Ft.Bliss 4.4 Billion Dollar Expansion Is On Schedual (El Paso, Alamo: military, incomes)

[6 FOOT 3]

Wow.....over 4 Billion Dollars for Bliss is great for it. Good story on El Paso Inc about how things are moving along out there.

http://www.elpasoinc.com/showArticle.asp?articleId=2716

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Indeed good news for El Paso.

As the military presence grows, so will El Paso's politics change. Most military towns tend to be Conservative/Republican. Maybe it takes a business mentality to improve El Paso. Certainly the tax and free-givewaway Democrats in El Paso don't build up the city.

Also, how many of the contracting corporations are locally owned, and operated, does anyone have any information on that? I bet some of them are out of towners.

Regards

[6 FOOT 3]

What caught my eye was Bob Cook REDCO Director saying that once the base is at full expansion in 2012 that the Army will be testing new technologies and weapons at McGregor range (Larger than Rhode Island) which may bring in more high tech weapons companies to El Paso.

[leavingsoon]

Originally Posted by HookTheBrotherUp

Indeed good news for El Paso.

As the military presence grows, so will El Paso's politics change. Most military towns tend to be Conservative/Republican. Maybe it takes a business mentality to improve El Paso. Certainly the tax and free-givewaway Democrats in El Paso don't build up the city.

Also, how many of the contracting corporations are locally owned, and operated, does anyone have any information on that? I bet some of them are out of towners.

Regards

I've worked with a number of military dependents the past couple of years, Cav soldiers, and most of the military members were deployed for almost the entire time that they were officially stationed here. Does that make a difference? How long the wars last? The dependents I knew were vocal in their dislike of the city and were counting the days until they left. They only socialized with other dependents. Does that make a difference? That we have a whole group of people moving here who are forced to? They are not being drawn by economic development, they are told to come here and then compete for the scarce jobs which are here. They are a transient population for the most part- will they make an impact anywhere but the NE? And what happens if Obama is elected? Will the new troops actually end up here? He has stated that he will axe the FCS and that program has been cut every year for the past 3 to have money for the war effort.

[Muhnay]

Originally Posted by 6/3

What caught my eye was Bob Cook REDCO Director saying that once the base is at full expansion in 2012 that the Army will be testing new technologies and weapons at McGregor range (Larger than Rhode Island) which may bring in more high tech weapons companies to El Paso.

Hey 6/3 they are also moving Basic Training to McGregor range. The study showed that our new mission is going to be in desert like climates so we can train this kids here and they will be acclimatized to the mission before them.

We need to get ready because there are so many new soldiers and familes coming here, as well as new civilians that El Paso is really going to be stressed.

Maybe you and I can buy a really huge house in Alamogordo and sit back and watch the show?

No really..Hollowman AFB got a new mission too and is expanding so did White Sands.. where more testing will be done than at McGregor... so this region is going to be a Military hopping zone.

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by Muhnay

Hey 6/3 they are also moving Basic Training to McGregor range. The study showed that our new mission is going to be in desert like climates so we can train this kids here and they will be acclimatized to the mission before them.

We need to get ready because there are so many new soldiers and familes coming here, as well as new civilians that El Paso is really going to be stressed.

Maybe you and I can buy a really huge house in Alamogordo and sit back and watch the show?

No really..Hollowman AFB got a new mission too and is expanding so did White Sands.. where more testing will be done than at McGregor... so this region is going to be a Military hopping zone.

That is so cool about Basic Training going out to McGeagor as that's a positive for the region. Yeap about three F-22's Raptors a month are coming up to Holloman in Alamogordo and i was reading that the first of the new Brigades are coming into WSMR as they are expanding by 5,000 more troops going there as Las Cruces is happy.

Also with the new VA Hospital in the future that will bring in more military retirees to spend their retirement incomes in EP like my 30 yr Army Vet Gramps did during all his retired years in EP. Man did he spend his money there .

[Muhnay]

Not to mention 6/3 of all the retirees that live else where looking at moving to or closer to El Paso to get to the new VA Hospital here. Biloxy MS has a nice VA hospital, and when it opened they had an explosion in retiree growth. I expect the same here.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

This is all good news! Maybe there should be a 'Good News' sticky? Then again, people will post ugly stuff in it, and it will just be another thread.

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by Muhnay

Not to mention 6/3 of all the retirees that live else where looking at moving to or closer to El Paso to get to the new VA Hospital here. Biloxy MS has a nice VA hospital, and when it opened they had an explosion in retiree growth. I expect the same here.

Yeah as i really hope in the future that EP can benifit from all this. I totally understand the frustrations of folks living there and i would never give them a hard time for being down as i had to leave but i also learned a trade so hopefully i'll be somewhere in the region as unskilled people get hammered in that town. I guess if Ft. Bliss was going to be closed by BRAC and also no new Texas Tech Medical School and Utep Expansions and other things then i'd say get the heck out or stay drunk....lol....

Anyway it will still be several years for all the bases to expand etc...so i just keep my fingers crossed for my former city of my School Years and home of Army Veteren Gramps associated with Ft.Bliss all thru his career during the 1940's/50's/60's who retired in EP in the late 60's until they died in 1995.

[6 FOOT 3]

Originally Posted by Muhnay

Maybe you and I can buy a really huge house in Alamogordo and sit back and watch the show?

When i last lived in Alamo me and my lady then would at times go up to the Space Center overlooking Alamogordo on a friday nite and drink a couple cold ones (yeah yeah i know ....) and for hours upon hours see the headlights of cars coming up from El Paso on U.S. 54 going thru Alamo to go to the mountain places like Ruidoso and Cloudcroft as that was so cool to see.

Also the airshows are cool to see there at times.