Vienna air base warrants strong support from state

If Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Fairborn near Dayton is worth $1 million in state aid because it is the largest military installation in Ohio, then the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, which is the second largest military facility in the state, can certainly make the case for a $492,500 grant. The money would be used by local officials in those two communities to fight the closing of the bases.
There are reports out of Columbus that $1 million of the $1.5 million budgeted for such anti-closing campaigns has been committed to Wright Patterson because the money was specifically secured by state Sen. Jeffrey Jacobson, R-Dayton, the majority whip, and added to the $500,000 that Gov. Bob Taft had earmarked in the state budget. The $500,000 would have to be divided among all the other communities in Ohio that are fighting to keep their military installation off the 2005 base-closing list.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has announced a major restructuring of military facilities in the United States and abroad and there are reports that at least 100 bases in the U.S. could be closed. Ohio has 128 defense department sites, including six Air Force Reserve bases. The Youngstown station is the largest of the six. Thus our insistence that the Mahoning Valley get its fair share of the state dollars so an effective campaign can be launched. Although we believe that the case can easily be made for keeping the Youngstown facility off the closing list, it will still take a substantial amount of money to spread the word.
Local match
Indeed, "Operation: Save Our Airbase Reservists (SOAR)," a coalition of local business, political and union leaders and community activists, has prepared a $1 million budget and expects to raise $225,500 in cash contributions and $284,500 in in-kind contributions. That would represent the local match for the state grant.
We would point out to Republican Gov. Taft and the GOP leadership in the General Assembly that the Mahoning Valley isn't looking for a hand out from Columbus, nor is it expecting state government to do the heavy lifting insofar as the campaign is concerned.
There is more at stake than just the future of a military installation. The region's economic well-being depends, to a great extent, on the base. Here are the facts: The station, which is home to the 910th Airlift Wing of the Air Force, and Marine and Navy Reserve units, employs nearly 2,400 reservists, civilians and contractors in full- or part-time positions; the installation's economic impact can be seen in the nearly 700 off-base indirect jobs created in 2002; the station has a total economic impact of $90 million to the local economy; the base is one of the top five employers in the Mahoning Valley.
The Youngstown station has consistently received top marks from the Defense Department, and during the last round of base closings several years ago was praised by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission for giving the federal government such a good return on its investment.
Even so, the installation must make the case for its continued existence, and for that SOAR needs money. The $492,500 request for a state grant is reasonable and justified.
We urge the governor and legislative leaders to do the right thing and help the region develop the kind of campaign that's necessary to attract the attention of the decision-makers in Washington.