Group voiced Fort Benning land deal concerns

A week before the Army put Fort Benning’s proposal to acquire more training land on hold, a group from Stewart County met with members of the Georgia Congressional delegation.

Adolph McLendon, mayor of Richland, said the group wanted to voice concerns about the Army acquiring 82,800 acres in the county that was preferred for expanding training land. Since the county was identified in a May draft environmental report, some residents have strongly opposed the plan because the county would lose $962,332 in tax revenue and generations of families would lose land.

McLendon confirmed this week the group included Stewart County Commission Chairman Joe Lee Williams, and other officials for meetings Oct. 12-13. Fort Benning announced plans to put the expansion proposal on hold on Oct. 20.

“We let them know we were there on the basis to see if they did decide to come, what we could do for the county and the school board,” McLendon said. “We didn’t want to wait until the last minute. We wanted to work ahead of time.”

The mayor declined to comment on whether the meeting had any impact on the announcement to put the project on hold.

“So far, people are real pleased with what’s happening,” McLendon said. “They are just hoping it will stay that way. That is my understanding and I may be wrong. I think it is a pretty much unanimous decision.”

With the nation facing a budget deficit, Fort Benning cited changes in projected funding levels and officials needed more time to explore existing and additional courses of action. This might include acquiring a smaller number of acres or taking no action to acquire more land.

U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., was traveling and not available for comment late Friday but said in a statement that he understands the concerns of residents.

“Due to a multitude of reasons, including Stewart County’s concerns and the current fiscal climate, the Army has put their plan to purchase more training land for Fort Benning on hold,” Chambliss said. “I fully understand Stewart County’s concerns, and will ensure their concerns are addressed and that the county’s interests are protected in the event the Army decides to proceed with the expansion project.”

Shortly after meeting with the group, U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, said in a statement he would push the government to abandon the effort.

“I will continue to engage the Stewart County community on this very important issue and use the resources of my office to aggressively advocate on their behalf,” Bishop said. “I am determined that their concerns will be heard and considered before the government moves forward. And I will do my best to convince the government to abandon the effort.”