Tuesday, May 17, 2005 • Sierra Army Depot to stay open! Nail-biting ends for base employees and Susanville businesses

Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, May 17, 2005 edition of the Lassen County Times.

Sierra Army Depot will not close and its mission is likely to expand

Lassen County residents received the official news report at 7:30 a.m., Friday, May 13.

Releasing the Base Realignment and Closure commission decision three days and four hours earlier than the Department of Defense originally planned, the news was that the huge depot will continue its multi-faceted missions.

An official statement released by Commander Colonel Paul Plemmons within an hour or so of the news from Washington said the BRAC recommendations recognized SIAD as a multi-functional installation serving as a Joint Expeditionary Logistics Center and a power-project platform.

It suggested the depot will expand both its open and covered storage capacity.

Plemmons said, “I made a commitment to keep everybody in the community fully informed from the very beginning of BRAC 2005 whether it was good news or bad news.

“For Sierra Army Depot, Lassen County and Reno, Nevada, this is good news. Consolidating operations at select bases is necessary for transforming the Army into the force America needs in a changing world with new threats.

“While growth should have a positive impact on the community, we understand that it must be managed carefully so that the quality of life for our soldiers and their families not only stays the same, but continues to improve.

“The decision process is ongoing and will not be finalized until November 2005 at the earliest. I will remain committed to taking care of the employees and those that support Sierra Army Depot. The process is the path that we need to follow in doing what’s right for our soliders, our military and our nation.”

The Department of Defense announced its recommendation to realign the munitions mission to other munitions centers.

SIAD still has some munitions on site. A 2002 lawsuit forced the depot to prohibit any more munition explosions there, but the lawsuit did not stop munitions storage.

The realignment will move any remaining munitions off the base.

Representative Doolittle
Lassen County’s representative, and the House Republican Conference Secretary, John T. Doolittle issued the following statement:

“I am delighted that the Pentagon recognizes the true military value of the Sierra Army Depot and has decided to retain it with no reductions whatsoever. I look forward to working with the Depot to further develop and enhance its military operations.”

Lassen County Times Managing Editor Shayla Ashmore and Advertising Director Jill Atkinson thanked all the business people and community members who responded to the Times campaign and wrote letters supporting SIAD to congressional and defense department officials.

The decision to keep SIAD off the list of potential base closures is good news for local businesses inasmuch as the depot generates an estimated $11 million in wages, roughly half of which are paid to Lassen County residents.

Many SIAD employees live in the Reno area.