|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
News Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation Recognized for Website (10/13/2005) One Year Later, (Killeen-Fort Hood Regional) Airport Exceeds Expectations (7/31/2005) Troops Sent to Fort Hood Last Year Will Stay (7/28/2005) (Fort) Hood Not Losing Troops, Army says (6/24/2005) Congressmen fight to keep Fort Hood as-is (5/23/2005) Returning Fort Hood Troops Unleash a Barrage of Buying (4/2/05) Central Texas Labor Study, Wage/Benefits Survey Complete (3/24/05) Fort Hood Economic Worth Rises (3/3/05) Residential Building Permits Double in Copperas Cove (1/27/05) [Fort] Hood Family Housing Ahead of Construction, Renovation Schedule (1/27/05) CCEDC and City Sign Contracts with Entertainment Center (1/26/05) Want to learn how the Army is organized, from soldier to platoon to brigade to division? Click here. Copperas Cove, Texas-Based Organization Receives Acknowledging the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) for its website, the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) presented its General Purpose Website award to the organization at IEDC’s Annual Conference, held in Chicago, Illinois, September 25-28, 2005. The Copperas Cove, Texas-based entity was recognized for this achievement during an awards ceremony on September 27, 2005. "Economic development pursuits have always played an invaluable role in strengthening the nationals economy one locality at a time, and as our country faces challenges ranging from an elevated national debt to a declining yet still significant unemployment rate, these effort take on an even greater importance," said Steve J. Budd, IEDC chairman. "The award honors pace-setting organizations that drive economic development, and the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation." Competing in the category of General Purpose Website by organizations serving areas under 50,000, Copperas Cove was a clear standout for its website, <www.copperascove-edc.com>. The primary mission of the CCEDC website is to provide information about the community to businesses wishing to locate or expand to the market. The website also promotes the Small Business Development Center. CCEDC recognizes that media, residents, prospective residents, allies and constituents will also visit the site to find information. Because the CCEDC Website is designed and maintained in-house, costs are minimized and updates to information can be made immediately, as they are needed. "This is a tremendous award because it is from international economic development peers," said Dan Yancey, chairman, Copperas Cove EDC board of directors. "Copperas Cove should be proud to have a first class economic development organization that endeavors to go the extra step to prove the city is ready, willing and able to attract commerce to broaden its tax base." -END-
One Year Later,
(Killeen-Fort Hood Regional) Airport
-END-
Troops Sent to Fort Hood Last Year Will Stay -END-
(Fort)
Hood Not Losing Troops, Army Says -END-
Congressman fight to keep Fort Hood as-is Once thought to be spared by proposed Pentagon cuts, Fort Hood faces the possibility of losing 5,000 to 7,000 soldiers by 2011, and post officials and two Texas politicians said Wednesday that they are scratching their heads at the possibility of such a loss at the state's largest military installation. The development comes days after Fort Hood generals expressed approval of the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure plan, which recommends the closure of 33 major installations nationwide, including three in Texas. At the time, Fort Hood officials said they would lose about 70 soldiers and 120 civilian jobs.
Carter, R-Round Rock, and Edwards, D-Waco, say the Fort Hood plans run counter to the Army's goal of making itself more efficient. Others, including the mayor of Killeen and a former top military official, say the loss wouldn't significantly affect the post or its surrounding area. Carter and Edwards said they hope the realignment and closure commission will revise its recommendations by Sept. 8, when the group will make its final recommendations to President Bush. "I think it's wrong," Carter said. "My stance right now is that they're making the wrong move, and I want them to argue their point." According to the report, Fort Hood would lose a brigade combat team and a unit of employment headquarters, both of which will go to Fort Carson, Colo. It recommends moving a recently added brigade of about 5,000 soldiers to Fort Carson because Fort Hood lacks "sufficient facilities and available maneuver training acreage." In a related document, the Department of Defense calls for the 47,000-soldier post to peak at 49,400 soldiers in 2006. That figure would decrease to 40,863 soldiers in 2011. Edwards said he obtained the additional information after the Pentagon unveiled its proposal Friday. On Tuesday, he and Carter issued a joint statement questioning the BRAC recommendations. Edwards pointed out the advantages of keeping the new brigade at Fort Hood: The post recently expanded by about 40,000 acres, while Fort Carson's Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site is 150 miles southeast of the main post. "It'd be equivalent of shipping soldiers and tanks from Austin to