By Col. Joel Himsl Garrison Commander
Great things have been happening at Fort Leonard Wood during the last few years. The installation was a winner in the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) in 1995. As a result, the Army's chemical defense and military police Schools have moved here and joined with the Engineer School to form the Army's Maneuver Support Center (MANSCEN).
Ft. Leonard Wood also has the largest joint service training mission in the Army and the second largest basic training mission.
The dramatic growth that these new missions have created for Fort Leonard Wood, combined with the tremendous shortfall in the base operations (BASOPS) resourcing, requires the post to find new ways of doing installation business. One of the most exciting innovations is the technology park initiative - a first in the Department of Defense.
The post intends to lease 62 acres of land near the current industrial area on post to the University of Missouri System (UMS). UMS, in partnership with the Missouri Department of Economic Development, will be the park developer and operator.
They will attract commercial and academic tenants who are involved in one or more of the many technology areas related to MANSCEN. For example, environmental and civil engineering, composite materials, anti-terrorism, crisis management, law enforcement, nonlethal weapons, humanitarian demining, topography, geographic information systems and advanced training technology.
Benefits to the Army are numerous. Most important is the opportunity for greater cooperation among the military, industry and academia.
This will help better solve the many challenges associates with providing the Army with the best trained and equipped chemical, engineer and military police soldiers and units.
The park will also allow the post to reduce its infrastructure overhead costs through utility sharing, and provide good job opportunities for family members.
The number one quality of life need identified by installation surveys has consistently been the need to improve spousal employment opportunities.
This will immediately increase family income and provide soldiers and their families the opportunity to improve their quality of life in areas of greater interest to them (e.g. housing, education, recreation, retail goods and services).
In the United States, the two-income family is the norm. The 1997 "National Study of the Changing Work-force" conducted by the Families and Work Institute, estimates that nationwide 78 percent of households with two adults have both adults working.
Among all military families in the United States, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that almost 58 percent of spouses work (March 1999 data). At Ft. Leonard Wood, only 45 percent of families have two jobs. To meet the national spouse employment average, over 850 jobs are needed; just to meet the national military family average, over 330 jobs are needed.
Therefore, the technology park needs to generate substantially more jobs than these numbers. However, as the park is successful, there will be other economic development in the region that will also bring employment opportunities. Ft. Leonard Wood projects that the initial park should create about 950 jobs, using UMS's successful research park in St. Charles, MO as a model.
Eventually, the park may grow to be about 250 acres and may allow Ft. Wood to replace the current World War II wood warehousing and public works facility with a latest technology, industrial operations facility. UMS is excited about opening another research park.
The Fort Leonard Wood park will give them greater opportunity to transfer new technology from their research labs, provide work experience for their Roll campus students and good, in-Missouri jobs for their alumni. UMS and the Missouri Department of Economic Development are each planning to allocate $2 million to fund initial park development.
The park will also provide a major boost to the regional economy and improve quality of life for everyone in the region. The post has worked closely with the local communities and county to ensure their full support of the initiative.
Officials are working closely with the Kansas City District, Corps of Engineers, and out other partners to develop the financial, environmental and real estate package. UMS plans to have the park grand opening and announce their first tenants this fall. This initiatives but one of a number of exciting projects on-going with our regional and state partners. It will be a win-win for Fort Leonard Wood, the region, the state and the Army.
Col. Joel Hills, an Army MY (Military Police), became garrison commander at Fort Leonard Wood this summer. Hisml was former garrison commander at Ft. Wainwright.
