Move to Eglin
 

Anybody know the status of the BRAC-directed move to Eglin?

Dave

On.

TR

when is the final move?

Who are you? You didn't read the rules or the stickies, you didn't post an introduction and you didn't fill out your damn profile. You must be some sort of deity to be above all others. Are you a Buddha?

Your first post is "when is the final move?"

So you must be a rude Buddha with piss-poor grammatical skills.

Would you appreciate another chance to get right Buddha? Will you endeavor to improve Buddha?

Here is a koan for you: What is the sound of one finger pressing the ban button?

Sir i do apologize i will follow the instructions from now on. It will not happen again.

Move to Eglin
 

There has been some recent news on the move to Eglin.

Looks like the Environmental Protection Agency is involved with the land we are looking at moving in on. It is not a stopper but they move slow.

Movement to Eglin for the 7th Special Forces Group should take place around 2010. Summertime if we're lucky.

It will be to the Duke Field complex which is near the town of Crestview. They are geared up for it and real estate prices are already climbing from what I hear.

There is a Hooter's bar.

Z

There's the one in Destin, right next to my old Dive Shop....the shop's not there anymore though.

IIRC Destin is a long lonely drive from Crestview. Especially after visiting Hooters! :p

That's why you drive across Okaloosa Island, towards FWB, and hit Sammy's. ;)

Ah Sammy's. Is the Green Frog still there?

Looks like it is.

New Green Frog Inc, (850) 243-1467, 1216 Santa Rosa Boulevard, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548

No. If you have to ask, it isn't still there.

Good times, eh Reaper....:lifter

Any actions which may have allegedly taken place at any such premisies by that name are completely unknown and foreign to me.

Until the statute of limitations expires, or the offender.;)

Sammy's, on the other hand, is good clean fun.

Last time I checked, Duke Field had very little to do there, and not much more within consuming and driving distance. Good luck!

TR

Oh sure Sir, start it and then deny it....;)

Well at lease they have their priorities straight. :D

Hooters and other comments
 

Gents: I am kept somewhat up to speed on the BRAC move to Eglin. I will keep you all posted as I hear something worth posting. I know how important this is to my 7th Group brothers and the rest of the community. I do know the following:

The Duke Field site was selected because of quality schools and the ability to procure affordable housing (whatever that is in Florida).

It will have outstanding range complexes built within very easy traveling distance of the compound (walking distance for small arms flat ranges).

They will have a self contained ASP (this is a huge advantage).

Airfield.

The drive to work will be painful even if you live in Crestview but they are looking at roadwork changes to ease this.

After everything I have heard the move is a good thing that should have happened 20 years ago. The training opportunities are enourmous and the "getting away from the flagpole" factor is equally appreciated.

It just can't happen quick enough. The EPA is surely one of several delays but the bottom line right now is: MOVE IN 2010.

Best I can do for now guys right now. Let's hope for the best and expect...... I don't want to say it.

Z

Crestview to Duke field is not a bad drive. Anywhere near Hwy 98 can be a nightmare. House prices are climbing.....my parents 1100 square foot home that they bought in 1963 for 12,500 is now priced at 115,000.

My dad, USAF retired, worked at Duke filed.

I lived there in the early 60's before my Army life. Family stills lives in FWB. If and when the 7th moves, most will find the area a great place to live in.........water, boats, girls in swim suits, booze, great fishing,,,, what's not to like?


Jim

Update
 

An update by Henry Cuningham was posted in the Miltary section of the Fayetteville Observer today. I never can find the link if it's not on the front page of a main section.

BRAC madated the move by 2011. The story quotes Col Vavrin and talks about the building of ranges. His last quote "We certainly think we can expect to meet that 2011 (deadline)".

So 2010/2011.

I wonder if SC will be out of training group by then?:D


Link to related story

http://fayobserver.com/article?id=250923



Pete

Damn... Thats just wrong.

Yes I will be. But I wont be making the move with 7th, not that TR and NDD hasnt attempted to sway me over to active duty.

Crip

A nostalgic moment!!
 

The Green Frog, "47, count em, 47 Frogettes!"

Wow - memories......

While Sammy's is not quite my style, ;) , I had a great steak at Pandora's last night and can verify that Sammy's is still very busy.

Played pool Monday night at the Paper Moon and had a good time. Not sure where we're going tonight...

Green Frog, just in case
 

In case you haven't been there in a while. I was TDY to Hurlburt in September and somehow ended up there. There was a young Phillipino boy checking ID's and a very large (at least 225) :( woman attempting to dance on stage. Sammy's and Club Ten were ok though, lol.

