County Executive James T. Smith Jr.
400 Washington Avenue
Old Courthouse Mezzanine
Towson, Maryland 21204
410-887-2450
E-mail Address: jimsmith@baltimorecountymd.gov
Dear Friends of Baltimore County,
In November of 2005, the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission became law. As a result, by 2011 we anticipate several thousand jobs to relocate to nearby Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort Meade, both on base and as civilian defense contractors.
This base realignment promises to have a significant impact on central Maryland. According to current state estimates, Baltimore County alone stands to gain more than 3,900 new jobs (with salaries averaging $85,000) and 3,600 new households, the third largest gain of any jurisdiction in the state.
The BRAC Realignment is an important opportunity for Baltimore County. Working together with our partners in Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Howard, Harford, and Cecil Counties, we plan to make central Maryland the Center for Defense Communications for the entire nation. However, if we are to take full advantage of the economic potential of BRAC for this region, there are many challenges that we must anticipate and overcome.
To ensure that Baltimore County is properly prepared for the BRAC realignment, we have created a BRAC Action Plan. This plan identifies over 100 short and long-term initiatives designed to ensure that Baltimore County is fully prepared to support the upcoming Federal Base Realignment and Closure process.
The plan will become part of a regional BRAC Action Plan for Central Maryland. It is a dynamic and fluid document designed to guide County efforts until BRAC is fully implemented in 2011. The initiatives identified in this plan will prepare Baltimore County for BRAC in three areas: Infrastructure and Land Use, Education and Workforce Development, and Public Safety.
The anticipated influx of jobs and new residents in Central Maryland will require the support of Baltimore County’s infrastructure, transportation, and land use. This action plan proposes strategies to address these issues. In order to attract and accommodate BRAC-related development, Baltimore County will work to identify development opportunities and to continue the revitalization of our older commercial and business corridors in the northeast and southwest communities of the County.
We will study the roads and highways that will be most affected by this realignment, to assess the need for capacity and intersection improvements. We are also examining enhanced land use strategies in the communities that will be affected by BRAC.
One of the reasons that BRAC is bringing so many jobs to Baltimore County is our well educated, and highly skilled workforce. A strong workforce requires years of planning, because employees begin their training first as children in the classrooms of our public schools and later in our colleges.
Baltimore County is proud to continue its strong partnership with the Community College of Baltimore County and the Baltimore County Public School system to ensure that our County will produce a workforce competent to fill the jobs brought here by BRAC for years to come.
We will support the expansion of K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs, as well as apprenticeship programs, career and tech ed electives, and computer programs for our middle and high schools. We will also assess the potential impact of BRAC on our school facilities, particularly in the northeast and southwest areas of the County.
Baltimore County is equally committed to the needs of our existing workforce and businesses. The Baltimore County Office of Workforce Development will customize and expand their services to help recruit, train, and pre-screen for BRAC workers and provide employment support for spouses.
Our institutions of higher learning will map curriculum needs and job descriptions of incoming workers in order to adapt programs to meet those needs and employment opportunities. Finally, with such a large influx of new residents, Baltimore County will continue its commitment to all of our citizens, new and old alike, to securing the safety of their neighborhoods.
We will monitor growth to plan for adequate public safety personnel and improved infrastructure required due to the impact of BRAC, and we will expand our public safety facilities as necessary. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done over the next few years to ensure that Baltimore County is properly positioned to benefit from the BRAC realignment.
Recently, we took an important first step in seeing that the Baltimore County BRAC Action Plan is implemented by naming Bill Jones as Baltimore County’s BRAC Coordinator. As BRAC coordinator, he will manage the implementation of all the efforts outlined in this action plan on behalf of my administration.
Working together as partners, the people of Baltimore County have made tremendous progress over the past five years. I know, that by continuing in the spirit of collaboration, we can make the most out of the once in a lifetime opportunity that BRAC has given us.
A draft of the BRAC Action Plan is available to read on the Baltimore County web site. As always, we are eager to involve all of the citizens of Baltimore County as we build our future and we are accepting comments on this Action Plan until July 20th. Comments may be e-mailed to brac@baltimorecountymd.gov or mailed to:
Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith
Attn: BRAC
400 Washington Avenue
Towson, MD 21204
Thank you, and I look forward to working together with all of you on making sure that all of our communities get the most of BRAC.
James T. Smith, Jr.
Baltimore County Executive
Revised July 2, 2007
Courthouse 