BRAC Report Plots Boosting Md. Economy

Maryland's blueprint for turning thousands of military jobs into a powerful economic engine instead of a development nightmare includes a big emphasis on improving science and technology education and billions of dollars in investments in infrastructure.

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, who chairs a sub-cabinet on how to prepare for as many as 60,000 potential new jobs, submitted a report to Gov. Martin O'Malley on Monday with the overall plan. Brown said Maryland is seeing the most growth of any other state in military-related jobs on a per capita basis because of the base realignment plan approved in 2005.

"The action plan is now a play book for success, a map that will guide our action to take on those challenges that we've identified," Brown said.

The exact number of jobs Maryland will receive isn't clear. However, conservative estimates cited in the report indicate that there will be about 15,500 direct jobs, and 23,000 indirect jobs, such as contractors working with military bases in Maryland. There also will be about 7,300 support jobs, such as retail positions or day care jobs, because of decisions made by the base realignment commission, which also is known as BRAC.

Most of the jobs will be in nine jurisdictions. They are Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Cecil, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's counties and Baltimore City. Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County is set to get about 10,000 jobs, and the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County will get an estimated 13,000.

Handling the strain on roads and schools will be the biggest challenges, Brown said.

The Maryland Department of Transportation has identified 26 BRAC-related projects in an $8.5 billion draft fiscal year 2008-2013 Capital Transportation Program. The state already has allocated $1.6 billion for BRAC projects, including the widening of Interstate 95 north of Baltimore City and widening of Maryland 175 near Fort Meade.

Brown also said the state plans to invest $1 billion in its MARC commuter train between now and 2015.

The report also estimates that 70 percent of the new jobs that are coming will be filled by Maryland residents.

"So we're reaching out to future Marylanders, and we're reaching in to develop and enhance the education skills of those already living hear," Brown said.

To help make sure the state will be ready to supply the work force, the state has taken several steps that include:

_Setting up employment licensing and certification reciprocity with New Jersey and Virginia.

_Opening one-stop career centers in Fort Monmouth in New Jersey and in northern Virginia.

_Working to enhance science and math education in the state to prepare students for jobs that will be in Maryland in future years.

"The children that we educate in our middle and high schools today are those that are going to be assuming the BRAC jobs in 2011, 2016 and 2020," Brown said.

The plan also calls for instituting a security clearance education program to encourage students to avoid getting into legal trouble that could jeopardize future employment in the military.

Both Brown and O'Malley emphasized that the state will have to keep working to prepare in order to reap the most benefits and avoid the downsides of the big influx of jobs.

"BRAC will be here in 2011, but it is not an end date as the lieutenant governor underscored," O'Malley said. "We have an obligation not just to preserve our quality of life, but to improve it."

During the 2007 regular session of the General Assembly, the state set aside nearly $2 billion for BRAC-related improvements over the next five years.

"In FY 2008 alone, the state will invest $785 million on K-12 public school and community college construction, highway improvements, transit and wastewater treatment plants in communities that will experience the most significant BRAC-related growth," the report stated.

More BRAC-related investments will be proposed next year.

The O'Malley administration also plans to push for three pieces of legislation to help tackle BRAC growth.

The first proposal includes setting aside money to bolster higher education initiatives related by setting aside some of the $55 million that has been approved by the General Assembly for higher education.

The second proposal relates to creating a vehicle to encourage residential development in communities affected by the base realignment. The "BRAC Zones" also would be used as an economic development tool to encourage businesses to move into areas where growth is expected.

The third idea is a proposal that involves giving state and local governments flexibility in negotiating with private developers to receive lump payments instead of steady streams of property tax revenue.

The military has been offering leases to private developers who build amenities on bases, developments that are subject to state and county property taxes. The idea is to make it easier to generate money for roads, water and sewage treatment plants.