A resident of Elkton believes that the southern Giles County city can benefit from the most recent round of closings of military bases.

Carolyn Thompson spoke at the Elkton Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s January meeting last week concerning a recent briefing given by Col. Robert Pastorelli, Garrison commander at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala. She distributed three charts used at the briefing, one of which showed Elkton located within the boundaries of the Tennessee Valley.

The colonel’s main focus was how more personnel coming from the closed bases to Redstone Arsenal is going to impact economic growth in the Tennessee Valley.

“We are considered a bedroom community of Huntsville,” Thompson said. “We need to take advantage of this situation and accentuate the positive.”

In 2005, the fifth round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) was implemented by the U.S. Department of Defense. Closing one military base means personnel being sent to another. Redstone Arsenal, in the Huntsville/Madison, Ala., area, is one of the remaining military facilities that will see an increase of personnel due to others closing. To date, approximately 50 percent of the employees under retired Admiral David Altwegg, executive director of Missile Defense Agency, has relocated to Redstone Arsenal, with the remainder scheduled to come in 2010, and MG Jim Pillsbury, Army Materiel Command’s deputy chief of staff for logistics, and his personnel from Ft. Belvoir, Va., are moving to the arsenal between 2010-11.

Having one of the best industrial parks in the area is one of Thompson’s points she asked the Elkton board to consider.

“There is potential of industrial spin-off here,” she said, explaining how smaller industries sometimes move closer to the larger industries they supply, noting in particular the auto and defense industries. “We are in close proximity to Huntsville, but a supplier might choose to build here.”

Homeowners seeking a smaller community in which to live and rear a family is another of Thompson’s points for consideration. She noted that potential residents and industries, look at the cleanliness of areas as well as recreation provided, churches, schools, other businesses, and so forth when looking for a place to live and work.

“Being small is part of our charm,” she said.

Additionally, Thompson listed several benefits for the city to become a member of the Madison County/Huntsville Chamber of Commerce, including having weekly updates of all events that affect businesses and business decisions.

Elkton Mayor Bill Ware said a time to discuss the subject and make a decision would be put on the agenda for the February board meeting, noting that the board has to work on the city’s infrastructure.

“Thank you for taking a personal interest in our town,” Ware told Thompson.

The briefing given by Pastorelli was held Nov. 12, 2008, at the Von Braun Center North Hall during the “BRAC to the Future, Community Conference.” The conference was sponsored by the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee in conjunction with the Madison County/Huntsville Chamber of Commerce. Joe Ritch is chairman of the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee.

Other presenters at the conference were Pillsbury and Altwegg.

“I knew this was something each of our aldermen needed to know and consider in their planning for our city,” Thompson said. “The possibilities of how we can benefit are unlimited.”

Source: http://www.gilesnews.us