An influx of nearly 40,000 people within the next two years by way of the Defense Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is expected to have a tremendous impact on several counties around Cumberland. It is not as clear if Sampson will be one to reap the benefits of the two commands, and thousands of families, relocating.

The numbers are clear.

Fort Bragg will see additional gains of nearly 40,000 military and civilian personnel and their families as the Army moves its U.S. Army Reserve Command and U.S. Army Forces Command from Fort McPherson, Ga. to Fort Bragg.

“This will bring a significant presence,” said John Swope, executive director for the Sampson County Economic Development Commission. “All told, it’s expected that, because of the relocation of these two commands to Fort Bragg, it will bring about 6,000 new jobs in the Fort Bragg region and 35,000 new residents to the same region.”

That will happen by 2013, with the initial contingent moving to the area in Fall 2010.

According to BRAC officials, construction of the new FORSCOM headquarters building is under way. By March 2011, the U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command will begin moving to Fort Bragg.

“We probably aren’t seeing the benefits of this yet,” said Swope of the move, and its impact on Sampson County. “Building for two headquarters is going on right now. Other than construction, we’re not seeing a whole lot. It’s still a year away before commands start doing initial business in Fort Bragg.”

Swope said the impact will be felt quickly.

He said families, contractors and a large business and commercial industry will follow the commands to Fort Bragg and the surrounding area.

“These two commands are significant in Atlanta, generating thousands of jobs,” Swope remarked. “Contractors will follow these commands to Fort Bragg and they will bring jobs with them also.”

All totaled, there are about 4,150 active duty personnel, 1,900 civilian personnel and more than 600 on-base contractors that will directly serve the commands, Swope noted. Additionally, it is estimated that there will be close to 1,000 private defense contractors that open up shop in the area because of the commands’ relocation.

That means the 6,000-jobs figure could be closer to 7,000 to 8,000 jobs, Swope said. With what the economic developer called “the multiplier effect,” encompassing the mushroom effect in establishment of service jobs, retail and commercial industry around a new hub, that job total could soon double — somewhere in the range of a total of 15,000 to 16,000 new jobs.

“That’s a lot of homes, apartments and condos to the region,” Swope attested. “That will be great for the real estate industry.”

Great for Sampson County?

Sampson County commissioner John Blanton, who serves as vice chairman for the BRAC Regional Task Force and is currently spearheading the push for a similar task force in Sampson, has a tempered optimism on Sampson’s chances in recruiting new residents and business.

Asked how much of the move’s influx of people and industry Sampson might be able to attract, Blanton states simply, “Ten percent, if that much. It’s very doubtful how much of that will come here.”

The BRAC Regional Task Force consists of numerous representatives from 11 surrounding counties planning and preparing for the relocation of the commands, working with federal and state agencies and military departments to both minimize the negatives in communities and maximizing economic growth potential.

“We’re not in the main six counties,” Blanton said of the 11 represented. “We’re one of the outside five counties in that rim. What we get will be by luck.”

If there is a silver lining, it is with Sampson’s location, Blanton said.

He mentioned the prospects Hoke, Robeson and Richmond counties have in luring investments, both personal and commercial, into their counties. For its part, Sampson is nestled near Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point in Jacksonville and Fort Bragg in Fayetteville.

“We’re kind of sitting in that triangle,” notes Blanton.

But unlike real estate, location, location, location may not be enough.

Development, especially of major roads through the county, notably N.C. 24, could help prospects a great deal, Blanton said.

“Right now, I think a lot of it hinges on 24,” said Blanton. “If we get a suitable road so they can get from here to there, we could really come out a winner. It needs to be four-laned. They could drive 60 miles per hour. Right now, when school buses are on the road, that becomes a problem. Trucks, school buses and everything else, that’s a major factor.”

The N.C. Department of Transportation officials are currently planning a $370 million long-range project that calls for a four-lane roadway through Sampson County, all the way from Cumberland County to Interstate 40 near Warsaw, with a median-divided roadway and interchanges at major crossroads. While smaller municipalities Roseboro and Autryville will be bypassed as the project proceeds from the west, Clinton will not.

The expansion of N.C. 24 has been debated for decades locally, with some wishing not to disrupt their neighborhoods in favor of a potential boom in the economy. Others who would welcome such potential have differed on just how the N.C. 24 expansion should be done.

“When soldiers get called in, they need to go,” said Blanton. “They’re going to move where they can get there. That road is a key factor in BRAC being successful in Sampson County.”

What is being done locally?

As part of Sampson’s BRAC task force, Blanton said he hopes to put together around 24 members representing a wide array of local industry — warehouses, construction, developers, travel, real estate, farming.

“That’s a lot of money,” said Blanton. “We need to get as much encouragement from our local citizens. We need to get people involved in industry. A lot of research needs to be done. We need to get in on everything we can.”

For Blanton and others, that means another BRAC Regional Task Force meeting later this week. Swope is prepping to speak to hundreds of families about Sampson County at a Relocation Fair in Fort McPherson, Ga. in September.

“We’ll talk to hundreds of families about Sampson County,” said Swope, who spoke to around 400 families during a similar trip last September, taken with then-Chamber of Commerce executive director Amber Cava and Robert Taylor, assistant superintendent of administrative services for Clinton City Schools.

“All of them said they have a 45 minute commute to work,” Swope recalled. “Many said they were tired of the metro-Atlanta area and they want to be in a rural area. We think we have a pretty good chance.”

With that being the case, Swope said, some may favor Sampson over the Spring Lake and Fayetteville area. That could mean big bucks to Sampson, as Swope estimated the average active duty salary for U.S. Army Forces Command at $93,000 and the U.S. Army Reserve Command at $78,000. Civilian salaries average $75,000 for both commands, Swope stated.

“We have a lot more brass coming to Fort Bragg than we ever have had,” Blanton said. “We have to be prepared to accommodate certain things. I don’t know how far we can go with this thing, but we’re going to try.”

Blanton pointed out warehouses that line 1-95 in Lumberton.

“We need to get something and show them ‘this is what we’ve got 50 miles up the road,’” he remarked. “We’ve got to show that to them. This is competitive and they’re willing to listen. I hope we can get something going, but we’ve got to sell ourselves.”

“These people come in here and they’re ready to go,” said Blanton. “We need to be too.”

Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 121, or by email at sicrime@myclintonnc.com.