By KEVIN J. SHUTT
kevin.shutt@newssun.com
VENUS -- A squad-sized element of retired generals, former colonels and civilian security experts deploying to Highlands County next week will reconnoiter 7,700 acres they hope will become a civilian-run national security training center.
Ron Grigsby and family is in the process of selling the Venus property nestled in the southwest corner of Highlands near Glades and DeSoto counties.
Tentatively dubbed Eagle National Security Training Center, construction won't begin for about 18 months pending approval by a battery of state agencies and county review boards, such as Planning and Zoning.
That's why Lake Placid attorney Bert Harris III, representing Eagle National Security and the Grigsbys, was before the commission Tuesday.
"Once the governor pulls the trigger on this, the state agencies have to process our applications within 90 days," Harris said, explaining the request to expedite the process.
The board voted unanimously to sign off on speeding the process, which now goes to Gov. Charlie Crist.
By doing so, however, they made no promises to Harris or his clients regarding future approval nor did they agree to any special exceptions.
Eagle National Security will be drawn up as a planned unit development meaning certain restrictions and covenants will be written into the plans.
Joe Eck asked some questions, which Harris said they were unprepared to address.
"I like to cross my bridges before I get to them," Eck said, inquiring about infrastructure impacts such as roads, how far the nearest neighbors would be and whether airborne munitions would be used.
Seth Ellis, a retired security expert and former owner of ICX Technologies, said the facility would have a small arms range for side arms and rifles, such as the M-16 currently used by the military.
Firing ranges have certain buffering requirements built in and, he noted, much of the 7,700 acres would account for setbacks to isolate the compound's activities.
With 200-300 students in a given three-day training block and 250-1,000 staff (based on a 10-year plan), he said impact to the county's roads would be minimal.
In addition, Harris said Eagle National Security's internal roads would be private and, as a private company, it would contribute to the tax base.
Commissioners asked about potential fiscal impact, from building the facility to operating it.
Ellis, serving as the conduit that brought the principal forces together, said an outside general contractor familiar with such facilities would likely oversee construction, but that labor would definitely be drawn from the local economy.
All of the military training centers -- Fort Irwin and 29 Palms -- are booked full, meaning there's a definite market for a private center, Ellis said.
Eagle National Security will serve all branches of the military, state and local law enforcement and even civilians.
"Unfortunately academia, too," Ellis said, referring to school shootings that have refocused campus security measures. "The dynamics have changed."
The site will include MOUT (military operations in urban terrain) training, which replicates current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and police operations.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - www.newssun.com/BCC-approves-expidited-permitting-of-security-center