Welcome to the Business Journal Archives
Search for articles below, or continue to the all new BusinessJournalDaily.com now.
Search
Journal Opinion
Keep the 910th Airlift Wing HereFor most who live and work in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, the 910th Airlift Wing at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station could just as well have been in Vienna, Austria, as Vienna Township.Its role in the defense of the United States and its impact on the health of the economy of eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania were best known to the Air Force reservists who serve there, the residents of Vienna and Fowler townships and the few who concern themselves with economic development.Even the 1995 round of Base Realignment and Closings seemed remote because most who live here had only a vague awareness of the facility, its mission and its significance in our economy.For now, this page will address only the economics of keeping the base open, its 12 C-130 Hercules aircraft and 1,400 Air Force, Navy and Marine reservists here. Had it closed in 1995, 1,193 jobs related to the base would have been lost, 0.5% of the jobs in the region, says The Spectrum Group, a military consulting firm under contract with the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber. In its report released July 8, Spectrum gives no reason to think those data have changed significantly.The good news this time, says retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John B."Skip" Hall, is that the nine BRAC commissioners will give more weight to the economic impact a base closing would have on a region. In issuing the report, Spectrum noted how easy it is to close any C-130 base and transfer it to another. Neither the 910th nor any other base that's home to C-130s is unique.Working for 910th, Spectrum found, are "a lot of strengths and very few weaknesses." Most of the weaknesses, which Hall described as "minor," must be remedied by the Department of Defense, such as spending $10.7 million to upgrade the lodging for reservists training at the base. There are also concerns about future encroachment, and the Spectrum report recommends that Trumbull County and Vienna and Fowler townships should enact zoning to restrict residential orcommercial activity. Having available land near the reserve base could put it in a position to acquire operations from other facilities closed during the BRAC process. The case for maintaining -- or expanding -- the local operation is boosted by factors such as its performance in recruiting reservists, national security contributions, its safety record and quality of facilities. Increasing cooperation between the 910th and the applied aerial research center at Kent State University's Trumbull Campus will also improve the odds. Although strong local support was identified as another asset -Spectrum and local officials are still evaluating the best strategy that would marshal community support -- it remains uncertain how much weight a community campaign will carry.Regardless, residents should be ready to enlist in making the BRAC commission aware of what the air base means to the quality of life here. Do you have a question or comment about this Journal Opinion? To send a message to Publisher Andrea Wood, click here."