The news was mixed for the Quad Cities after the first day of hearings by the federal Base Closure and Realignment Commission. The BRAC voted to move the tank, automotive and armaments command to Detroit — taking 11-hundred jobs from Rock Island. The commission did vote to close Fort Gillem in Georgia and will move 158 military and 119 civilian jobs to Arsenal Island. Quad Cities Development Group president Thom Hart says they were stunned by the news. He says he doesn’t know what more can be done and they’ll certainly be thinking and talking about that in the next 24 hours. Hart says there’s still some slim hope the jobs won’t be lost. He says there was a recommendation in 1991 also to move the jobs to Alabama and that was reversed in 1993. Hart says the BRAC moves don’t make sense financially as moving the jobs will not save the Defense Department money, but will actually cost more in the long term. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he was disappointed in the decision too as he says the information shows the move will cost the government more money to operate in Detroit. Grassley says, ” The Commission seemed to forget one of the basic guidelines they were to follow.” Senator Tom Harkin said he was “deeply disappointed by the BRAC Commission’s final decision.” Harkin says “Despite this setback, Rock Island Arsenal remains a vital national security asset. The Arsenal has been indispensable to our country, proving time and time again that it can meet and exceed expectations. I will work to ensure that it has all the resources needed to remain a top notch installation. Its proven success cannot be duplicated anywhere.”
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