You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Caribbean-Latin America
Goodby, Write When You Get Work
2004-04-01
EFL:
After 60 years, the U.S. Navy yesterday officially closed its sprawling Roosevelt Roads Naval Air Station in eastern Puerto Rico — already dropping property values and flooding the surplus housing market. In the short term, Puerto Rico expected to suffer with closure of the base, which pumped an estimated $300 million a year into the U.S. commonwealth's economy. Long term, nearly 4 percent of the island's land area will be available for tourism, housing and industrial development. Rosy Roads, as the military installation has long been nicknamed, was shut because the Navy could no longer use the nearby island of Vieques for bombing practice after May 2003.
Don't forget to thank Reverend Al, now, y'all...
At one time, as many as 10,000 soldiers, civilian employees, outside contractors and their dependents lived on the base, though that number has shrunk throughout the years. As of Sept. 30, when President Bush signed legislation directing the Navy to close the base within six months, the naval base's population had already dropped to about 4,500. "Rosy Roads supported the Vieques bombing range, and with the closure of that, the requirement for a support base evaporated," said David MacKinnon, associate director of the Pentagon's Office of Economic Adjustment.
You asked for it, and you got it.
What surprises Mr. MacKinnon, a 30-year veteran of the Pentagon, about this particular base closing is the speed at which it's happening. "Six months is basically unheard of for a major base and employment center," he said. "In the 1990s, with all of the bases that closed — several hundred in total, including 97 major ones — the shortest time frame for closure was 18 months. More typical was two to three years. It really depended on how quickly the mission could be shut down."
Snicker
In the 1990s, the base closures were causing anguish for the locals. They hadn't been hopping up and down and demanding that the bases close.
Posted by:Steve

#18  Does this remind you of Subic - only the greedy Puerto Ricans behind this ploy won't get the opportunity to make a buck? LOL!

Subic's closing was a learning experience, both good and bad (I had peripheral doings with it). Rosy was the result of lessons-learned. It's gonna be a long time before the "nature preserve" goes away.

I suspect that the developers in Orange County CA (who've been lusting after Camp Pendelton for years) might find themselves at same short end of the stick.
Posted by: Pappy   2004-04-01 11:24:56 PM  

#17  If I remember correctly, you had to be careful on the hike up to the BOQ at night because large indigenous crabs scurried across the roads after sundown. - Its possible that the Hose had one too many Red Stripes that night as the memory seems kind of hazy.
Posted by: Super Hose   2004-04-01 10:04:16 PM  

#16  You people are mean. Think about the chiiildren!
Posted by: Tibor   2004-04-01 9:41:24 PM  

#15  
already dropping property values and flooding the surplus housing market
Bwhahahahahahahah.

It really depended on how quickly the mission could be shut down.
The mission was bomb practice. No bombing, no mission. Quick.

Cause, meet effect.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2004-04-01 6:33:54 PM  

#14  who will protect the TURtles ?

Er, Dana Carvey? ("Turtle turtle", from "Master of Disguise")
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2004-04-01 6:30:45 PM  

#13  Carl,

I think (hope!) Kerry will be looking for a job after November......
Posted by: CrazyFool   2004-04-01 6:23:40 PM  

#12  "revoke their commonwealth status, and cast them adrift"

butbut but...who will protect the TURtles ?

< /whine>
Posted by: Carl in N.H   2004-04-01 6:18:45 PM  

#11  Yes, YES, YES!!!!!

Now, one more thing left to do - revoke their commonwealth status, and cast them adrift.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2004-04-01 4:53:18 PM  

#10  You mean that military bases are for training? I thought there were just there to give money to the locals.
Posted by: Jackal   2004-04-01 4:02:02 PM  

#9  Frank G., outstanding - hadn't heard the wild life refuge bit! I remember we had to watch where we landed when we went there because of the endangered turtles. I also remember being amused at them telling us they were going to build resorts when we left, I asked "but what about the turtles? - can't just have thousands of ugly Americano tourists bothering their nesting sites.... now everyone wins ;)

Jack, actually the mainland politicians there really wanted us gone more so then the local Viequans who made some cash off are being there. The governor of PR at the time had a real hard on to get rid of us so she (it was in 2000 & I think it was a she) could get kick backs from the tourist community - total f*cking sham on their part citing environmental/health issues - we all knew the real deal.

Posted by: Jarhead   2004-04-01 2:16:37 PM  

#8  Hiryu - Point 1 - an excellent observation!

Frank - Does this remind you of Subic - only the greedy Puerto Ricans behind this ploy won't get the opportunity to make a buck? LOL!
Posted by: .com   2004-04-01 1:57:55 PM  

#7  To the people of Vieques... Don't wish too hard for what you want. You may just get it!
Posted by: Jack Deth   2004-04-01 12:50:37 PM  

#6  Actually - a doubly good screwing-over: the closing of Vieques was accompanied by establishing a wild-life refuge, so the a-holes that thought they'd be able to capitalize by creating hotels and tourist destinations there are doubly F*&ked
Posted by: Frank G   2004-04-01 12:22:14 PM  

#5  Point 1: There is no US congressman to tick off, thus expediting the exit strategy.

Point 2: Love'em or loath'em, you do not cross this administration and expect to get off scot-free.
Posted by: Hiryu   2004-04-01 12:20:33 PM  

#4  Cause --> Effect

Do you think they will 'get it'?
Posted by: CrazyFool   2004-04-01 12:03:10 PM  

#3  Good, they (the P.R.) wanted to close Vieques (dumb move) and keep Rosey open so that the local economy wouldn't be affected. Glad we did both overall.
Posted by: Jarhead   2004-04-01 12:02:22 PM  

#2  ..And the best part is that it will take DECADES to sweep the Vieques range for UXOs, and even then safety will be questionable at best.
Congratualtions, folks - you now have high unemployment, dozens of buildings you can't afford to keep up, and a huge loss to your economy. Maybe the Reverends Jackson and Sharpton will pick up the slack...?

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2004-04-01 11:59:23 AM  

#1  Maybe the "fast track" approach to this closing will help drive home the point that actions have consequences.
Posted by: Dave D.   2004-04-01 11:49:10 AM  

00:00