$47 Million Project Under Consideration for Lakehurst's Joint Base Section

A $47 million aviation hangar that would be built in Lakehurst has been included in the U.S. Army's 2013 projected budget.

The hangar, which has been championed by Congressman Chris Smith since 2008, would house a research, development and engineering center, known as CERDEC Flight Activity (CFA). The structure would replace the wooden Hangar 5 — which was built in the 1940s and is deteriorating — at the Lakehurst portion of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. 

“Looking at [the Department of Defense's] budgetary situation and the funding reductions they are facing, this project’s inclusion in the Army’s request this morning is a testament to CFA’s record of providing cost-effective support to the warfighter with established capabilities and intellectual capital that cannot be replicated elsewhere,” reads a statement issued by Smith, who represents Lakehurst and Manchester in New Jersey's Fourth Congressional District. “It will remain a critical aspect of our installation, and a place to attract more work and more missions for many years.”

A new hangar is "sorely needed," said CFA Director Charles Maraldo.

"The current facility is approaching 70 years old and is not in the best condition," he said. "The new hangar will contain state-of-the-art safety features and provide an efficient and cost effective working environment for the government and contractor workforce."

Smith, who formed Save Navy Lakehurst in 1995 to remove the base from Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission consideration, said that continuing this CFA activity in Lakehurst is good for military innovation and the local economy.

"They employ over a hundred New Jersey residents, conduct hundreds of millions in annual business and support local small business firms," he said. "Additionally, there are also near-term local economic benefits of a construction project of this magnitude."

Though included in the Army budget, the U.S. House and Senate must now begin work on the Pentagon's authorization and appropriations bills and must include the hangar to be signed into law for 2013.