the western suburbs of Houston every time they want to do maneuver training," he said. Edwards also said the report was misleading because it did not say that it was based on information from 2003, when Fort Hood had about 6,000 fewer soldiers than it does today. Carter and Edwards also criticized the one-time cost of $435 million for the Fort Hood realignment. "It just seems to be a huge expenditure of taxpayers' money," said Edwards, whose district covered Fort Hood until redistricting in the 2004 elections. "There are a lot of unanswered questions." Two of the post's top commanders -- III Corps Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz and 4th Infantry Division Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman, both of whom said Friday that they were pleased with the recommendations -- did not return requests for comment Wednesday. "Nobody in charge here is talking at this point," said Fort Hood spokesman Dan Hassett. "They're still looking over the facts. . . . The stuff that's come out of the (Department of Defense) is unclear." Killeen Mayor Maureen Jouett said she was not concerned by the potential loss of the brigade on the military-heavy city of nearly 100,000. "I don't expect it to have any effect," she said. "The 5,000 soldiers that we got, they've only been there since October. We were never guaranteed to keep them. We've had very prosperous years." However, she admitted some disappointment at the Pentagon's recommendations. "We had hoped to end up in BRAC with more soldiers," she said. University of Texas professor Ed Dorn, who served as Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon from 1993 to 1997, echoed Jouett's optimism. "Removing a brigade from Fort Hood is not going to have a dramatic effect on that community," he said. "It's a large, healthy community. . . . Moving a brigade to Fort Carson may make sense." By Sept. 23, Bush is expected to decide whether to accept or reject the recommendations in their entirety. If he accepts the recommendations, the plan will become final unless Congress passes a joint resolution against it within 45 days. Carter and Edwards said they would work with the commission to find a solution. They said a delegation of Texas representatives will continue to oppose plans to close installations in Texas, which include Naval Station Ingleside, near Corpus Christi; Red River Army Depot in Texarkana and Brooks City Base in San Antonio. "There may be plans that make sense," Carter said. "It's all about making sure that we have the absolute best for the United States Army." -END-
The swarms of soldiers returning from yearlong deployments in Iraq are bringing back more than just American pride: They're bringing hard-earned cash, and many can't spend it quickly enough. With the return of 17,000 1st Cavalry Division soldiers in February and March, businesses in Killeen, Copperas Cove and Harker Heights are experiencing an economic boom. The last group of 182 soldiers from the division is expected to arrive today at Fort Hood. These newly returned soldiers, armed with bank accounts full of combat pay -- on average, $12,000 to $15,000 over a one-year deployment -- are pushing economic growth on many fronts. Restaurant business has been brisk. Sales at Killeen's only stand-alone gun store have doubled. The streets around Fort Hood are clogged with shiny trucks and motorcycles, and some stores are struggling to keep inventory in stock. Cellular phone providers, dry cleaners, hotels and rental-car outlets also have struggled to meet demand. "When you add 20,000 people into the community, it's going to have a big effect," said Chad Cheadle, owner of Guns Galore in Killeen. "Everybody around here is experiencing a higher volume of sales." The economic phenomenon, provided in anecdotes by soldiers and local businesses, shows that in the days after a military family is reunited, a spending spree is sometimes quick to follow. "We got a lot of new stuff," said Caryn Morris, 27, who purchased a 2005 Dodge Caravan with her husband after he returned. "My new haircut. We're in the process of buying a big screen TV. We're buying a new mattress. We're getting a new dining table. Everything will be new." Sales tax figures for February and March, when the bulk of soldiers returned, are not yet available. But Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce President John Krutchfield expects to see an increase: Nearly two-thirds of the local economy is dependent on Fort Hood and military spending, he said. The traffic, many said, is the most noticeable effect of the soldiers' return. "With more traffic, you have more accidents," said Killeen Police Department spokeswoman Carroll Smith. Smith, who did not provide statistics on accident volume, said the Police Department is able to meet the city's needs. Other government services, however, are struggling to keep up. Bell County District Clerk Shelia Norman said that since soldiers began returning, county employees have had to work overtime to keep up. Norman said the number of divorces filed in March jumped to about 330, up from 200 in a typical month. Rick Ortiz, manager of Speedy Pawn #2, said he, too, has seen an increase in business, for better or for worse. He waved his arm over the jewelry case, which sparkled with rows and