Baldacci assures BNAS workers

BRUNSWICK – Gov. John Baldacci sought to scotch rumors of an accelerated closure of Brunswick Naval Air Station and offered assurances to employees that the state will do whatever it can to help them find new jobs.

In his first visit to the installation since the Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted last week to shut it down, Baldacci and officials of several state agencies met privately Tuesday with 200 employees.

“I think people were very anxious, concerned and searching for answers,” the governor told reporters after the meeting. “We wanted to let them know that we will be there to support them.”

Baldacci said “there was a lot of anxiety” expressed at the meeting, especially by those who had heard rumors of an “accelerated closure,” a scenario he denied would take place.

An estimated 566 civilian employees and 40 contractors who currently work at the facility stand to lose their jobs over the next six years.

The effects of major civilian layoffs and the reassignment of Navy officers and enlisted personnel would not be felt until 2009, two years before the base is expected to close completely, officials said.

Baldacci was joined by Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman, who said unemployment in the midcoast region would increase significantly once civilian layoffs take effect. The unemployment rate for August in the Brunswick region is 4.3 percent, slightly below the statewide average of 5 percent, she said.

In addition to Fortman, officials from the Finance Authority of Maine, Department of Economic and Community Development, the Bath Career Center and the state’s community college system were at the meeting.

John James IV, a base spokesman, said civilian workers will be eligible for relocation allowances and will be given preference for federal jobs in Maine and other parts of the country.

Baldacci said he envisions the base being turned into a facility with joint military and private sector uses. One possibility, he said, is a reserve training center on the base. Other ideas have ranged from a commercial airport to world-class gardens.

“We will be successful and we will redevelop this site,” the governor said. “It is an enormous site with a lot of opportunities.”