FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2004
CONTACT: Kevin Schweers
SENATOR HUTCHISON BROKERS PLAN TO STRENGTHEN ELLINGTON FIELD,
PROMOTE HOUSTON MEDICAL COMPLEX
WASHINGTON, DC -- Senior Department of Defense officials have agreed to a plan of action offered by U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) to move 2,300 Army, Navy and Marine Corps Reserve troops from Houston's Old Spanish Trail to Ellington Field, creating a Joint Reserve Base that will allow the military to operate more efficiently and better utilize the base.
The agreement, when concluded, promises to provide more room for Houston's growing medical center and research capabilities, a central engine of the region's economy. It will also create new jobs and help expand the local economy.
"This is a great day for Ellington Field and the medical complex of Houston," Sen. Hutchison said. "The plan will allow Army, Navy, and Marine Corps Reserves to better serve enlisted men and women and the taxpayers by enhancing Ellington's mission capabilities for our national defense."
Planning and design are expected to commence this year, with the move targeted for completion by 2009. Sen. Hutchison, Chairman of the Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, will work to make sure the Pentagon has the necessary resources in a timely manner to expedite the move. Further details of the plan will be discussed by the Senator, Mayor Bill White, Medical Center officials and members of the Ellington Field Task Force in a meeting early Monday afternoon at the Mayor's office.
Senator Hutchison was approached two years ago by officials at M.D. Anderson to determine if the Department of Defense would be amenable to allowing the land near the medical complex to be annexed for an expansion of the University of Texas Research Park. The world-class facility is growing rapidly and has long sought additional real estate to broaden its reach and capabilities.
"This expansion will bring jobs and economic activity to Houston and further enhance the research potential of the entire medical complex," the Senator added. "When Mayor White asked me to expedite this project, we put the pedal to the metal. I appreciate the Mayor's leadership in making it a priority for Houston."
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