rows of pawned engagement and wedding rings. "We've had troops come back to empty apartments," he said. Mike Huisinger, a salesman at Patriot Used Cars in Copperas Cove, said he has noticed a spike in business and a shift in customer base, from those who haven't seen recent combat to newly returned soldiers. "We can't buy enough trucks to keep out there," he said. "This month was probably the best month we've had in a year." Some retailers said they've had to make changes to keep up with demand. Ian Adkins, a manager at Casa Olé in Copperas Cove, estimated that beer and liquor purchases at the restaurant have increased about 10 percent in the past month. He said that the restaurant has added four servers during busy shifts and that the increase in staff began two months ago in preparation for the soldiers' arrival. "They've been ordering a lot of fajitas," he said. "We move a lot of beer and margaritas." Several soldiers said they have been eager to spend since their return from Iraq. Spc. Miguel Solano, 23, an Army cook who returned March 19, said he's trying to save his money but couldn't resist a few splurges. "Good steak," he said with a laugh. "Mexican food. I missed that so much. And beer. A lot of beer." Spc. Bobby Rutherford, 22, said he's made only one big purchase so far: a $600 Glock handgun. "I'll never be without a weapon again," said Rutherford, an infantryman who served in Baghdad for one year. But Morris, who lived with relatives in Houston during her husband's deployment, said there are some sectors in which demand has outstripped supply. She echoed a complaint heard from many soldiers: a tight rental market. "I had to get an apartment in January and then pay two months' rent even though we weren't living there," she said. Many local business owners said the ebb and flow of business is inextricably tied to the military. Cheadle, the gun salesman, said deployment has an opposite effect on business. "You starve to death until they come back," he said. Military families such as the Morrises, meanwhile, are atoning for their absence. "We're definitely putting back into the community," said Caryn Morris. Her husband, Staff Sgt. Edward Morris, however, said he has not made any large purchases for himself. "I'm just happy to be home," he said with a smile, gesturing toward their two children, Eric, 5, and Teddy, 6. "As long as they're happy, I'm happy." -END-
Central Texas Labor Study, Wage/Benefit Survey Complete The Central Texas Workforce Commission and the Central Texas Economic Corridor has completed a contract with Economic Development Services, an Irving, Texas, consulting firm, to conduct a labor study and a wage and benefits survey. The Central Texas Economic Corridor is a regional marketing group of Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Corporations representing four cities in Central Texas: Belton, Copperas Cove, Killeen and Temple. The labor study data was collected from more than 2,500 surveys in the Central Texas labor shed, defined as Bell, Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas, Milam, Mills and San Saba counties. The survey participants were asked questions regarding employment status, whether full-time or part-time, availability to move to full-time status, self-employment, technical skills, and underemployment. The wage and benefit data was collected from more than 50 survey responses from companies in the same area. The companies were asked about recruitment, satisfaction with applicants, productivity and work ethics of workers, as well as benefits and amenities offered to workers. Labor Study The analysis of the Central Texas labor force leads to several conclusions:
Wage and Benefits Survey
Respondents provided data concerning a variety of employer/employee issues. The average length of time job posting remain open in Central Texas totaled 19.7 days. Average rates for absenteeism and tardiness is 5%; annual turnover rate is 26%. Respondents rated employees overall based on a scale of 1-3, with a ranking of one being "not satisfied", two as "somewhat satisfied" and three as "very satisfied."
Nationally, average annual MSA pay totaled $38,423, representing a 1.4% increase from 2001 to 2002 (source: Bureau of Labor Statistics). Of the 27 MSAs in Texas, the Killeen-Temple MSA ranks nineteenth with an average annual pay of $27,299. Click here to download the Executive Summary. -END-
Fort Hood Economic Worth Rises Fort Hood, the state’s largest single-site employer, is pumping $2.9 billion more than previously thought into the Texas economy. Figures by the office of Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn and released Friday to the Killeen Daily Herald shows the Fort Hood area is generating $6.09 billion a year for the state. Previous estimates had put Fort Hood’s economic worth at $3.9 billion. "The figures are terribly important,” said retired Lt. Gen. Pete Taylor, chairman of the area’s Fort Hood lobby group, the Heart of Texas Defense Alliance. “From a state public servant’s standpoint, it’s how you prioritize services.” Priority given to the Fort Hood area for state services inevitably means a better place for the soldiers and the communities’ retired and civilian residents to live, Taylor said. Taylor, a former III Corps and Fort Hood commander, had