Navy Secretary James Dalton was to break ground this afternoon on the first of 13 construction projects to prepare for the migration of nearly 2,100 active-duty Navy personnel, 100 civilian workers, 32 P-3 Orion sub hunters and 10 SH-60 Seahawk helicopters from Barbers Point Naval Air Station.
In his prepared remarks, Dalton pointed out that moving the three P-3 squadrons and the Seahawk helicopter squadron from Barbers Point to Kaneohe "signals our continued commitment to Hawaii -- and to the Pacific region."
He said that decision allows the Navy to retain "vital tactical assets close to potential crisis areas of the Pacific."
Dalton, a former Naval submarine officer, said that sailors and Marines stationed in Hawaii are "at the tip of our nation's defense arsenal."
The Navy notes that Hawaii could have lost $84 million a year if the P-3 Orion antisubmarine
warfare units and support staff had been sent to the mainland.
The addition of the Navy personnel is expected to bring the population at Kaneohe back to nearly 9,000, the same as when it was home to 36 F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets. The jets were sent to the mainland in 1993.
Since the base lost the jet fighters and associated support staff, the Marine population has dropped from 9,071 to about 6,500 this year. The civilian work force has remained steady at about 1,100.
Cmdr. A.J. Gallardo, Barbers Point's executive officer, said the 13 construction projects scheduled for Kaneohe over the next two years are expected to employ 4,000 people, and generate $17 million in tax revenues.
Elaine Murphy, chairwoman of the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board, said businesses in the Kaneohe and Kailua areas applaud the move.
"The vitality of our economy is tied to military presence," Murphy said.
"The construction is something that will pump money into the community."
She said rental property owners, whose businesses have suffered, are looking forward to the infusion of 2,200 sailors and their dependents since the military population in the area has been down.
Gallardo estimates that about one-third of those families will probably seek homes in the Windward Oahu area.
Murphy also said the community realized the value of the Marine base to the Windward business community in 1990 and 1991 when 8,400 Kaneohe-based troops were deployed to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm.
The huge customer-base loss was one reason for the business failures, Murphy said, but many operators also closed because skilled Marines who often worked second jobs for extra money left with the deployment.
Murphy also believes the P-3 aircraft will be much quieter than the Hornet fighter jets that used to be stationed at Kaneohe.
"The new military is trying to be a good neighbor," Murphy said, noting that through meetings with the neighborhood board and a civilian advisory organization, the community has been able to air its problems.
Nine of the 23 P3-Orions will be deployed at all times.
Jim Plasse, Barbers Point base closure officer, said today's groundbreaking ceremony involves a 23-acre site where a parking apron for 20 P-3 Orions will be constructed. More than $35 million has been set aside for the project, including $16.8 million that was awarded to Kiewit Pacific Co.
Future projects include constructing a building to house several aircraft simulators, a hazard materials and waste storage area, tactical and technical support facilities and new quarters for 64 enlisted sailors and 83 officers.
Except for the bachelor quarters, the majority of the construction projects will be completed by April 1999. The housing unit will be available for occupancy in May 2000.
In 1993 the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission announced it would close the Barbers Point facility -- the largest naval air station in the Pacific -- in July 1999.
Barbers Point's closure was part of the military's post-cold war downsizing.
The Navy, however, will continue to maintain a presence at Barbers Point, although all of the aircraft and operational capabilities will be relocated to Kaneohe.
Nearly, 1,200 acres will be retained at Barbers Point on which the Navy will keep the golf course, family housing, the medical clinic, the public works complex, chapel and beach cottages.