Governor Asks Feds to Keep Commissary Open

Governor Chris Christie is the latest official to throw his weight behind the push to keep the Fort Monmouth Commissary open after its scheduled Aug. 1 close.

Last week the governor sent a letter to Dr. Clifford L. Stanley,Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness, at the Department of Defense, urging his office to accept Army Secretary John McHugh's request to keep the store open for an additional two years after Fort Monmouth closes.

In the letter dated June 17, the governor told the under secretary that, "The redevelopment of Fort Monmouth is an important priority for my Administration," and called the closing of the fort a "staggering economic blow to New Jersey." He also linked the commissary to the area's future economic development.

As many as 5,000 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs are impacted at a time when New Jersey's unemployment rate has consistently been above 9 % for the past two years. The closure's overall economic impact to the state is expected to be as much as a billion dollars, at a time when the national economy is already struggling. Please know that the daily traffic and business activity associated with the Commissary will help demonstrate the economic livelihood of the area, a significant benefit in continuing to attract economic development opportunities on the base.

The letter comes less than a month after Christie's May 25 letter to the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) urging that office to approve the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority's (FMERA) more than two-year-old HUD application. Last week FMERA got word that it's application had been , though officials couldn't say it was a result of Christie's nudging.

Local officials estimate that Fort Monmouth's Commissary serves some 22,000 area veterans. The commissary offers food and household goods at significant discounts to the military and military retirees. Losing this discount would be a pay cut to some already cash strapped families, the letter goes on to say.

Eighty percent of the current customers are retired military personnel planning to stay in the area after the Fort closes. The reduced costs associated with groceries and other items for sale are critical to those living on fixed incomes. In addition, current customers would have to drive an hour each way to access the next closest commissary.

There has been no word from the DoD since the Army's March request, which has left local veterans and officials to speculate about their beloved post store. Freeholder Lillian Burry, who is in charge of veterans affairs on the FMERA board, said the commissary is as much a gathering place as it is a grocery store.  Burry announced a FMERA meeting last week that based on her conversations with one Army officer, she believed the request would be approved. As a veterans advocate and the wife of a retired military man, that is something she is hoping for.

"The retirees really depend on it," she said. "They can identify with Fort Monmouth and their military service (at the commissary) because that was one of their perks being so under paid."