Don't know what to say
by Volker Weber
Comments
A few weeks ago, the commission responsible for the base closures decided to close Otis Air Force Base in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Two days ago, it was announced that 2500 refugees from Katrina will be transported to Otis.
Also, having worked in an office that was located on a base that was closed, I can tell you that the physical condition of abandoned buildings on the base ranges from bad to terrible. The buildings we occupied for our offices were actually the former senior officers' quarters, which were in better condition and closer to being a suitable design for a family to occupy than any other type of building on the base. They required about $100,000 of work, each, to make them suitable for business use. The amount of work required to make them suitable for living would have been somewhat less, but still quite extensive. I have no doubt that for most of the other abandoned buildings on the base, bulldozing them was the more cost-effective option.
I need to correct myself. The refugees in Massachusetts are going to be housed in Camp Edwards, which is part of the same military complex as Otis AFB, but technically it is a separate facility.
FEMA changed its mind: http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/femadrops7.htm
Yep. As nice as the Cape is in the off-season, I think that the prospect of spending a winter in New England probably isn't all that appealing to a lot of folks from the deep South.
