Brunswick and Bath are neighboring towns in Southeastern Maine, separated by a mere 10-minute drive along U.S. 1. The residents share much – weather, a love of the outdoors, lobster – but their regard for the U.S. Navy may differ. Decidedly.
You see, Bath is home to the Bath Iron Works, a fabled builder of warships that's owned by General Dynamics.
Jay Johnson, the company's chairman, told analysts just yesterday that the yard will be busy supplying the U.S. Navy with Aegis and multi-mission destroyers for years to come – good news to Bath's thousands of pipefitters, welders, electricians, riggers, and painters as well as those who teach their children, fuel their cars and deliver them pizza.
Brunswick was almost equally well known for its Navy connection, specifically the 3,200-acre air station that was home for decades to the P3 Orions that patrolled North Atlantic looking first for Soviet subs and later for drug smugglers. At one point the base employed 6500 sailors and civilians. But the Pentagon decided to shutter the place in 2005, the last Orion departed in 2009, and the handful of remaining service folk are either gone or will be momentarily.
I was motoring around the base two weeks ago, and the experience was kind of eerie – a city, much of it consisting of seemingly brand new housing, along with picnic parks, playgrounds and schools, but bereft of people; an airport with countless acres of concrete but without any planes, tugs, trucks or noise.
The local and state governments are trying to figure out how best to exploit the place, to replace those thousands of lost jobs and millions of lost dollars. It's indicative of the difficulty in that effort to see headlined in today's Portland Press Herald the news that an outfit called The American Bureau of Shipping plans to set up a computer-based ship modeling center at Brunswick Landing – the new name of the air station property – and employ 30 people. Thirty.
While the not-for-profit bureau is headquartered in Houston, the report says the modeling center is being transferred from India. Yes, India.
Not surprisingly, the governor, junior U.S. senator and local congressman all remarked on the happy news.
One of the first aviation tenants to alight at Brunswick Executive Airport (BXM) was Kestrel Aircraft Co., a turboprop single initially developed by Britain's failed Farnborough Aircraft, and headed by ex-Cirrus chief Alan Klapmeier. When I spoke with Alan at the recent Sun 'n Fun, he mentioned that the airport was about to transfer to full civilian control, and that I was welcome to visit his operation. I tried, but discovered it's surprisingly difficult to locate things in a vast, largely empty place, with no one to ask for directions.
When my motel clerk learned of my aviation background, he sought details about "that company that's going to build airplanes" at the former air station. I likened as how the new operation would likely start out slowly and small, but he was not put off. "Hey, any jobs are welcome here." Indeed.
I wish all involved well. In truth BXM/Brunswick Landing comprises a fabulous facility, featuring an 8,000 ft runway, hangars, offices, and opportunity galore.
And all the lobster you can eat.
No comments:
Post a Comment