The Air Force has completed negotiations with the St. Louis County Port Authority for the transfer of 39 acres in the Lemay community of St. Louis. The property, once home to the National Imagery Mapping Agency, was declared excess to the federal government by the General Services Administration in 2005.

"This truly is one of those win-win situations that you hear about,” said Brig. Gen. Del Eulberg, Air Mobility Command director of installations and mission support.

“There are a lot of winners in this deal -- not just the local community but there are winners in Afghanistan and Iraq, too,” said the general. “The U.S. Air Force needed to transfer this land for a higher and better use. Now we can use the funds that would have been used here to provide the equipment and training to our troops overseas."

This land-transfer initiative, cited as a “profile in citizen stewardship” by the 2005 White House Cooperative Conservation Conference, will eliminate potential health and safety hazards, restore the property, and return it to productive use as quickly as possible.

The 39-acre tract of land is located in a blighted industrial area near the Mississippi River on the urban fringe of St. Louis. The Port Authority plans to improve the property by restoring and conserving its critical natural resources while investing in its potential for economic development.

The negotiations established a precedent for future Air Force value-based property transactions, according to Kathryn Halvorson, Air Force Real Property Agency director.

“Allowing development on this property will be a benefit to the Port Authority and the citizens of this community,” said Ms. Halvorson. “It will also bring revenue to the Air Force which can be used to support the Air Force’s global mission.”

A four-lane access road along the northern border of the NIMA property will open landlocked Port Authority property.

Key partners for this initiative include the Air Force Real Property Agency, General Services Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, St. Louis County Executive, St. Louis County Port Authority and the St. Louis County Economic Council.

Charlie Dooley, St. Louis County Executive, expressed his appreciation for the partnership that made this happen.

“Thanks to all of you for helping clean up and return this land to good use for our community,” he said. “This is a terrific example of intergovernmental cooperation for economic development.”