Uncertainty grips Hawthorne

Jeff Donaldson

Monday, May 23, 2005 | 9:46 a.m.

When Greg West moved to Hawthorne 11 years ago to take a job at the Army depot, the little town of 6,490 was a bustling desert oasis of stores and shops.

That was thanks in part to the depot itself -- a sprawling area of more than 2,600 underground storage bunkers for new and expired military ammunition; a transfer point for ordinance en route to Nazi Germany, Korea and Vietnam.

But Hawthorne's bustling, yet small town existence has been threatened by news the government plans to close the Hawthorne Army Depot, with its 548 employees -- more than one-third of Mineral County's work force.

"Everything that happens in town happens around the base," West said. "If they attempt to close it down it will have a dramatic effect on the community as a whole."

Unfortunately for Hawthorne, the Department of Defense Base Realignment and Closure committee is looking at the depot's diminished role in the current military in putting it on a list of more than 80 bases that could be closed.

Lt. Col. John Summers, commander of Hawthorne and the only actual military member working there, said the depot performs at a little more than half of its original capability.

Although the base still provides ammunition, such as 1,000-pound bombs for the Air Force, 25-millimeter shells for the Army's Bradley fighting vehicles and torpedoes for the Navy -- it shipped 4,000 tons to Iraq in March -- most of Hawthorne's mission today is accepting expired ammunition.

The base's nearly 500 contract employees disassemble old ammunition, melting down metal in a brand new $7 million furnace and reselling the materials -- a mission the government believes could be performed elsewhere.

"Our role is not as predominant in the current war," Summers said. "That's not to say we don't provide an important service. We just have a different directive."

Hawthorne is located about two hours south of Reno, six hours north of Las Vegas. The base was opened in 1930 and served as a major manufacturer and storage place for ammunition used in several wars, including the first Gulf War.

The Hawthorne Army Depot also has served as a convenient training spot for Army troops at Fort Irwin, near Barstow, Calif., and Marines who use various spots through the state for desert training.

Because of its presence, Hawthorne has a large number of retired military, and Summers said a good portion of the town's work force supports the base's employees, such as tire stores and office supply shops.

Aside from the county, the area's other major employers are a casino and the school district.

"I think the town can survive (without the depot), but we have to join hands early in the process and aggressively seek re-utilization for all the storage," Summers said. "I don't foresee them bringing in enough employment to take the place of the Army."

A Defense Department summary of the proposed closures said Hawthorne has infrastructure problems and said the closure could save $777 million over 20 years. The Pentagon wants to move the depot's storage and demilitarization functions to Tooele Army Depot in Utah.

Robert Bryant, chairman of the Mineral County Commission, said the potential closure would be"rather devastating."

But the true impact can be felt among the citizens of Hawthorne too -- like local artist Don Banfield, who has lived there for 10 years. In a town where this past weekend's Armed Forces Parade remains one of its most treasured events, the closure of Hawthorne Army Depot could definitely reshape the town.

"When I retired in 1992, we moved here because of the fellowship in the community," Banfield said. "It's sad to only have a place to live. We're going to suffer for quality of life tremendously because it'll all be covered over with dust."