The Department of the Navy today issued the Record Of
Decision (ROD) concerning the disposal and reuse of Naval
Training Center Orlando in Orlando, Florida. On behalf of the
Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton, Deputy Assistant Secretary
of the Navy William J. Cassidy, Jr. provided the environmental
document to Herbert E. Smetheram, Executive Director of the City
of Orlando's Naval Training Center Reuse Commission.
The Record Of Decision is the final step in the
environmental evaluation process established by the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). NEPA requires Federal
agencies such as the Department of the Navy to consider the
impact that major Federal actions, such as disposal and reuse of
the Naval Training Center properties, may have on the
environment.
The ROD is the Navy's decision to dispose of the Naval
Training Center properties in a manner that is consistent with
the Reuse Plan proposed by the City of Orlando and is in keeping
with the Department of Defense's community-based reuse
objectives. The Department of the Navy has concluded that the
City of Orlando's proposed redevelopment of the Naval properties
responds to local economic conditions, promotes rapid economic
recovery, and is consistent with President Clinton's Five-Part
Plan for revitalizing base closure communities. The Record Of
Decision is an environmental document. It does not convey the
Naval Training Center properties. Conveyance, or transfer of
title, of the Naval properties is a separate matter that will be
undertaken later in discussions between the Department of the
Navy and the City of Orlando.
The Naval Training Center Orlando Record Of Decision
represents the highly successful coordinated efforts of Mayor
Glenda Hood on behalf of the City of Orlando, the Naval Training
Center Reuse Commission, and the Department of the Navy. It is a
significant step in the base closure process in that it allows
the local communities to begin long term redevelopment and
highlights the Navy's commitment to economic prosperity at base
closure sites.
