According to an article scheduled to appear in today’s New York Times, seven of the nine members believe the Defense Department may have overestimated the cost savings associated with closing bases.

The commission is expected to begin deliberations on the fate of the yard and the dozens of other major military installations targeted for closure on Aug 24.

According to the Times, the commission has directed its staff to conduct a separate cost-savings analysis before that date.

Meanwhile, shipyard supporters said they will just have to wait, knowing they have done everything within their power to show the Defense Department was wrong in recommending the yard for closure.

"It’s still an uphill battle, but we know the case has been made," Rep. Jeb Bradley said Saturday during the picnic event. "This is an opportunity for the Save Our Shipyard task force to thank all the people who have worked to hard."

Shipyard workers and their families mingled on the lawn at Pease. Johnnie Bubar and the Rogue Wolf Band, the Late Great Planet Earth, Joe Freda and Dennis Boyd and professional bikers from the Maximum Velocity Bike Show provided entertainment on the hot summer day.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci, who attended the event, said Saturday was a moment for shipyard supporters to "re-charge the battery" before supporting the yard over the next week and a half.

"We’ve made an impression on the commission," Baldacci said. "We still have nine days left. The campaign is not over."

Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., asked the crowd, "Are you hot enough yet?

"Because over the past couple months, we’ve made sure the BRAC Commission felt the heat as well."

Sununu said he felt as though the Seacoast residents and shipyard workers have made an "incredibly strong case."

"Now it’s time for the commission to make the right decision," Sununu said.

Shipyard union president Paul O’Connor agreed and said Saturday was an opportunity to express gratitude to all those who made the fight what it’s been.

"We didn’t want to go from July to August 24 without an event," O’Connor said. "We wanted to keep people’s mind on (the yard). But this is also a time for us to relax and just have fun."

O’Connor cited the yard’s citation for being efficient and effective.

"We’re the best in the world," he told the crowd. "I was raised to believe that stands for something."

Tom Nichols traveled to the picnic with his wife from Manchester. Nichols does not work at the yard, and he doesn’t even know anyone who does, but he’s been supporting it all along.

"This could devastate not just our economy but also these families," Nichols said.

The livelihood of families who are affected may not be a factor in the Defense Department’s decisions, but how much it costs to close an installation and how much it will save is an important factor.

The Defense Department has estimated it will cost $448.43 million to close the facility, which will result in the savings of $1.26 billion over the next 20 years.

Meanwhile, commissioners told the New York Times some of those numbers don’t seem to add up.

"I fail to see at this point how you could arrive at the figures they arrived at," Anthony J. Principi, a former secretary of veterans affairs who is the commission chairman, told the New York Times. "We’re going through this effort to save money from excess capacity to modernize forces. If the savings aren’t there, and it costs money to do this on top of all the economic upheaval, why are we doing this?"

By Elizabeth Kenny
ekenny@seacoastonline.com

The picnic on saturday was nice though the weather was hot. This week is hard just waiting, knowing you've done all you can and that the decision is not in your hands. If the shipyard closes many of us will have some difficult decisions ahead regarding our families and our homes. If the shipyard doesn't close then we've dodged another bullet, but it does make me think about preparing for myself and my family's future regardless of the outcome. Don't leave your whole future in the hands of the government, make plans for yourself.

The base closing will do short-term harm to the Portsmouth area, but it's time to stop whining. We should view it as a good thing that fewer military bases are needed in the overall scheme of things. If the government were shutting down a plant that was manufacturing horse buggies, would we still argue that horse buggies are needed?

Your compassion is boundless. First of all I'm sure you're not comparing a horse buggie to a modern submarine. Unless you've never been in one, then you might. Anyway, PNS doesn't manufacture subs. They repair ones we've already bought and making payments on. Like getting your car fixed instead of buying a new one. You need your car to get to work. Our sailors need their subs to go to work. If you had your choice between 2 garages and one said you'd get your car back in a month and the other one said a few days, which one would you use? It's just that simple. PNS does in 9 or 10 months what the others do in 24 months or more at more cost. With more accidents.
There is no reason we have to go through this again, at 5 times the job losses this time. (Last time was Pease AFB) We've paid our dues. Meanwhile other states are gaining jobs. We give tobacco farmers more in subsidies than we'd save in this whole BRAC per year. Is tobacco a better invesment than Homeland Security? It is older than horse buggies.

gigi
I suggest that you log on and take a look at the economic impact that both states say this area will experience. Do you own a home? What happens if people feel the only option is to sell and the market floods. The Real Estate market is already softening. What about the domino effect on local businesses? Were you around when Pease closed? The Redevelopment of Pease has taken at least 15 years and still experiences ups and downs because of bigger market forces (the high tec market). As far as I know there is nothing in place like the Pease Redevelopment Authority to even begin to make this a "short-term harm" Maybe you have some ideas to soften the blow. I agree that fewer military bases may be needed, specailly if we stop this war, but the few should be the best, not the most politically connected.

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