Congresswoman Matsui, Sacramento County, and Air Force Officials Join Together For McClellan Re-use Ceremony

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 12, 2010

CONTACT: MATSUI PRESS OFFICE
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CA Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui joined Supervisor Roger Dickinson, McClellan Park President Larry Kelley, and other local and national leaders at the Aerospace Museum of California to celebrate the re-use and development of the former McClellan Air Force Base. Starting at 10:00 AM, the ceremony marked the progress in successful redeveloping the former McClellan Air Force Base.

McClellan Park is an example of successful re-use of a former military base, said Congresswoman Matsui. Many times, base closures take down local economies with them, but because of the County's aggressive efforts and the assistance of the Air Force we now have a national example of what can be done in a good public and private partnership. This is a major milestone for both the County of Sacramento, the Air Force and our local economy.

To date, Congresswoman Matsui has helped Sacramento County acquire more than $5 million in federal funding for infrastructure improvements at McClellan Park. Over 250 tenants currently call McClellan Park home, with 15,000 people working at the former base. Earlier this month, the Air Force officially signed over 560 acres of land to the County of Sacramento that would allow the county to expedite re-use and development of the business park.

This transfer represents a major milestone in McClellan's transformation into a vital economic engine for Sacramento County, said Roger Dickinson, Chair of the Sacramento Board of Supervisors. Bringing this land into our local control is a smart investment for the region and will stimulate the creation of new businesses and jobs.

Through a joint partnership between government and private organizations, the former base is being redeveloped using an early transfer with privatized clean-up concept.

Privatized clean-up allows the clean-up to be planned and implemented along with redevelopment. This can result in a faster, more efficient redevelopment schedule, said Larry Kelley, President of McClellan Park LLC.