BRAC News & Events....

 

Virginia has Highest DoD Payroll in Nation

According to the Virginia National Defense Industrial Authority The Department of Defense spends more than $46 billion each year in Virginia, through:

  • Contracts $29.2 billion
  • Payroll $16.7 billion
  • Grants $85 million

 

Virginia has the highest DoD payroll in the nation, and only California, a state five times as large, receives more total DoD dollars annually. Click here to read the latest edition of Defense Advocate, VNDIA's newsletter.

DoD Expenditure in Virginia
Source: VNDIA Newsletter, April 2008


US Army Culinary Arts Competition

Culinary Arts Competition

 

 

What:

 

 This military competition is sanctioned by the American Culinary Federation and the medals received can be used toward chef certification.
When:

The competition opens its doors to the public free of charge on:

 

March 12, 9am - 5pm

March 13, 7am - 4pm

 

Organizations and schools wanting to schedule a tour, should fill out a request form - click here for the form.

Where:

Post Field House,

Fort Lee, VA 23801

 

Click here to visit the competition website to learn more about the event.

 


Growth of Fort Lee Region Studied: Officials Plan for Challenges, Opportunities
PETERSBURG -- Local government officials in the Tri-Cities region continue to assess the economic opportunities and social challenges that might come with the expansion of Fort Lee.

 

About 35 officials attended the CPDC sponsored forum Wednesday, January 30th to take a closer look at the Fort Lee Growth Management Plan prepared by RKG Associates, Inc. The study indicates that the area could get nearly 1,800 more households and about 2,500 new students by 2013 as a result of the BRAC action.

 

Click here to read the Richmond Times Dispatch article reporting on this recent meeting.

 


Fort Lee Growth as a Result of BRAC Action

What:

Click here to download a draft copy of the Fort Lee Growth Management Plan (5mb).

*Courtesy CPDC

 Since January, 2007, RKG Associates, Inc. has been working with the Crater Planning District Commission through specialized task forces focused upon housing, education, transportation, child care and employment opportunities for trailing spouses. A steering committee led by 4th District Congressman Randy Forbes’ BRAC Working Group provided overall guidance. The Office of the Secretary of Defense provided funding for this initiative through the Office of Economic Adjustment. Congressman Forbes, VA-04, stated, “Now that the Fort Lee Regional Growth Management Plan has established a baseline of credible data, the Crater Region can move forward to better prepare for the pending growth at Fort Lee”.
When: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Monday, December 3, 2007		 Citizens are invited to attend this critical meeting to become better informed as to the future steps that our BRAC communities will be taking, in concert with Fort Lee, to prepare for Fort Lee's anticipated growth. 
Where: Union Train Station
103 River Street
Petersburg, Virginia

Click here to download the flyer for this event.

*Courtesy CPDC



Housing Partnership Changes Face of Accommodations at Fort Lee

The US Army has partnered with El Paso-based Hunt Development Group, Seattle-based Pinnacle, An American Management Services Co. and Pennsylvania-based Falcon Properties to build and maintain 658 new homes in addition to running the remaining accommodation on base. The new homes, being built in the Jefferson Terrace section of Fort Lee, are being built to foster a sense of community based around parks and playgrounds, elements missing from older military housing complexes.

Please click here to read the Richmond Times Dispatch article highlighting this new approach to military housing.

Please click here to visit the Villages at Fort Lee website and learn more about the Community Development and Management Plan for Fort Lee.


 Congressman Forbes Presents Fort Lee Economic Impact Analysis

Following the official groundbreaking for the Petersburg Station Multi-Modal Center on Monday Nov. 29th, Congressman Forbes formally presented the Fort Lee Economic Impact Analysis, a study conducted to examine the impacts of expenditures in 2006, and the ramifications of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission actions on the local
community. The economic benefits to the area from Fort Lee’s 2006 expenditures and the
unprecedented military and civilian growth are assessed in this study. Spending by Fort Lee for
operations, construction, maintenance and payroll from 2006 through 2013 are measured in
terms of output [value of goods and services produced and sold in the area], employee
compensation, and employment in the local area. While this study is comprehensive in it’s data
development and assessment, it does not attempt to calculate a net value of Fort Lee’s
contribution to the economy.

Please click here to download a copy of the report. *Courtesy CPDC

Please click here to read the Richmond Times Dispatch article covering this event and for past stories regarding the impact of BRAC at Fort Lee.