long believed the $3.9 billion tally, while impressive, was outdated. “Since this figure was established, a number of factors have changed,” Taylor noted in an Aug. 13 letter to Strayhorn requesting a review. “Fort Hood has grown in its authorized troop strength and is continuing to grow, and, of course, inflation plus numerous military contracts at Fort Hood have increased the post’s economic impact greatly.” Citing the growth of businesses along U.S. Highway 190 and housing construction from Harker Heights south to Salado, Taylor said it is obvious the Fort Hood area has been growing, even with the deployments to Iraq. “There’s a lot of money moving around,” he said. Bill Parry, executive director of the Heart of Texas Defense Alliance, said revised figures are proof that Fort Hood is a key player in the state’s economy. “This is a story of optimism,” said Parry, a recent garrison commander. “The Department of Defense is spending money here at Fort Hood.” Taylor, who has been actively lobbying for additional troops under this year’s Base Realignment and Closure Commission, said the figures have come at a critical time in the process. “The Texas (congressional) delegation obviously needs to understand the impact this has on Texas. The state government needs to understand the impact this has on Texas.” Included in the state’s tally were military and civilian payrolls, contracts and construction, school district impact aid and support services. The state concluded that military and civilian pay for the area in 2004 totaled $2.1 billion for Texas. The ripple effect of each of those dollars spent statewide expanded to $4.7 billion. That means each $1 earned by a worker in the Fort Hood area generated another $2.16 in related earnings for the state. The state’s figures also included the area’s military retiree income. Money spent on contracts and construction in 2004 totaled $686.6 million and translated into $1 billion for the state. Fort Hood’s central technical support facility’s $92 million in expenditures expanded into $125.3 million for Texas. Even school district Impact Aid funding, a program offered by the federal government that compensates military school districts for lost tax revenues, had its benefits. Tallied at $50.2 million, the funding in 2004 benefited Texas by $138.5 million. Included in the figures were construction contracts awarded under the post’s Residential Communities Initiative, a private deal that began building privatized family housing on Fort Hood in 2001. Not included, Taylor said, were contracts for Fort Hood awarded by other military agencies, which ultimately could make the $6.09 billion a conservative estimate. Jim Wittmeyer, a III Corps and Fort Hood spokesman, said the comptroller’s new totals also were good news for the post and its mission. For years, area economic development corporations have touted the $3.9 billion economic impact figure as an enticement for businesses and services to move to the area, Wittmeyer said. “That number is much larger now. It’s got to help,” he said. “A healthy local economy with a solid business base is good news for Fort Hood,” Wittmeyer said, noting that attractive assignments boost morale and help retain personnel. “We’ve long relied on the business community to help us provide the quality of life that our soldiers and families have come to expect,” Wittmeyer said. -END-
Residential Building Permits Double in Copperas Cove Developers in the Copperas Cove area are calling 2004 a residential building year. The number and the value of single-family residential building permits obtained for 2004 in Copperas Cove doubled compared to the previous years. In 2003, 80 single-family residential building permits were issued totaling in valuation of about $10,992,006. In 2004, 162 single-family residential building permits were issued totaling in valuation of $21,157,163. “Things are looking positive,” said City Planner David Lilley. “The city is looking positively for residential growth.” According to Lilley, with more than 700 residential lots that became available in 2004 and the more than 300 lots currently in platting stages, the planning office expects to see as many as 1,000 lots become available for residential building within the next year. From 2004 to present, the city has seen an unbelievable amount of construction and development in its extraterritorial jurisdiction. Subdivisions have literally sprouted up and continue to multiply like Skyline Valley phases three, four and five near the Ogletree Gap area, replats on Walker Place phases three and four near US Highway 190, Tonkawa Phase 2 and the House Creek North subdivision on Summers Road. Lilley said the building craze started around the end of the summer in 2003 with the development of The Meadows subdivision and the Mesa Verde phase two subdivision. “We have plats coming out our ears,” Lilley said. Local [residential] developer Dustin Dewald said the building boom for residential homes can be traced to low interest rates for loans and the increase in the area’s population. “It looks like the boom will continue through 2005 as long as the interest rates stay low,” Dewald said. “Most of the existing developments are planning for extensions to the subdivisions. Yeah, I think it will continue for a while.”
