Published: July 23, 2008 08:28 pm      

NIMAC: Looking for a few good members

The Niagara Military Affairs Council is looking for a few good members.

Representatives from the organization that led the charge to save the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station say they’ve experienced a decline in membership in the three years since the facility was threatened with closure by the U.S. Department of Defense.

NIMAC officials told members of the Niagara County Legislature on Tuesday the number of paid supporters of their organization has dropped from 800 during the height of the 2005 base-closure battle to 125 today.

As a result, the advocacy group is conducting a membership drive with a goal of doubling its current list of supporters by October.

“When we go to Washington, numbers do count,” said NIMAC Chairman Merrell Lane.

NIMAC formed in 1996 to advocate for continued federal and state support for the Air Reserve Station, which is home to the 914th and 107th airlift wings. The facility is the last U.S. Air Force installation in New York and the largest federal facility in the region.

In 2005, the U.S. Defense Department’s Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommended the facility for closure. NIMAC officials organized a community rally to save the base, securing letters of protest from more than 126,000 local residents and officials. Although members of the base-closure commission ultimately relented and removed the Falls base from their list, NIMAC officials say it is only a matter of time until the facility, the 3,000 pepole it employs and the economic benefits it provides to the county are threatened again.

“Many businesses in this county would be in a world of hurt today if we had lost that fight in 2005,” said NIMAC Vice Chairman John Cooper.

While he said there are no immedaite plans for another round of closure proceedings at this point, Lane said the Defense Department periodically conducts reviews of its facilities and it is important for Niagara County to continue to demonstrate its support for continued operations in the Falls.

"We need to keep working at it so we are ready for it when it does come along. Eventually, it will,” Lane said.

Lane said the group’s new mission is working on plans for the future use of the U.S. Army Reserve Center on Porter Road. The center was identified for closure under the base-closure commission’s report to Congress. It is scheduled to be vacant by 2011 or earlier if the Army’s construction of a new training center on the Falls Air Reserve Station is complete. The Town of Niagara Local Redevelopment Authority has hired a consultant to work on a plan for reusing the center.

NIMAC officials are planning a visit next week to Washington, D.C. The organization also continues to employ the services of its Washington, D.C. lobbyist, Hyjek & Fix. NIMAC’s efforts are supported, in part, through membership funds.

“We need to continue the support from the community through membership,” Lane said.



JOIN UP

Membership in the Niagara Military Affairs Council is open to businesses, service clubs and individuals interested in supporting the efforts of the council. For information about becoming a NIMAC member, call 283-4008 or visit the membership page of the organization’s Web site at www.nimac.org/membership.html.