Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2005

Schumer: Feds Will Start Binghamton Depot Property Disposal Process Within Two Weeks; Chenango Valley School District Can Then Acquire It

Schumer Cut Through Bureaucratic Red Tape to Secure Timelines from GSA Regional Administrator, So School District Could Move Forward with Plan to Build New Athletic Complex
Chenango Valley School District Was In Holding Pattern Trying to Purchase Binghamton Depot Property

At the urging of US Senator Charles E. Schumer, the General Service Administration (GSA) has announced that the Binghamton Depot property will begin the disposal process within the next two weeks. Schumer secured the timeline from the GSA so the Chenango Valley School District can move forward with its plans to purchase the land and build a new athletic complex. In early March Schumer urged GSA Administrator Stephen Perry to issue a status report as soon as possible and detail the next steps for school district to acquire the land.

“This is good news for the Chenango Valley School District and all of Broome County,” Schumer said. “This is a win-win situation since we put unused land to good use and give students brand new facilities. I will continue to move this process forward as fast as possible.”

In his response to Schumer’s March 1st letter, GSA Regional Administrator Dennis Smith indicates that the Defense Logistics Agency has completed the perquisite studies so the disposal process can move forward, and should begin within the next two weeks. The process starts by offering federal agencies the opportunity to acquire the land. If no federal agencies are interested, then under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, municipalities, non-profits including school districts, are notified of the available land. Interested parties eligible to receive the property can then submit official requests, presumably around mid-April.

Congress has mandated that the Department of Defense sell the commodities stored at its national stockpiles and close the Binghamton Depot, a Defense National Stockpile Center, located on Hoyt Avenue in Binghamton. In March of 2004, the Defense Logistics Agency began a study to review their nationwide inventory and develop a plan for the consolidation of the commodities, which was scheduled to conclude in December of 2004. Meanwhile, Chenango Valley Central School District is seeking to acquire approximately 65 acres of the property in order to and expand current facilities, and possibly build a new athletic complex.

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