County unveils BRAC plan | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

The 39-member County BRAC Task Force detailed what changes need to occur in transportation, infrastructure, education, housing and public safety to make the job surge as painless as possible. But even as they outlined the best course of action, more questions were raised on how to pay for the overhaul.

The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process, or BRAC, will send 5,700 jobs from other military installations around the country to Fort Meade. Most of the jobs are with the Defense Information System Agency, a high-tech communication organization currently based in Northern Virginia. At the same time, other groups already at the fort, like the National Security Agency and parts of the First Army, are expanding.

Also, a Dallas-based developer is building an office park on fort land to lease to private companies. As many as 10,000 civilians could work there.

This job boom will affect just about every aspect of the community, potentially resulting in negative impacts if the proper measures aren't taken, or it can be an economic boost if things are done well, officials said. The task force's plan is intended to help the latter happen.

But the plan revealed at Anne Arundel Community College, which calls for studies, new government jobs, committees, infrastructure expansions and education programs, all will come at a cost.

"The local impact on our local treasury will be minimal," said Bob Leib, special assistant to the county executive for BRAC and education. "But it doesn't discount the fact that funding will be an issue,"

And that could leave the county as the only government body cutting checks, said County Executive John R.

Leopold, who joked - half-facetiously, he said - that BRAC really stands for "Better Rely on Assistance from the County."

"That's the challenge, finding the resources to meet these needs," he said. "And the needs are infinite, but the resources are finite. And we don't have the resources we need and that's the battle."

One of the major expenses, transportation improvements, will be tough to fund because the General Assembly "raided" the Transportation Trust Fund to balance the state budget, he said. Other major road projects, like the Intercounty Connector take a large slice of the transportation appropriations, as well.

This means it will be tougher to pay for improvements to Route 175, a state road that borders Fort Meade and is the primary entrance for employees, Mr. Leopold said.

"Unfortunately because these funds are siphoned from the Transportation Trust Fund we are losing out," he said.

However, the connector road has its own funding stream that does not entirely rely on the trust fund and has little impact on other projects, said Jack Cahalan, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

Future help

Also, while some transportation projects are not fully funded, future budgets may make them a reality, he said.

"This is not a one and done process," Mr. Cahalan said. "This is not a one-year process. It's a multi-stage, multi-year process."

But until the big bucks arrive, there are some programs under way to ease the pain. For example, $48 million has been allocated to improve intersections near Fort Meade. Also, ride-share and shuttle programs are being evaluated, two ways to reduce the numbers of cars on the road, he said.

The task force's plan recommends interim solutions, like a bus system, to bridge the traffic gap until more funding arrives.

The plan also warns of problems if funds can't be found for infrastructure improvements.

"In these times of projected limited resources at all levels of government, it will be a huge challenge to obtain funding for all needs identified, but the failure to meet that challenge will turn the positive promise of BRAC into a negative reality for the community and residents around Fort Meade," the plan reads.

Also, Mr. Leopold said he hopes to reach a compromise with the County Council to change how it collects impact fees - funds to offset strains on roads, schools and public utilities created by new developments. In January, the county executive asked the council to consider raising impact fees, doubling some types of fees and increasing another by as much as 12 times the current amount.

There are some instances where the county will receive outside help, Mr. Leopold said. Recent legislation passed by the General Assembly will help the county pay for infrastructure that would help build the Odenton Town Center, a 1,600-acre mix of offices, homes, restaurants and shops, all near the Odenton MARC Station.

This legislation will fund a total of $5 million for "BRAC zones" across the state to pay for infrastructure, particularly around mass-transit centers. Counties can then use this money to secure bonds to pay for even more upgrades, said Andy Scott, the special assistant to the secretary of transportation for economic development.

And so far the federal Office of Economic Adjustment has awarded about $1.3 million for studies to analyze the county's transportation, housing and social-services situations.

Many of the more expensive and elaborate projects, like improvements to routes 175 and 198, will be paid for with federal dollars.