Wanted to bump this, and see if anybody had any updates. Thanks, Gabe.

Duke Field
 

Duke Field and Aux-6 were great areas for training; Carmichael's Academy For The Cultured Anatomy was great for those post-training stand-down's prior to redeployment to Fort Bragg. ;)

Richard

Still on, and no hard dates need to be provided IMHO. ;)

Eglin reconsidered the originally proposed site by the main base area and decided to put them out in the woods by Camp Rudder.

Environmental Impact Statement still not approved, either.

Great decision, BRAC.:rolleyes:

TR

Eglin Move
 

http://www.g-and-o.com/projects/pr_fed6.asp

Looks like USACE is dual tracking the design and NEPA. Some times an EIS can take years and generally USACE is not known for their speedy turn around of NEPA. The Mobile Office has a good rep, hope someone is applying pressure all the same.

Well and good, except that the BRAC allocates money for the move by the fiscal year, and the FYs are ticking by, without action.

TR

I am not sure about the funds to "move" but MILCON is multi-year money. There is all kinds of pressure to execute in the year of appropriation, but this is self imposed. The execution rate for BRAC this round is pretty poor, the language is poor, land is not always available, the appropriations are underfunded and very little master planning went into the closure and movement considerations. Bottom line is BRAC is Law, NEPA is Law, MILCON appropriations in the FYDP are Law, and therefore the lawyers will sort it out.
The Eglin project is much further ahead than the FY09 project that effects my organization, we are tied up in language and land.

Listening to higher ups within SOCOM- it sounds like this isn't a done deal yet. Comment I heard was maybe the new administration could kill it. Sounded like a lot was on hold until after the inauguration. Is current 7th leadership for this, anyone know?

I always thought 7th and 3rd had it good for their Groups being close to the flagpole in terms of influence. GEN Toney once referred to 7th as a "Mafia" that controlled USASFC.

Todays Update and outlook from LTG Wagner
 

Delays in 7th Group move could be costly

By Henry Cuningham
Military editor Fayetteville Observer
Published on Friday, November 07, 2008


Costs are climbing and the deadline is less than three years away for the 7th Special Forces Group to move 650 miles from Fort Bragg to Florida.

The 2005 Base Closure and Realignment law says the 2,000-soldier group must relocate to Eglin Air Force Base on the Gulf Coast by Sept. 15, 2011.

Delays could cause problems for Special Forces families and Fort Bragg, which already has future plans for the 7th Group area.

“We are concerned about one aspect of the growth that may not be finished on time,” Lt. Gen. Robert Wagner said. “That does include some of the barracks projects, so we have to watch that project very closely.”

Wagner steps down today as commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg.

About $382 million has been set aside for military construction for the 7th Group move, and about $113 million more is needed, Wagner said. It’s uncertain how the arrival of a new president and Congress will change spending priorities, especially for high-ticket Rumsfeld-era projects.

During the three years since the BRAC decision, the Defense Department has made plans to expand special operations units. That creates costs at Fort Bragg and Eglin. Wagner warned Congress in testimony in 2007 that not moving on time could “create a domino effect” at Fort Bragg, where plans are in place for other special operations battalions to move into the area vacated by the 7th Group.

Another budget-buster has been Hurricane Katrina. The BRAC proposals were announced in May 2005, based on earlier cost estimates. The hurricane drove up the cost of construction materials.

The costs are high in part because the move to Eglin entails building on a bare location. “There is not a road, a wire or a pipe,” Wagner said. “Every single thing will have to be built to support the compound.”

Eglin’s firing ranges were built with the needs of the Air Force in mind.

“There are no ranges at Eglin that are useful for Special Forces training,” Wagner said. “Everything has to be built.”

Building at Eglin has been delayed by mandatory federal environmental reviews. BRAC also directs that initial training to fly the F-35, the military’s new Joint Strike Fighter, be set up at Eglin, too. That has created concerns from nearby communities about noise.

“Because of all the time we’ve worked with the noise related to the Joint Strike Fighter, we’ve already consumed all of the ‘flex’ time in our schedule,” Wagner said. “So it’s a very, very tight schedule at this point.”

The concerns of planners are about more than on-base buildings. They worry about the families of soldiers.

A Special Forces group is weighted toward senior noncommissioned officers — many of whom have larger salaries and larger families than younger soldiers.

“About 62 percent of them own a house,” Wagner said. “About 51 percent of them have a wife with a meaningful career.”

Studies considered several possible locations for the 7th Group complex at Eglin, but the preferred site is on the northern part of the base near the town of Crestview, where houses are more affordable.

