Transportation needs and improvements were the top issue for Harford County residents who spoke at a meeting about the anticipated environmental impact of expansions at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
“I?m concerned that we already have a lot of air pollution,” said Aberdeen resident Ruth Ann Young. “There needs to be a very big focus on providing mass transportation.”
Kevin Racine, an aide to District D Council candidate Stephen Smith, said he wanted people to know how many mass-transit alternatives exist and could be brought to the base with a little extra investment.
Changes mandated by Congress and the Base Realignment and Closing Commission will move several facilities to the base, consolidating research and command centers for electronics and biological/chemical weapons defense.
A separate agreement will turn over a portion of the base toprivate contractors who will build a large anti-terrorism and law enforcement training center at Lauderick Creek on base.
Only a handful of residents attended the meeting Tuesday evening at the Aberdeen Holiday Inn, where officials presented the changes planned for the base and sought public opinion before they create a federally mandated environmental impact study.
“At this point, the purpose is to bring in the concerns and issues of the public and officials,” said George Mercer, Aberdeen Proving Ground spokesman. “Getting community input at this early stage … saves you all sorts of catch-up further down the line.”
Providing 8,200 or more new employees with transportation on and off the base was a top concern for those in attendance.
Jim Kelton, a former employee at the base, was also concerned that the Lauderick Creek site still hid unexploded ordinance and waste left over from decades of weapons testing, which would have to be removed before construction began.
