Fort Meade BRAC Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Who's relocating to Fort Meade?
A. There are three major activities that are identified to relocate to Fort Meade. These are:

• The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
• The Colocation of Defense/Military Adjudication Activities
• Defense Media Activity (DMA)

This amounts to an increase of approximately 5400 military, DOD civilian and contractor employees that will work on Fort Meade, as well as approximately 4900 family members. An estimated three to seven thousand employees will serve as a contract support tail for these activities (excluding family members).These additional personnel will occupy facilities in and around the local communities.

We will construct three new facilities, one for each of the BRAC activities; the DISA facility will be one million square feet at an estimated cost of $185 million; the Adjudication Co-Location Facility will be 152,000 square feet at an estimated cost of $51 million; the DoD Media facility will be approximately 186,000 square feet at an estimated cost of $78 million. Construction on these facilities is expected to start in early 2009 with a completion date of 2010. All BRAC activities are to relocate to Fort Meade by late 2010.

Q. How will the arrival of those units affect Fort Meade?
A. The arrival of the above units at Fort Meade will affect the installation in three major areas: construction, increase in personnel, and the economic impact:

• Construction:
  • An estimated $350,000,000 for BRAC related construction and $50,000,000 in support-related construction.
    
    
• Increase in Support Personnel
  • The Fort Meade workforce will increase by 200+ positions in support of the incoming personnel in areas such as:
    • Child care
      
    • Physical fitness
      
    • Information technology
      
    • Medical Services
      
      
• Economic Impact
  • Current Economic Impact:
    • Salaries: $1.5 Billion
    • Contracts: $2.2 Billion
      
    • Other: $ 300 Million
      
    • Total: $4 Billion Annually
      
      
  • BRAC Related Additional Economic Impact:
    
    • Additional Salaries: $375 Million
      
    • Additional Contracts: $550 Million
      
    • Additional Other: $75 Million
      
    • Total: $1 Billion Annually
      
    • Future Economic Impact:
      
    • Future Grand Total: $5 Billion Annually

Q. What's the latest developments on BRAC changes?

A. On April 16th, 2008, construction began on the headquarters for the Defense Systems Agency at Fort Meade. The multi-story facility, with more than 1,000,000 square feet of working space in a campus setting, is expected to take 35 months to complete, at a cost of $441,673.00. To see how the final builidng will look, click HERE for an ground-level drawing of the finished building, and HERE for an layout of the entire DISA campus.

Q: Will the number of people moving to Fort Meade require the surrounding counties to hire more police officers to handle the traffic around the post?
A. It's important to remember that the roads immediately surrounding Fort Meade are on federal property. Police from Fort Meade patrol Route 32, Route 198, and Route 175 around the periphery of the installation. We ticket people for speeding, issue other traffic citations, and perform accident investigations. Anne Arundel County police back up Fort Meade's police, just as we back them up—it is a great partnership and represents another cost savings to the citizens of the county.

Q. Has a study been done on the environmental impact of these changes?
A. After an extensive study of the environmental impact of BRAC changes at Fort Meade, a Record of Decision has been published and is available by clicking HERE.  This decision is the culmination of more than a year of coordination with state, local jurisdictions and community engagement.  The public played a major role in the process, with several opportunities to ask questions, make statements and provide input to be considered in the decision-making process.

Q. Now that the Record of Decision has been posted, when will construction begin?
A.  Construction is now scheduled to begin April 16th, 2008, for the facilities to house the Defense Information Systems Agency at Fort Meade on land that is now being used for the existing golf course.

Q. Once construction begins, what will happen to the existing golf course?
A. Fort Meade's golf course is not only an important recreational facility; it also brings in revenue to help fund child-care programs and other quality-of-life initiatives for our soldiers and their families.  Profits raised at the golf course helps keep these programs affordable.  We plan to build a new golf course on the south end of the installation.  This location will make the golf course much more accessible to patrons, and provide real estate in the more secure center of the installation for the defense and intelligence agencies moving to Fort Meade.  You can read more about the plans for the golf course here and the importance of maintaining a golf course at Fort Meade here.

Q. What is the status of the project to expand the size of Route 175 that runs in front of the installation?
A. The Maryland State Highway Authority is conducting an extensive study on the project. That study could take as long as three years to complete. The exact start date for the construction to widen the road has not been announced. Fort Meade is prepared to provide up to 80 feet to allow for road expansion. You can get more information by contacting Nicole Washington at the State Highway Administration at (410) 545-8570 or 1-800-548-5026. You can also click HERE to view a presentation on the study that was presented to the West Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce in September 2006.

Q. Because of BRAC changes, many people will be moving to Fort Meade.  How can they find out more about the area?
A. There is a wide range of information available for people thinking about a move to Fort Meade.  Much of that information is available at the installation's newcomers information section.  For additional information, you can visit the website for the state of Maryland, or the websites for the counties surrounding Fort Meade:  Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Cecil County, Fredrick County, Howard County, Prince George's County, Queen Anne's County

Q. Is housing available on Fort Meade itself?
A. Yes - you can get more information on available housing at: Fort Meade/Picerne Housing on the Installation.

Q. How can I get information on the schools in the area?
A. Visit these links for information and ratings of schools in these counties.

·         Charter Schools in Maryland

·         Anne Arundel County Board of Education

·         Baltimore City Board of Education

·         Carroll County Board of Education

·         Cecil City Board of Education

·         Frederick County Board of Education

·         Howard County Board of Education

·         Prince George's County Board of Education

·         Queen Anne's County Board of Education

Q. What Army agencies, if any, will review and approve aspects of Fort Meade's master plan for BRAC changes?
A. The National Capital Region District and the Installation Management Command (IMCOM), our two higher headquarters, will review and approve the master plan. The Military District of Washington, as the senior mission command, is also part of the review and approval process. In addition, we will work with our tenant commanders and partner units at Fort Meade for review and input on the changes.

Q. What is the scope of the review process?
A. Both agencies will read the master plan and provide comments on its content and build ability.