County wants Fairchild buffer

An effort to insulate Fairchild Air Force Base from any future threat of closure has Spokane County knocking on the governor’s door, asking for almost $1 million.

Spokane County would like $910,000 out of a $5 million fund, which Gov. Chris Gregoire designated in her proposed budget to protect the state’s Air Force bases from encroachment due to residential or commercial development.

The $5 million was set aside last year to assist Washington communities in fighting off efforts to close military bases during the recent federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission process. However, as none of the state’s bases was targeted for closure by BRAC, that money was never spent.

Spokane County would like to purchase 160 acres at the end of Fairchild’s runway to eliminate a gravel pit and ponds that exist on the property, said Commissioner Todd Mielke. The county also is in the process of identifying property for the relocation of the Geiger Spur rail line and discovered the planned route runs across a small part of that land, Mielke said.

“Encroachment issues were always something that could be held against you in a BRAC review,” Mielke said. The land was “cited as a potential liability in keeping Fairchild open in the last two BRAC reviews.”

If the county is successful in acquiring the land, Mielke said, it would be zoned to prevent any future development or public use. Additional issues raised by the mining operations and ponds on the land include dust, electrical interference with aircraft controls and birds flying into the path of the planes, said Maj. Carol Gering, a Fairchild spokeswoman.

“We think mining in that area so close to the end of the runway is an incompatible use with our operation,” said John Gibson, a community planner in Fairchild’s civil engineering division. The base approached the county and the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce about the county acquiring that land, Gibson said.

The land is owned by Northwest Industrial Services, which runs its gravel pit on 45 of the 160 acres. Ted Condon, a partner in that business, said negotiations have not begun for the purchase of that property, but his company would be open to discussing a sale if it will help protect Fairchild.

“We wouldn’t be in any position to hinder the process,” Condon said. The Air Force base is Spokane County’s largest employer, with more than 5,000 employees. “We do other business with Fairchild directly, so we want to see it stay around as much as the next guy.”

If the county lands the funding, Mielke said, its next step would be to commission an appraisal of the land. State law requires public agencies to pay no more than the appraised value for a piece of property, he said.

However, it’s not clear whether the governor’s proposed use for that $5 million will survive in the House and Senate versions of the budget, neither of which has been revealed. State Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, chairman of the House’s construction-budget committee, said he’s unsure it’s the state’s responsibility to purchase buffer land around the military bases. The bases are federal complexes, and the counties are responsible for the zoning that permits development to occur, he said.

“I’m not closed to the possibility of state action, but the state shouldn’t be the first place people come for money,” Dunshee said. “It’s something we want to consider, but it’s not an immediate, immediate threat.”

Mielke, however, said the governor already has identified protecting military bases as a state priority.

“She recognizes that and has stepped up to the plate,” he said.