EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA ACCOMODATES MARINES’ EARLY ARRIVAL
Association of Defense Communities, 360 newsletter, Fri 21 Aug 2009

A 7-county region in southeastern North Carolina has absorbed an influx of over 11,000 active-duty Marines and DOD civilians following an abbreviated planning period with only moderate difficulties, according to the head of the group charged with coordinating efforts to prepare for the growth at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) New River, and MCAS Cherry Point.

A sharp increase in congestion on highways feeding into the installations is the one consequence of
the growth that has strained local resources, resulting in roads that are “jam-packed beyond belief,”
said Jay Bender Jr., interim executive director of the Military Growth Task Force.

Other potential challenges, primarily providing sufficient housing and schools for the newcomers, have not arisen for the most part.   The new personnel largely are single, or married with no children, so there has been little demand to buy detached homes. The expansion has resulted in a shortage of rental housing, however, he said.  Fears that the new residents would tax the capacity of local school systems also have not come true. One factor is the presence of a DOD-run school at Camp Lejeune, where three-quarters of the growth is slated to occur, Bender said.

Local leaders expected steady inflow, with about 70 percent of the personnel to arrive by October 2009.  However, the inflow at the three installations has already reached 11,304, meeting the fiscal 2011 target two years early, due to better-than-expected recruiting and retention.

Despite the need to respond on the fly to the dramatic population changes, Bender is pleased so far with the region’s ability to take on thousands of new residents.  In addition to the need to spend tens of millions of dollars on highway construction, the region is being forced to address other issues that have emerged following the recent growth spurt. The population’s expansion has exhausted much of the spare capacity in the region’s water and sewer infrastructure, Bender noted, forcing officials to start  considering ways to upgrade those systems.  Impacts on the region’s workforce were largely unexpected. The sudden growth has strained the police, emergency response, and the court system, he said. Officials also have discovered they need more mental health professionals. And while school capacity has not been a problem, the lack of childcare facilities has. 

North Carolina has gained 180,820 residents in the year ending July 1, 2008, placing it third among states ranked by numeric population change. He estimates population growth in the seven counties of the Military Growth Task Force — including active-duty Marines and DOD civilians, dependents, indirect job generation,and natural growth — could reach 60,000.  The unanticipated growth has helped dampen the effects of the recession in the communities neighboring the three installations.

Accommodating the new service members has presented a challenge for Marine Corps Installations East, the activity responsible for supporting Camp Lejeune and the two air stations.  “We have a lot of the folks in temporary facilities,” said Kim Fleming, with MCIEAST’s environmental division.  Permanent facilities will be constructed after the Navy finishes assessing the environmental impacts of its plan to support the Grow the Force initiative. The record of decision is expected by the end of January 2010, according to the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) issued last month.

Local officials are reviewing the draft growth management plan the Military Growth Task Force sponsored.  The region has about $270 million in outstanding construction projects, with about $80 million of that amount directly attributable to the military expansion, he added. 

For more info on:  community impacts see www.nceastmgtf.org/ , or  EIS see www.growtheforcenc.com/ .