SUMMIT POINT — While the congressional tug of war over the foreign affairs security training center facility at Summit Point Raceway continues, John Reisenweber, director of the Jefferson County Development Authority, said the facility should remain open through 2019.
Reisenweber presented an update on the situtation at Summit Point to the Jefferson County commissioners at Thursday's commission meeting. He said a cost-benefit analysis requested by the West Virginia congressional delegation has been completed.
"The report says that over a 30-to-50 year period, there will be a savings to the federal government if they relocate the training facility to Fort Pickett, Virginia," Reisenweber said. "I, personally, don't agree that spending millions of dollars to duplicate an existing facility is saving. While Summit Point is open, it provides an economic benefit to Jefferson County."
Commissioner Walt Pellish said he was skeptical of the claim about cost savings to the federal government made in the cost-benefit analysis.
"I'm skeptical because they had to look that far ahead to see a savings. You can predict anything in 50 years," Pellish said.
Summit Point Raceway employs 60 full-time staff for racing operations, as well as 100 seasonal people for racing operations alone, Reisenweber said. More than 150 additional employees operate the training facility, he said.
Reisenweber said the Jefferson County Development Authority would like to see the training facility at Summit Point stay open.
"Summit Point has played a role in homeland security for the nation. Right now, the owner is in the middle of a five-year contract with the State Department, so training will continue until 2019, the same year the Fort Pickett site is supposed to be ready," he said. "Senator (Shelley Moore) Capito said she hopes some element of training will remain there."