Letter to Army Secretary McHugh

Letter

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the U.S. Army to complete and finalize a long-overdue agreement that would transfer an unused Army Reserve shed to the town of New Windsor at no cost to the local taxpayers. In March 2011, Schumer worked to secure the transfer of this shed to the town, which the Army determined it did not need following the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) procedures. Schumer successfully pressed FEMA and the Army to turn control over to the town so that they would be able to store Department of Homeland Security emergency and natural disaster response equipment in a secure, covered location that is easily accessible to first responders and law enforcement.

Nearly one year after the no-cost transfer was agreed upon, the Army has not finalized the transfer. The unanticipated delay is preventing the town from moving its highway operations and emergency response equipment to the more convenient and accessible Army shed, and is holding nearly $1 million dollars in savings for town taxpayers. In addition, Schumer noted that New Windsor executed and returned the completed deeds in September of 2011, and anticipating a timely transfer, has arranged for the sale of its current garages, which would generate revenue for the town's general fund. But, that sale cannot be completed until New Windsor can move its equipment into the unused Army facility.

"The Town of New Windsor has dotted every "I" and crossed every "T", to ensure that this unused Army shed can be opened up, dusted off, and put to productive use for the Town and its taxpayers," said Schumer. "I worked hard with the Army and FEMA to secure a no-cost transfer of this Army Reserve shed to New Windsor, and nearly a year later - enough is enough. Last March, all stakeholders agreed to transfer control of the shed so that the town could have a safe place to house their emergency equipment, keeping the equipment in better shape for years to come and leading to better emergency services for area residents; but that agreement is worth nothing until it is finalized by the Army. After nearly a year, this has to be a done deal, as taxpayer dollars and revenue for the town hang in the balance."

Schumer noted that finalizing the transfer of the Army garage in a timely matter is vital to the Town of New Windsor. The Town has planned to move its highway operation and emergency response equipment from its present site to the former Army facility. The Town has completed all requirements necessary to finalize this agreement, and returned completed deeds in September of 2011. After the agreement was reached last year, New Windsor moved forward with expectation of a reasonable timeline for this property transfer, and listed their current housing garage for sale. New Windsor has received a lucrative offer at market value for the garage that will be extremely beneficial to the town and its taxpayers; however this sale cannot occur until they can move into the Army Reserve shed.

The base closure law of 2005 called for the closure of the Army Reserve Center and property consolidation as Stewart. As recently as early 2011 the Army Reserve was attempting to maintain control over the garage, but Schumer pressed Army officials to complete the consolidation and divest themselves of unused and underused garages. After repeated requests from Senator Schumer, the Army agreed to transfer the garage to the town. New Windsor will also store transportation safety equipment in the shed, which will help local officials keep roads and highways, like the New York State Thruway and roadways to Stewart Airport, open in the event of a natural disaster or storm.

Following a study by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, the Army Reserve at Stewart Airport determined that three maintenance garages were no longer needed. The Town formed a Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) to acquire these as well as the former Army Reserve Center for various municipal uses. Although New Windsor received support from the Department of Defense to obtain the Army Reserve Center, it only received lukewarm support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the garages. Federal Agency support is key in acquiring property as a Public Benefit Conveyance (i.e., for a nominal amount). Without it, the Town could only acquire the garages by a negotiated sale. FEMA took the position that to obtain its support, the garages had to be used exclusively for Homeland Security purposes. Although the Town explained that even if day to day operations of the Highway Department were included in this use, the Highway Department would also be a critical part of most Homeland Security Emergencies. FEMA still resisted, until Senator Schumer pushed them to reconsider.? ?

The U.S. Army has turned several pieces of property to New Windsor, but had carved out the land on which this storage garage sat, despite the fact that the shed was going unused. When the Army finally decided that they would release control of the unused shed to the town, they considered splitting the land with New Windsor, or charging full price. Schumer's office repeatedly pressed the Army to reconsider their decision to charge the town for the shed that was sitting unused, and instead transfer control to New Windsor at no-cost to local taxpayers. As a result of these efforts, FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security sponsored the no-cost transfer based on the intended use of the shed. The shed had no value to the U.S. Army, as it was not in use, but offers New Windsor a chance to keep their emergency response equipment safe, and in a convenient location that is easily accessible in an emergency scenario. One year later, Schumer is pushing for this decision to be finalized quickly, so that the town can move forward with its plans to utilize the ideally situated Army shed, and with the plans to sell its current garage, which would generate significant revenue for the town's general fund.

A copy of Schumer's letter appears below:

Dear Secretary McHugh,

I write to you request your assistance in finalizing the approved transfer of unused Army property to the Town of New Windsor. In March 2011 the US Army entered into a no-cost transfer agreement with the Town of New Windsor, in Orange County, NY to transfer ownership of a US Army Reserve Shed to the Town.

As you may know, following a study by the Base Realignment and Closure Commissioner, the Army Reserve at Stewart Airport determined three maintenance garages were no longer needed. The Town then formed a Local Redevelopment Authority to acquire these sheds for municipal storage. Although an agreement had been arranged with the Army, FEMA and the Town of New Windsor to finalize the transfer, there has now been a long delay to complete the BRAC process. It is my understanding that the Town has provided the Army with all of the necessary information and paper work and is now waiting for an execution of the deeds from the Army.

As you could imagine, finalizing the transfer of the garage in a timely matter is vital to the Town of New Windsor. The Town has planned to move its entire highway operations from its present site to the former Army garages. The Town had executed and returned the completed deeds in September of 2011 and have been patiently waiting to move ahead with the ownership and use of these garages. In anticipation of a timely transfer, the Town of New Windsor listed the old garage for sale and have now received a lucrative offer which will be extremely beneficial to the town and its taxpayers. The Town has the opportunity to receive market value for the garage, allowing them to put this money into the general fund and ease the burden on local homeowners and businesses.

Due to the fact that the prospective purchase is no in the due diligence phase it is of the utmost importance that this transfer be completed in an expedited manner. I am respectfully requesting you assist the Town in finalizing the and allowing them to immediately begin transferring the highway operations, opening up new possibilities for the Town.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer

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