Fort Lee Military Spouse Training Program
The Fort Lee Military Spouse Training Program is a pilot scheme that will be coordinated through Fort Lee’s Army Community Services department. The $200,000 grant set aside for this program is intended to provide 150 military spouses the opportunity to complete a 2-week training course in a variety of fields for the purposes of:

- Career skills training

- Obtaining secondary family incomes

- Providing skills and credentials that follow the spouses of military personnel from base-to-base

- Continuous learning

In addition to the 2-week courses, grant funds are being set aside for those military spouses wishing to prepare for and obtain a Career Readiness Certificate (which is obtained by passing the WorkKeys test) and to assist with cost of transportation and day-care if required.

For more information please contact:

Army Community Service

Debbie Blount: 804.734.7178

Josephine Brady: 804.734.7738

*This program is being sponsored by the following Fort Lee partners: Community College Workforce Alliance, Crater Planning District Commission, Department of the Army, John Tyler Community College, Learn to Earn, Virginia Employment Commission, Virginia Workforce Center, and Virginia's Gateway Region.


BRAC Prime Contractors "Matchmaking" Event
Monday, November 5, 2007
John Tyler Community College
Nicholas Student Center
13101 Jefferson Davis Highway

Chester, VA 23831

 Crater Procurement Assistance Center Logo


12-minute, one-on-one, pre-scheduled appointments at no charge. Meet face-to-face with BRAC construction prime contractors, State and Federal agencies that need small businesses for a variety of construction and construction related contracts! There will be millions of dollars in contract opportunities available at Ft. Lee and other state and federal facilities throughout Virginia. Take advantage of this opportunity to market your business for these upcoming contracts and network with other business owners.

Participants will include:


Prime Contractors

State Agencies

Federal Agencies

Tompkins Builders

John Tyler Com College

NAVFAC

MA Mortenson

VA Dept of Forensic Sc

US Army Contracting

Turner Construction

VDOT

  

Purcell Construction

VA Dept of Gen Services

  

Rocky Hill Contracting

VA Com College System

  

WM Jordan Construction

    

Hensel Phelps

    

Ft. Sill Apache

    

Bay Electric Company

    


Pre-registration for this matchmaking event is required. To register please click here.

*SBA lenders will be on-hand to discuss financing for those companies requiring assistance. To register for the SBA Capital Access Matchmaking program click here and follow the instructions.


Richmond BRAC Summit a Huge Success

Attendees lined the walls of the Richmond Convention Center ballroom on Friday, September 28th to learn all they could about the impact of BRAC at Fort Lee and how they might grow their respective businesses. With Renee Wyatt-Chapline, Executive Director and Christian Booty, Research / IT Manager, in attendance as plenary speakers, VGR was given the opportunity to delineate the many advantages of doing business in the region, providing a wealth of economic data, including a detailed retail/commercial gap analysis.

The purpose of the summit was to reach out to small- and mid-sized business owners in the greater Richmond area to help them understand the BRAC process and how they might benefit from the $1.9 billion that is slated to be spent on the Fort Lee realignment process over the next six years.

Following the plenary speakers in the morning session, four breakout sessions were available to attendees focusing on such issues as: retail and entrepreneurship opportunities, workforce development, Fort Lee’s RapidGate program and the essentials of joint ventures and partnerships. The event was deemed a huge success and a follow-up session is planned in the coming months.

Click here to download a copy of the Community Briefing presentation given by Fort Lee liaison Pam Sutton (5mb). *Courtesy CPDC

Click here to read the Progress Index coverage of the summit.


Citizens Meeting: Fort Lee Growth as a Result of BRAC Action

Sponsored by the Crater Planning District Commission, this meeting took place on March 29, 2007, for the purpose of informing citizens of the various counties and cities adjacent to Fort Lee of the upcoming impact of BRAC on their respective communities.

Please click here for a copy of the flier created for this event. *Courtesy CPDC

Please click here for a copy of the presentation given at this event (prepared by RKG Associates on behalf of the Crater Planning District Commission).


Fort Lee Expo Meetings

Late last year Virginia's Gateway Region was proud to participate in the Fort Lee Expo Meetings that were held at the following locations:

- Fort Eustis, Virginia

- Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

- Redstone Arsenal, Alabama

- The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) HQ, Virginia

The purpose of these meetings was to introduce various military personnel and contractors to the Gateway Region in anticipation of their relocation to Fort Lee.

The meetings proved a huge success as outlined in this press release given by the President of Richard Bland College, Dr. James B. McNeer, who was in attendance at two of these events.

___________________________________



BRAC is an acronym that stands for Base Realignment and Closure. It is the congressionally authorized process the Department of Defense (DoD) has to reorganize its base structure to more efficiently and effectively support our forces, increase operational readiness and facilitate new ways of doing business. In 2005, the BRAC Commission’s recommendations were approved by the President and became law on November 9th, 2005.

For more information on BRAC please visit the US Department of Defense BRAC 2005 Website.

For more information on the BRAC Commission please visit the 2005 BRAC Commission Website.