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By JEFF BRANSCOME and EMILY BATTLE
The Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted yesterday to keep 330 jobs from moving out of King George County's Dahlgren naval base.
The commission overturned three of the four Pentagon recommendations that would have moved jobs out of Dahlgren. In doing so, it remarked on the value of some key Dahlgren facilities that local officials have been fighting to preserve.
The Pentagon's recommendations had left Dahlgren with a net loss of 351 positions. If the BRAC changes stand, the base will only lose 21 jobs.
The commission rejected a proposal that would have taken 131 chemical and biological research and development jobs out of Dahlgren.
Rumsfeld had recommended moving those jobs to Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., even though a $7.8 million chemical and biological defense facility is currently under construction at the naval base.
The 19,000-square-foot facility was approved in the 2003 fiscal year.
Commissioners also voted against moving Dahlgren's guns and ammunition research and testing to Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey.
In discussing the Pentagon's recommendation to move the guns and ammo programs to Picatinny, commission members and their staff noted that Dahlgren, like other bases, had expressed concern over the potential "loss of intellectual capital" if current employees were unwilling to move to New Jersey to keep their jobs.
In an effort to save programs at Dahlgren, the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce met twice with the commission's staff in recent months.
The chamber also has spent more than $600,000 to campaign for BRAC to spare Fredericksburg-area military programs.
"This is a home run," said Linda Worrell, chamber president. "It's unbelievable."
At both meetings, chamber officials outlined reasons why the chemical and biological research and development jobs should remain at Dahlgren.
For one, a close working relationship already exists between Dahlgren and Edgewood, they reasoned, making the relocation to Maryland unnecessary. Officials also argued that these employees shouldn't be separated from a "fleet-focused environment." Plus, Dahlgren has a certified laboratory and offers a one-of-a-kind shipboard testing environment, they said.
Chamber officials also discussed the possible relocation of Dahlgren's guns and ammunition research and testing at both meetings.
If that program were moved to New Jersey, they argued, the absence of the Potomac River gun range would diminish the efficiency of operations.
BRAC Commission members and their staff also commented on the value of the Potomac range during their deliberations yesterday, which were broadcast on C-SPAN 2.
"I don't think that can be replicated at Picatinny," Commission Chairman Anthony Principi said.
King George Supervisor Joe Grzeika praised Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-1st, for having the "foresight" to start preparing for BRAC three years ago.
She formed a committee--which Grzeika was on--that toured and assessed her district's bases.
Cooperation between local businesses, and elected and base officials also paid off, he said.
"The whole community's effort is what made the difference," he said.
But the commission's actions have not been finalized. At the end of this week's voting process, the commission must certify all of its votes on the Pentagon recommendations. Those recommendations then go to President Bush, who can send them back once for revisions, before passing them on to Congress.
"By reversing the Department of Defense position, the BRAC commission has provided for the continued efficient use of equipment and facilities at Dahlgren," Worrell said in a statement
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