BRAC contract awarded

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

From staff reports

Huntsville Times

Chamber to decide on roads, schools, utilities necessary

The Madison County Commission has awarded a 14-month, $650,000 contract to the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce to develop a plan to identify the roads, schools and utilities needs for BRAC.

Chamber Chairman Evans Quinlivan said the chamber is uniquely suited to handle the services called for in the contract.

"As the lead economic development entity of Madison County, many of the tasks assigned in the contract are what we do," said Quinlivan, CEO of First American Bank.

Money for the grant for the Tennessee Valley Regional BRAC Growth Coordination Plan comes from the Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment, an agency that helps communities deal with defense program changes, including base closures or realignments.

The Army is moving the headquarters of the Materiel Command and Space and Missile Defense Command, plus the bulk of Missile Defense Agency work, to Redstone over the next four years. The transfers will add about 4,500 defense jobs in the area and possibly that many contractor positions.

The plan will study BRAC's impact on the region, focusing on Madison, Limestone and Morgan counties. The plan also will determine future needs of the broader region - Jackson, Marshall and Cullman counties and the Shoals area in Alabama, and Franklin, Giles, Lawrence and Lincoln counties in Tennessee. Those counties, the primary commuter areas for Redstone Arsenal employees, already have formed an alliance under the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee.

The plan will assess current conditions and the impact of BRAC on the region, select short- and long-term priorities, provide a coordinated action plan and develop resources to successfully implement BRAC.

Madison County awarded the contract to the chamber after a national competition. The selection committee, made up of representatives from Madison, Limestone and Morgan counties and Redstone, interviewed two consultant teams for this project - the chamber-led team and EDAW Inc. of San Francisco.

The chamber-led team includes Bill Frederick of Wadley-Donovan GrowthTech LLC in Springfield, N.J., which has completed the chamber's community assessment plan for guiding future economic development efforts; Mark Waterhouse of Garnet Consulting Services Inc. in Pleasant Valley, Conn.; and Ed Bee and David Kolzow of Taimerica Management Co. in Mandeville, La.

Work on the contract begins immediately and will continue for 14 months.



BRAC contract awarded Wednesday, October 31, 2007 From staff reports Huntsville Times Chamber to decide on roads, schools, utilities necessary The Madison County Commission has awarded a 14-month, $650,000 contract to the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce to develop a plan to identify the roads, schools and utilities needs for BRAC. Chamber Chairman Evans Quinlivan said the chamber is uniquely suited to handle the services called for in the contract. "As the lead economic development entity of Madison County, many of the tasks assigned in the contract are what we do," said Quinlivan, CEO of First American Bank. Money for the grant for the Tennessee Valley Regional BRAC Growth Coordination Plan comes from the Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment, an agency that helps communities deal with defense program changes, including base closures or realignments. The Army is moving the headquarters of the Materiel Command and Space and Missile Defense Command, plus the bulk of Missile Defense Agency work, to Redstone over the next four years. The transfers will add about 4,500 defense jobs in the area and possibly that many contractor positions. The plan will study BRAC's impact on the region, focusing on Madison, Limestone and Morgan counties. The plan also will determine future needs of the broader region - Jackson, Marshall and Cullman counties and the Shoals area in Alabama, and Franklin, Giles, Lawrence and Lincoln counties in Tennessee. Those counties, the primary commuter areas for Redstone Arsenal employees, already have formed an alliance under the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee. The plan will assess current conditions and the impact of BRAC on the region, select short- and long-term priorities, provide a coordinated action plan and develop resources to successfully implement BRAC. Madison County awarded the contract to the chamber after a national competition. The selection committee, made up of representatives from Madison, Limestone and Morgan counties and Redstone, interviewed two consultant teams for this project - the chamber-led team and EDAW Inc. of San Francisco. The chamber-led team includes Bill Frederick of Wadley-Donovan GrowthTech LLC in Springfield, N.J., which has completed the chamber's community assessment plan for guiding future economic development efforts; Mark Waterhouse of Garnet Consulting Services Inc. in Pleasant Valley, Conn.; and Ed Bee and David Kolzow of Taimerica Management Co. in Mandeville, La. Work on the contract begins immediately and will continue for 14 months. © 2007 The Huntsville Times © 2007 al.com All Rights Reserved.