Fort Benning is the largest employer in Columbus, Georgia, and the federal government is in the process of cutting 2,400 positions.
The Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Valley Partnership Joint Development Authority is now working on a plan through a study and series of public meetings to prepare for the loss.
The chamber’s Executive Vice President of Military Affairs Gary Jones estimated the loss of 2,400 soldiers by the end of July will take a $286 million economic toll on the region based on salaries and purchasing power.
The $200,000 study, which is being funded mostly through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment, is looking to include workshops hosted by the Matrix Design Group where the public can discuss how the region can continue to diversify its economy.
“Fort Benning impacts this region in the billions of dollars,” Jones said. “Part of this gathering is to say ‘What is it we can do to support Fort Benning, but even more importantly, what can we do to potentially lower some of the dependency on Fort Benning?’”
About 1,000 soldiers have already left Fort Benning; Jones said he expects the other 1,400 soldiers and their families will leave by the end of July. Still, Jones said he doesn’t think these cuts will hurt the military post’s reputation.
“Fort Benning is of tremendous importance for the Army. It’s where the infantry, the armor, the cavalry, the maneuver, combat arms come in sync so it is a very, very important area,” Jones said.
Still, Jones said the “relatively small city” of Columbus has five corporate companies and a major university and is active in recruiting other industries to the area.
Columbus Mayor Teresa Tomlinson said the Army has already invested billions of dollars in high-tech facilities at Fort Benning, so she’s hoping it won’t go to waste.
“There’s actually excess capacity and state of the art facilities at Fort Benning,” Tomlinson said. “So we genuinely believe that as we go through these assessment processes, we’re going to be the recipient of some of the retooling that the Army is doing with some of their more outdated bases.”
Public workshops begin at 6 Thursday night at the Columbus Georgia Convention and Trade Center.
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