The future of Dugway Proving Ground's English Village remains unclear, even though the isolated, billion-dollar Army town has been taken off the base closure list that will be sent to President Clinton Friday.
The Army announced in 1994 it would cut off the $12 million annual funding needed to operate English Village's 619 housing units, schools, administration buildings and other facilities in September 1996.English Village was added to - and then dropped - from the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission's hit list only after the Army internally targeted the village for closure.
Utah's political and military leadership took a keen interest in English Village before BRAC got involved and still isn't sure how the village became absorbed into the BRAC process. "The immediate owner (the Army's testing command) didn't say it. We were told by a few assistant secretaries of the Army that they didn't decide it," said Bill Johnson, military aide to Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah. He said the idea probably came "from the proverbial bean counters in the BRAC office . . . but we don't know."
Now that Dugway is off the BRAC closure list, Dugway spokeswoman Carol Fruik said the Army's Testing and Evaluation Command, Dugway's parent command, has also withdrawn its proposal to close English Village. But it still doesn't have an operations budget planned beyond fiscal 1996 - that money would have to come from a supplemental appropriation from Congress, throwing the Army's real intentions into question.
A companion factor that could encourage the Army to close English Village is Gov. Mike Leavitt's interest in having the Army turn control of the village over to the state. One scenario would allow the Utah Army National Guard to keep its training barracks at English Village under a federal lease. A preferred scenario would see the state take deed to the whole community, giving the governor more flexibility in how land and buildings are used.
The Guard would like to expand its use of artillery training ranges at Dugway, which it could do under a federal lease arrangement. Leavitt has shown an interest in developing correctional facilities at English Village, something the state could not do under a federal lease.
"They (the Army) understand that the Guard needs to use facilities at Dugway. The governor also has a very firm grasp on the idea that people who work at Dugway need and want to live there," Johnson said.
Officially, the governor's office and the Utah National Guard are holding back until the Army plays its hand.
"As far as I know, everything is on hold," said retired Maj. Gen. John L. Matthews, Leavitt's military adviser and former Utah National Guard adjutant general. "We've been trying to make sure that the Army takes care of their responsibilities first."
"The Guard is still interested, and we are just waiting," said Col. Paul Hough, part of the Utah Army National Guard team that has been negotiating English Village proposals with the Army.
"The Guard has never advocated the closure of English Village. We are allies in this venture. If the Army cannot find the funding necessary, then we are in a fall-back position."