Annapolis (July 8, 2005) - Anne Arundel County Planning and Zoning Officer Joseph Rutter testified today in support of BRAC 2005 recommendations concerning Fort George G. Meade. "Good morning, I am here on behalf of County Executive Janet Owens who is out of state today on a long planned trip. Thank you for the opportunity to talk to you about the partnership that exists between Anne Arundel County and Fort Meade. The communication and working relationship between this Federal Campus and the County is a model for the future. We appreciate the economic development opportunities that are provided by Fort Meade and NSA and have worked to provide the infrastructure to support the mission at the Fort and NSA. We believe we are ready for the proposed growth and additional private sector activity that will be driven by the BRAC initiative. Anne Arundel County is at the center of the fourth largest regional labor market in the United States. The labor force is highly educated, highly mobile and focused on the defense industry. The Chesapeake Innovation Center, the Nations first Homeland Security incubator is creating important new technology. Eight of the top ten defense contractors including Northrup Grumman, Lockheed-Martin and Titan Corporation already have a presence in Anne Arundel County. General Dynamics, in announcing a move of additional offices to Anne Arundel County last month noted, "We find that the work force is certainly qualified to meet the needs of our company and our customers. Anne Arundel County is positioned to provide the labor force for future growth. In the immediate area surrounding the fort we have over 4,000 housing units ready to come on line over the next several years and more in the development pipeline that will provide a supply over the next decade. Anne Arundel County has over 5 million square feet of new office space ready to move forward along the I-295 corridor. In addition, our neighboring counties have significant opportunities for both residential and employment growth. The transportation network is in place. Baltimore Washington International Airport is in Anne Arundel County just north of Fort Meade. The north south highway links to Baltimore and Washington are excellent with both Interstate and US highways supplemented by rail passenger service on both the CSX and the Penn lines. Immediately east of Fort Meade is the Odenton Town Center, which contains a MARC rail station that provides a direct connection from DC to the Fort. This Town Center as well as other developments in the vicinity of the Fort will provide all of the commercial services to support the workforce and the residents of the area. In conclusion, I want to thank you for the opportunity to talk to you about our partnership with Fort Meade and ask for your support of the BRAC 2005 recommendation to realign these functions to Fort Meade. We are available to answer any questions and to supplement the information that has been provided to you." | 
