Innovative property transfer benefits cleanup, redevelopment at McClellan

  • Published
  • By Air Force Civil Engineer Center
  • Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  Early and privatized are well used buzz words for the redevelopment at former McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, Calif.  Today, more than half the 3,400 acre base is transferred using this unique approach.

Earlier this year, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center's Western Region Execution Center achieved another major milestone, transferring 528 acres to Sacramento County and its developer McClellan Business Park. The County and McClellan Park are now responsible to finish soil cleanup on this property, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency taking the lead decision-making role.

This property, located in the industrial section of McClellan Park, has some areas with contamination from when the base served as a supply and repair depot from 1936 until it closed in 2001.

This is the third property transfer at McClellan to use this innovative, multi-agency agreement referred to as an "early transfer with privatized cleanup."

"At McClellan, a National Priorities List site and old logistics center, we've shown that the early transfer with privatized cleanup program is a win-win for the Air Force, the community and the taxpayers. It can lead to faster cleanup and redevelopment, making all the stakeholders happy," said Phil Mook, western region senior representative for AFCEC.

Prior to transfer, the Air Force conducted extensive environmental investigation of the property. These studies formed the basis of the negotiated $24.8 million; fixed-price, insured cost the Air Force pays Sacramento County to clean sites within the transferred areas.

"The regulatory agencies, the Air Force, Sacramento County and McClellan Park once again worked together to make this complicated model work achieving productive reuse while protecting human health and the environment," Mook said.

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center, headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, is a 1,600-person civil engineer field operating agency responsible for providing responsive, flexible full-spectrum installation engineering services. AFCEC missions include facility investment planning, design and construction, operations support, real property management, readiness, energy support, environmental compliance and restoration, and audit assertions, acquisition and program management. The unit conducts its operations at more than 75 locations worldwide.