Secretary of the Air Force F. Whitten Peters made a $600,000 decision yesterday that, in the realm of multi-billion-dollar military budgets, seems small. In the realm of how the public and Congress see the military base closing process, it could be huge.

At issue is the instrument landing system (ILS) at the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone. The Air Force had proposed to relocate this equipment to its base in Tuzla, Bosnia. The Loring Development Authority (LDA), the organization charged with converting the sprawling Northern Maine base to civilian use, said the loss of the equipment, unless replaced, would destroy its ability to realize Loring’s aviation potential.

The Air Force Base Conversion Agency made its decision last April to relocate the ILS, with no plans to replace the equipment at Loring. The LDA had appealed that decision to Secretary Peters and his final ruling was expected perhaps as soon as next week. The outlook was not good.

On Friday, Sen. Susan Collins, who, along with Sen. Olympia Snowe had pursued this matter for months, heard directly from Secretary Peters: an alternate ILS already was enroute from Howard Air Force Base in Panama to Tuzla; after a test next week, it will be known if the equipment is suitable and, if so, Loring’s system stays put.

The senators and the secretary deserve high praise for bringing what could have been a devastating development for Loring back from the brink. Sen. Collins in particular complimented the Air Force for its extensive search for an alternative ILS. While the agreement announced Friday does not specifically guarantee the Air Force will not want the Loring system in the future, there now is time for all parties to work out a permanent agreement.

Tuzla is a base of vital strategic importance. It also is in a region of wild weather and rugged terrain — the same weather and terrain that claimed the lives of Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and others in an air crash in 1996. The safety of military personnel must be paramount, the Air Force must put that consideration first.

In fact, the eventual replacement of the ILS at Loring may be the best outcome. That system is designed specifically for military use; the spare parts and expertise to repair and maintain the system are military issue. A system designed for civilian use is better suited for the newly civilian Loring. With this breathing room, and this welcome exhibition of cooperation, the LDA and the Air Force should be able to arrange such a transition.

Loring needs an ILS. The LDA, in just three years, has done a remarkable job in drawing 18 businesses to the Loring Commerce Centre. The buildings are filling up, but the former base’s most promising assets, the enormous 12,000-foot airfield and cavernous hangars, remain unused. The LDA has worked diligently to attract aviation-oriented businesses and that work is about to pay off. There are immediate prospects; companies that paint, repair, maintain and convert aircraft. Four hundred good-paying jobs nearly in hand could grow to more than1,000 within just a few years. All that evaporates without an ILS.

Until this development with Howard came about Friday, the bone of contention was the $600,000 a replacement would cost, about half for hardware, half for installation. Rather than merely howl about a sum that to the Pentagon is small change, the LDA, and specifically its Executive Director Brian Hamel, took thoughout this tussle the very wise approach of suggesting several good proposals to lower the cost, even eliminate it. With both sides recognizing the legitimate needs of the other, confrontation was avoided and energy could be put toward a solution.

Everybody wins

It’s not hard to imagine that the LDA’s willingness to compromise gave Secretary Peters good reason to do the same. That, too, was wise, for there was much more at stake than $600,000, the brief deployment of personnel to install a civilian system or few phone calls to the FAA.

The loss of the ILS would not only have killed hundreds of job opportunities in Northern Maine, it would have sent a message to businesses throughout the country that locating in former military bases is a high-risk venture — the amenities that helped close the deal may vanish overnight.

This decision by Secretary Peters has importance to the Air Force and the other branches of service that goes beyond the resolution of this one issue. The necessary efforts by all branches to consolidate bases has hit a brick wall. Last year, Congress overwhelmingly rejected another round of base closures sought by the Pentagon.

Last spring, a similar proposal did not eveb make it out of committee. Making — and keeping — Loring whole would go a long way toward allaying the fears that base-closings elicit in every military community. In sending the message that the Pentagon will stand with those communities, Friday’s decision by Secretary Peters is anything but small.