Howard County set in motion a task force that will target the impact of thousands of new jobs from numerous angles.
County Executive James Robey created the 26-member Howard County Fort George G. Meade Expansion Management Task Force on Thursday to address everything from housing and education, to safety and transportation.
In the next four to six years, the state will gain between 40,000 and 60,000 new jobs because of recommendations made by the Base Closure and Realignment Commission, or BRAC, a Defense Department body that consolidates and closes military bases.
This growth will take place at Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County and Aberdeen Proving Ground and Edgewood Arsenal in Harford County
“Making the expansion of Fort Meade work for Howard County and the region will call upon the unique perspective of each [of the] individuals named to our task force,” Robey said.
The members of the BRAC task force represent diverse areas of expertise.
Linda Greene, executive director of the BWI Business Partnership and vice president of the Fort Meade Alliance, plans to focus on transportation.
At this time, the state is studying widening Route 175, extending Metro?s Green Line from Greenbelt to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and building a new parking garage in Odenton.
“It?s going to be a big challenge, not only for people who want to buy houses but for people who want to rent houses,” said Melvina Brown, a Realtor with Remax 100 in Ellicott City and last year?s president of the Howard County Association of Realtors Board.
Robey also included funding in the fiscal 2007 operating budget for a new BRAC executive director. He plans to appoint the director next month.
