Air Station and NAVAIR Depot at Cherry Point," Sanders said. Both the air station and NAVAIR are noted for efficient, high-quality performance and are positioned for expansion. ACT provides local government and private-sector support for military installations at Cherry Point. ACT is a group of counties, municipalities and businesses in the Craven, Carteret, Pamlico and Jones County region whose mission is to promote and enhance Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and NAVAIR Depot at Cherry Point. The Secretary of Defense will publish the final selection criteria on or about February 16, 2004. The Congress will then either approve or disapprove the Pentagon's recommended final criteria during March 2004.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rep.
Walter Jones congratulates NAVAIR Depot Commander, Colonel John
Gumbel during Naval Air Depot Cherry Point 60th Anniversary celebration
Dec. 16, 2003. |
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