Bye Bye Another Piece of Plattsburgh

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

The Air Force on July 17 signed a lease that turns over 540 acres of the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base in New York to the Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Corp. (PARC) for economic reuse. The EPA and New York Gov. David Patterson approved an early transfer of the property. The Air Force, which closed the former Strategic Air Command bomber base under BRAC 1995, first had to ensure the property was environmentally clean and ready for redevelopment, which entailed removing hundreds of underground petroleum storage tanks and treating ground water and soil contamination. “We have been working the environmental issues at Plattsburgh and making tremendous progress,” said Dave Farnsworth, Air Force Real Property Agency environmental coordinator for Plattsburgh. He added that the service still has more work to do, but the “community has been pleased with the results.” PARC already has converted some 2,600 acres to businesses, nonprofit agencies, residential areas, community college facilities, and an airport. (AFRPA release)

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org