Consulting Firm Plans For Growth At Fort Sill

LAWTON, Okla. (AP) _ A consulting firm operating with Defense Department funding is planning for population growth anticipated under Fort Sill's expansion plans. <br/><br/>The number of employees,

Friday, August 3rd 2007, 2:18 pm

By: News On 6

LAWTON, Okla. (AP) _ A consulting firm operating with Defense Department funding is planning for population growth anticipated under Fort Sill's expansion plans.

The number of employees, soldiers and families at the Army post is expected to swell by 10,000 by 2011.

Most will arrive in April 2009, when the Air Defense Artillery School moves from Fort Bliss, Texas.

To accommodate the rapid growth, Lawton must plan to expand every aspect of its infrastructure, including schools, police and fire protection, roads and utilities, according to consultants from Carter Burgess, an Oklahoma City-based planning firm.

``It's such a monumental task, there was no way we could have taken it on in-house,'' said Kevin Jackson, Lawton senior city planner.

Jackson said the firm will receive nearly $500,000 for its work, with 90 percent of the cost paid for by the Defense Department. The Defense Department's Base Realignment and Closure Commission called for adding the Air Defense Artillery School to Fort Sill.

The consulting firm will begin the planning process by gathering input from Lawton and 13 communities within a short commute of Fort Sill.

The growth management plan is to identify critical needs and to direct growth in a way that protects the area's natural resources and prevents encroachment on military operations, said Doug Tennant, project manager for the Carter Burgess firm.

``With the growth master plan, we can control some of the development so we keep some of these natural areas protected,'' Jackson said.

A draft plan is expected to be complete by April 1 and a final plan will be presented June 1.