Schenectady, N.Y., February 28, 2006 — Schenectady County officials today joined with the Chamber of Schenectady County to announce receipt of a $50,000 grant from Empire State Development (ESD) to continue efforts by the Schenectady Military Affairs Council (SMAC) to protect missions and jobs at the Stratton Air National Guard Base in Glenville.
“This grant from Empire State Development will allow us to continue our base retention efforts remaining strong in our support of Stratton Air National Guard Base, home to the only ski-equipped cargo airplanes in the U.S. Air Force,” said Susan E. Savage, Chair of the Schenectady County Legislature.
Last year, the BRAC Commission considered the possibility of moving four “ski-birds” from the local air base to Little Rock, Arkansas. This move was later unanimously rejected by members of the Base Closure Commission saving almost 1,400 jobs at the local air base.
SMAC worked in close cooperation with County officials to secure the new State grant to continue efforts to retain missions and jobs at the local air base.
Chair Savage said, “We have a unified local base retention effort that is working in close cooperation with State officials and our Congressional Delegation to insure that our base gets its fair share of military spending to support its vital mission.”
In addition to the successful effort to save the air base, County officials were successful last year in obtaining almost $20 million in military construction funding to build a new Navy Reserve Center at the Schenectady County Airport. Work on the New Navy Reserve Center is expected to begin later this year.
“We appreciate the support we have received from Governor Pataki and Empire State Development,” said Roger Hannay, Chairman of SMAC. Working closely with the Governor, ESD and the State’s Congressional Delegation, we were successful in our efforts to keep all fourteen aircraft and 1,400 jobs intact at the Stratton Air Guard Base during the 2005 base realignment and closure (BRAC) process.”
Utilizing the new State funding, the Chamber of Schenectady County plans to continue its efforts to support missions and jobs at the Stratton Air Guard Base. Changes to the guard and reserve basing structure may be considered as part of the Pentagon’s Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).
“The clear message from BRAC 2005 is we must stay active and continue our effort to protect this base and make sure that the work being done here is recognized for its unique military, homeland security and scientific contributions,” said Charles Steiner President of the Chamber of Schenectady County.
For more information, see www.nysmac.org.