Click here to view
aerial map showing housing developments (.jpg, 4ooKB)
Click here to download a printable map (.pdf, 2.8 MB very large file) -END-
[Fort] Hood Family Housing Ahead of Construction,
Renovation Schedule The progress Fort Hood Family Housing made during the past year was hard not to notice as bulldozers and construction crews laid claim to many villages and echoing sounds of hammers resonated across post. “In just three short years, Fort Hood Family Housing has provided nearly 900 new four-bedroom homes for our noncommissioned officer families and renovated hundred of others,” said Ed Veiga, asset manager for Fort Hood Family Housing. “This innovative partnership has significantly raised the bar in impo9rviing the quality of life for our military families.” The work was steady during 2004 with construction crews spread out across Fort Hood in the villages of Comanche II, Comanche IV and Kouma Village. In Comanche II, the crews converted 150 two-bedroom apartments into four-bedroom townhomes, bringing the total number conversions in that area to 252. Crews also completed construction on the Comanche IV village, finishing 246 of the total 325 houses in the span of the year.. Also completed was Kouma III. Crews constructed 66 new homes in this village during 2004. …Highlighting the fact that housing construction on Fort Hood is nearly one year ahead of schedule, Fort Hood Family Housing market analyst Michelle Dixon said the teams will continue to press forward to complete a variety of improvement and construction projects in 2005. By the end of 2005, Dixon said all 974 new homes will have been constructed and ready for residents [and] all Fort Hood renovations will have been completed… -END-
CCEDC and City Sign Contracts with Entertainment
Center According to the contract with the Copperas Cove EDC, AFEC will purchase the 39,600 square foot EDC spec building for $800,000 and spend approximately $4 million on finish out. Twenty thousand square feet will be added to accommodate the movie theaters, which will require higher ceilings. The architect for the project is Lynn Morgan of Salt Lake City, Utah. The general contractor will be Best Construction Services, Inc. in Salado, Texas. The EDC contract with AFEC includes a $360,000 loan to be used for infrastructure improvements. The loan will be repaid in five years. Additionally, the City, under a 380 Agreement, will provide AFEC with a $300,000 loan and fee waivers of approximately $12,000. The City’s loan will also be repaid in five years. According to an independent economic impact analysis conducted by the EDC, AFEC and its employees and also workers in spin off jobs created in the community will have a substantial positive impact on Cove’s economy in the next 10 years. The creation of 16 new jobs and the salaries to be paid to direct and indirect workers will be approximately $5.5 million over the next ten years. At the same time, taxable sales expected in the City will reach $41.5 million. The total taxable assets at the facility in Year 10 are projected to be $7.8 million. "Not only will AFEC add significantly to Copperas Cove’s sales and property tax revenues, the center will be a catalyst to attract additional commercial development. We have already seen a strong interest from outside developers in property surrounding the AFEC center. As we make additional infrastructure improvements in this area in the next year, we will be able to accommodate these folks. This will go a long way to stop some of the retail leakage we are seeing in Copperas Cove," said Carol Mills, Executive Director, Copperas Cove EDC. "AFEC is an excellent company with a successful business model of providing quality entertainment to markets overlooked by some of the larger movie chains. Some heavy hitters in the Texas real estate market to provide similar projects in other Texas cities are courting the company. Copperas Cove is beginning to see the fruits of a lot of labor to market this great city and I am confident more business will follow to add positive economic traction in terms of sales tax dollars and jobs," said Dan Yancey, Chairman of the Board, Copperas Cove EDC. "I am excited about this family entertainment opportunity which is now a reality because of the collaborative efforts of the EDC, City and private business sector. Truly a win-win endeavor for us all," remarked Bradi D. Diaz, Mayor, City of Copperas Cove. "The American Family Entertainment Center’s Copperas Cove facility is a welcomed addition to our community. By providing much needed entertainment and recreational activities to the general public, this is as much about quality of life as it is about commercial and economic development," stated Steve Alexander, city manager, City of Copperas Cove. For more information, visit www.goafec.com or contact Carol Mills, Executive Director, Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation at carol.mills@copperascove-edc.com. -END-
You can download our latest newsletter in Adobe Acrobat format!
Click here to download our latest newsletter. You will need the free Adobe
Acrobat Reader to download the newsletter. If you don't have it, you can
download it
here:
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Before the
regional airport opened, service to the area was limited by the short (5,500
feet) runway at Skylark Field.
Simmons repeatedly stressed
that, pending Congressional approval, the 4th Infantry’s flag will move to Fort
Carson and the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s flag will move from Fort Carson to
Fort Hood. He said soldiers likely will be given the option to transfer units if
there is an opening at Fort Hood or move to Fort Carson.
use
of the Army’s structure changes, the brigade combat teams of the 4th Infantry
are self-sustaining units that can deploy by themselves. Simmons said he did not
know where the division’s Fort Hood brigades will be located following the
moves, but reiterated that the brigade’s flags will move elsewhere, not
necessarily the brigade’s soldiers.
However,
Texas congressmen John Carter and Chet Edwards said the recommendations in the
750-plus page report actually chalk up a significant loss for the installation,
which houses two divisions and numerous support units. 