“It’s not as though they are looking for 1,800 square feet,” Wagner said. “They want a house with a two- or three-car garage because they’ve got a family that they want to take care of.”

The Army likes to move people in summer to minimize educational disruptions.

“From our standpoint, we want the construction to be terminated by May (2011) or earlier,” Wagner said. It will take several months to install furniture and communications equipment, he said.

“I will tell you that the local communities are very helpful and very accommodating,” Wagner said. “They understand potential timelines for the move and are looking at school issues and talking about education for the wives and jobs.”

The long-term Air Force presence at Eglin has created strong bonds with the military, he said. “We are not strangers to this. In fact, there is a very high number of senior people who have retired here. It’s a very nice area.”

The 7th Group specializes in Latin America, but lately has been swapping rotations to Afghanistan with the 3rd Group, also at Fort Bragg.

Maj. Gen. Thomas Csrnko, the commander of U.S. Army Special Forces Command, has said he does not want the group to have to operate from two locations.

Wagner says it’s important to get the move right to take care of Special Forces veterans and their families, of whom so much has been asked in recent years.

“We can always get new people, but we have to maintain the senior people,” he said. “Seven years into the war, with the guys having gone and deployed many, many times, we have to maintain the senior-grade population. We have no indications we are not, but nevertheless, we can’t wait to see a trend and get concerned about it.”

7TH SPECIAL FORCES GROUP ARE ON THEIR WAY
 

http://trustplatinum.blogspot.com/20...-on-their.html


BMT

What's amazing is the cost of housing relative to the Fort Bragg area. While in the area I looked up several homes that were being sold at about the price I bought mine in Fort Bragg. Brother, compared to those places - at that price - my home is a mansion. For me to move my family down there would truly be a straight forward sacrifice for the sake of the unit, and not a positive thing for my family. Being that I have several choices in the matter, I'm not sure which way I'll go on this one yet. But, my honest opinion, this move was about the most boneheaded decisions of 2005.

I do not think that this will happen on any timeline that is out there as of today. They are really behind on the building schedule and base support requirements. In the big picture I would not mind the new facilities but from the family standpoint it is not going to be a easy move. The housing market is High compared to Bragg but it is not as bad as in Colorado and other places.
Just think of the local use of AFSOC A/C that will be available...... Only time will tell...

I'll not argue housing costs,, Florida is a retirement mecca,, those FOGs want room for the g-kids,, sunshine,, no-taxes,, no snow..

BUT,, in the panhandle we're talking rural, and country.. Prices should be at least on par with Bragg..

If you see yourself heading this way, here are a couple web sites tools that may help. They take a little getting use to because the options are not obvious.

Zillow - Use street address,, zip code,, or city and it will bring up everything that is listed. Almost to much info,, but it's free. It uses sale data from county tax office(s) and listing prices from MLS. and is linked to geo-sat maps. You can look at your new neighbor's yard.. A lot of times I found the listing agents will try to blind the buyer to neighborhood blight.. It also has prior sales dates and prices for some/most properties. Very handy to check to see if a place has been flipped..

www.zillow.com/homes/map/crestview-florida_rb/

CirclePix, free to use, but the realtor has to pay to get a house listed,, so it tends to be upscale. Still worth using as it tell you what the market thing about large.. ALso in metro areas like Northern VA, it lists just about everything..

www.circlepix.com/search.htm

We were going to move to N Va to be near our g-kids, I spent some time using these tools and on three trips I stored a bunch of address into my Tom-Tom and hit the street.

It was so much easer,, the routing took all the guessing out of the hunt.

AND NO REALTORS,, that alone is worth a couple 6-packs...

Good Luck to all in the 7th that make the move.. I think you'll like the area..

Update:
http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=322204

7th SFG(A) to Duke Field
 

I currently live in Navarre, FL and work with AFSOC and the area is very nice. The best places to live IOT be close by Duke would be Crestview or Niceville. Both locations are not badly priced. Shalimar is a good location, but there is a lot more traffic and prices are higher. If anyone has questions about the area, feel free to message me and I will try to provide an answer.

Free insight.


http://news.soc.mil/releases/News%20...090327-01.html

Guess Eglin is ready for the move.

http://www.eglin.af.mil/7specialforcesgroup.asp

Area brief for you 7th families.

http://www.eglin.af.mil/shared/media...090420-017.pdf

Richard's $.02 :munchin

Just wondering out loud...will 20thSFG be able to benefit from the new facilities in the Florida area and vice versa? I mean with reference to joint training, ranges, and what not... I'm thinking having an active duty group in the AO would be a force multiplier in and of itself! If this can't really be discussed for some reason, just ignore me and I will just continue wondering :)