Click on the Flag for More Information
|
LRA welcomes museum's guests Oct. 10-11
SAVANNA, IL - An unusual opportunity was offered Oct. 10-11 in northwest Illinois. Visitors had permission to walk and photograph certain parts of the former Savanna Army Depot that a bi-county agency owns while chatting with Civil War re-enactors, listening to a regimental band, viewing a cavalry unit and watching mock battles. "The Jo-Carroll Depot Local Redevelopment Authority welcomes the re-enactors and the other visitors to the Savanna Depot Park," said Diane Komiskey, executive director of the local redevelopment authority, LRA. "The LRA hopes they will leave with great memories of this beautiful area in transition and the understanding that the lots used by the re-enactors are safe and suitable for use by commercial entities, including tourist-oriented businesses." The Savanna Army Depot and Museum is the sponsor, organizer and beneficiary of admission fees to the Oct. 10-11 event. The Savanna Depot Park consists of nearly 3,000 acres of the former military installation. The Department of Defense signed an agreement in 2003 to turn the property over to the LRA for economic development purposes. Title to the Savanna Depot Park is transferred to the LRA in parcels. Before the LRA receives a deed to any parcel, various state and federal agencies review data about the parcel. The LRA properties that the re-enactors are being allowed to use Oct. 10-11 were and are uncontaminated. Their primary use was for recreation. They include a former Army ball field, tennis courts and gym. They meet the IEPA definition of residential property as defined in state statute [415 ILCS 5/58.2]. They are owned by the LRA and available from it for acquisition by businesses. No endangered or threatened species have been identified on them. Visitors looking for rare species and habitats are encouraged to visit the Lost Mound Refuge.
The Savanna Proving Ground, which was later known as the Savanna Ordnance Depot, Savanna Army Depot and Savanna Army Depot Activity was owned and used by the Army 1918-2000. It is 13 miles long, stretching south from a site near the lock and dam at Bellevue, Iowa, to a point 7 miles north of Savanna. Visitors viewed a diorama of the depot in the recently created Savanna Army Depot and Military Museum. "People walk away from the display, shaking their heads and saying they had no idea how big the Depot was," said Jack Carson of Bellevue, who spearheaded creation of the depot museum. "They really don't realize what all was in here." As a military base, it was closed to the public. The installation encompassed 13,062 acres and had its own water and sewer system, 923 buildings, 132,860 sq. ft. of office space, 437 "igloos," 156 above-ground magazines, 28 warehouses, 68 miles of railroad track and 138 miles of roads. In 1949, depot employees numbered 7,195. Most of the former base is managed as the Lost Mound Refuge. Very little of the refuge is open to the public due to contamination, for which the Army is responsible. The base was used 1918-1919 to test artillery and later to make, test, store and recycle ammunition. Its history is rich and being preserved by the museum. Access is open to the Lost Mound walking trails just beyond the refuge office and to an observation deck overlooking the Mississippi and Maquoketa rivers 3.5 miles from the trails. Driving maps are available at the military museum. They are designed for travelers' safety and to prevent them from straying onto private property. Maps are also available by going to www.lrasavannail.us and clicking on Maps. Portions of the Savanna Depot Business, Industry & Technology, "Savanna Depot Park," have been sold to businesses. Some of the businesses are going great guns, despite the economy. "The employment rates in the Savanna Depot Park increased July to August 2009 and August 2008 to August 2009," Komiskey said. Nevertheless, they are only a fraction of the 425 employed in 1995. Today's employers include Riverport Railroad, which recently received a $10,000 grant from the Northwest Region Entrepreneurship Center to help the short-line railroad plan projects in a way that will best position it to receive more grants. Riverport Railroad stores railcars and switches them at Robinson Spur onto the BNSF Railway. Earlier this year, it completed the extension of three existing tracks in its rail yard, a total of 2,934 feet, and constructed three new tracks. Rescar, a nationwide railcar service company, is the major employer in the Savanna Depot Park.
Redevelopment has been slower than desired by the community affected by the base closure. Some businesses have acquired property and are unable or unwilling to make the investments necessary to improve and fully utilize their properties in the current economy. Yet others have lease-purchase contracts. They are understandably reluctant to improve property before they have title to it, Komiskey said. The LRA is working with the Army to try to expedite the transfer of properties with the best job-creation potential. The process for transferring property to the LRA has taken longer than was expected in 1995 when the base was selected to be closed under the Base Realignment and Closure, BRAC, process. The first parcel was transferred to the LRA in 2003. Only 35 percent of the property earmarked to flow through the LRA for economic development has been transferred to it. "Just as the Civil War seemed for people on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line to last an eternity, the process has been slow, complex and cumbersome. Issues resolved as a result of the Civil War have made our nation stronger. I hope that when the LRA's work is complete, it will have strengthened the economy of northwest Illinois by adding a variety of businesses and industries so that the region can never again suffer the economic blow it felt when the base closed. " For more information about the museum event, contact Jack Carson, 563-451-7458.
|
