Fort Lee BRAC Directed Growth Worries Local Government

(MoneyWatch)  This last round of BRAC saw the U.S. Defense Department concentrating its training facilities. Medical training would be focused at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio is getting technical research and training. Fort Lee near Richmond, Virginia will be the center for missile and electronics repair training. Now The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the local governments are concerned that due to the downturn in the economy state support for infrastructure improvements will be reduced. Fort Lee will absorb an extra seven thousand personnel and their families many of which will live off base. That means the roads will need to be able to handle the large numbers of commuters to the base. There will definitely be increased tax revenue at the local and state level eventually but the money is needed up front to begin the construction projects. Many areas are facing these kind of issues as this BRAC round concentrated large numbers of people on a small set of bases.