Port San Antonio receives national Base Redevelopment Community of the Year Award from the Association of Defense Communities. Photo Courtesy of Port SA
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Port San Antonio has received national kudos for successfully redeveloping Kelly Air Force Base. Texas Public Radio’s Eileen Pace says the city was honored by the Association of Defense Communities.
August 11, 2010 · The Base Redevelopment Community of the Year Award means Port San Antonio is the best base redevelopment project in the country. The association supports communities with a strong defense presence, and measures the success of redeveloped military installations that were closed by BRAC.
Wayne Alexander, chairman of the Port’s board, says more than $520 million has gone into the effort, but more is needed to help its aerospace tenants grow their contracting business.
“So we at the Port, the landlords, are doing everything we can to provide the kind of quiet enjoyment that they need to have a safe work environment. A work environment that doesn’t flood every time it rains, a work environment that has easy access in and out of the Port, and that takes a lot of money,” Alexander said. “We have another $2 billion that we expect we will need to spend over the next five to ten years so that we can realize our vision of having twenty to thirty thousand people working at Port San Antonio, generating well over $15 billion of economic impact in this community.”
Executives from both Boeing and Lockheed told Greater Chamber members this week that they are poised to bring in new contracts and that they will continue to expand their mission to include not only the big military planes, but also commercial aircraft. The aerospace executives said Texas — and San Antonio in particular — provide a low cost of doing business and that they are here to stay.
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