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Fort Riley expansion to bring economic growth

FORT RILEY, Kan. — While most of the military’s focus recently has been on the surge of soldiers going to war in Iraq, Kansas is witnessing its own surge.

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Compelled by a Pentagon decision in 2005 to bring the 1st Infantry Division back to its traditional home at Fort Riley from Germany, surrounding communities have been adjusting to an influx of thousands of new soldiers and their families. The first wave came in 2006, and another one is approaching.

Results from the efforts of civilian and military officials in Kansas to find enough housing for the soldiers have caught the Pentagon’s attention.

“The locals have responded like no others I’ve seen,” said William Armbruster, deputy assistant Army secretary for privatization and partnerships. “You guys have stepped up to the plate and are making a difference. Everybody seems to be in synch.”

He referenced a task force, spearheaded by former Lt. Gov. John Moore, that coordinated the efforts by surrounding cities, counties, school districts and state agencies. Combined, they charted a course for getting housing started, improving public infrastructure and helping soldiers find housing and jobs for spouses.

Fort Riley is expected to grow to more than 18,000 soldiers by 2011 from the little more than 10,000 the post had at the start of 2005, creating an annual impact of more than $1.25 billion on the Kansas economy.

“I’m optimistic that it’s going to balance out as the growth comes in spurts,” said Col. Ty Smith, who’s in charge of post operations. “It’s a significant challenge to the communities.”

Earlier this week, Army officials broke ground at Fort Riley’s Camp Forsyth on what eventually will become a 1,000-home development. A handful of soldiers and their families are expected to begin moving into the three- and four-bedroom homes by the end of 2007, with hundreds more moving in during 2008.

Picerne Military Housing, which is based in Rhode Island and has a 50-year contract to provide housing construction, maintenance and renovations at Fort Riley, will develop the complex. It is part of a 10-year, $500 million, initial construction phase that will increase housing to 3,500 units from the current 3,100.

The development caught the eye of Spc. Brian Tierce, who lives in Herington, about 30 miles south of the post, with his wife and two children. He’s thinking about adding his name to the waiting list for a home at Camp Forsyth.

In Herrington, the family was able to find a big enough home that was affordable with Tierce’s $833 monthly Army housing allowance. For the lowest four enlistment grades, unless a spouse is working or the soldier is single, much of the new housing close to Fort Riley is too expensive.

“Even right now, we’re trying to find something. It’s painstaking,” Tierce said. “The way they are pricing things, it doesn’t work.”

He’s in line for possible promotion, which would increase his base pay and boost his housing allowance by more than $100.

“That would open a lot more things up for us,” he said.

Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Mathews said post officials have been concerned about affordability, but that is improving, especially as the housing market softens.

“I think it’s still at the high end for enlisted, but I do see some houses in that $120,000 to $150,000 area,” he said. “We’re starting to get some better results. For a while there, it did seem like they were building houses that soldiers wouldn’t be capable of obtaining.”

Better housing options on post could alleviate those concerns.

“This is the new Army, and soldiers deserve it. Let’s face facts, we don’t get paid a lot of money. This is definitely a great perk; this is a great re-enlistment incentive,” Mathews said.

Junction City isn’t the same community it was when the Big Red One left in 1996. The economy diversified and the community grew, bolstered by recent announcements by bioscience firms to locate in town.

The Geary County unemployment rate has dropped dramatically in the past year to 4.8 percent in February, down from 6.2 percent the year before. With more people working, there wasn’t a glut of homes for soldiers to tap.

“We’re trying not to be so dependent on the Army. We need to be less reliant on Fort Riley,” said Mayor Terry Heldstab.

Heldstab said three years ago, Junction City issued 57 building permits for homes. That number has jumped to 7,000 units in various stages of planning and construction. Between 1,500 and 2,000 units _ homes and apartments _ are complete. New schools and hospital expansions are in the works.

“The taxpayer is willing to give for Fort Riley. They have been willing to take on that debt,” he said.

Anticipating a tight market, Master Sgt. Amanda Glenn and her husband started looking for a house six months before they moved to post in June. They were stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and had to do most of the work online, except for closing the mortgage.

Glenn and her husband flew to Junction City in April to see the four-bedroom, four-four bath home with a fenced backyard, perfect for their young daughter and two boxers. The price was under $200,000.

It was a little bit more than we wanted to spend, but it met all of our needs perfectly,” Glenn said. “It’s a gorgeous neighborhood.”