OEA BRAC Program of Assistance Review

Facilitators Guide

Office of Economic Adjustment BRAC Program of Assistance Review

Department of Defense

Office of Economic Adjustment

2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 520
Arlington, Virginia 22202-3711

11/16/2016

OMB CONTROL NUMBER: 0704-0553

OMB EXPIRATION DATE: 04/30/2019

AGENCY DISCLOSURE NOTICE

The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 8 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Executive Services Directorate, Directives Division, 4800 Mark Center Drive, East Tower, Suite 03G09, Alexandria, VA 22350-3100 [0704-0553]. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number.

PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS.

Responses should be sent to:

Department of Defense

Office of Economic Adjustment

2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 520

Arlington, Virginia, 22202-3711

james.p.holland8.civ@mail.mil

OEA — BRAC Focus Group Discussion Guide – DRAFT

I. Introduction & Opening Session (approx. 2.0 hours)

1. Agency Disclosure Notice

The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 8 hours per response, including the time for listening to instructions, and discussing responses. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Executive Services Directorate, Directives Division, 4800 Mark Center Drive, East Tower, Suite 02G09, Alexandria, VA 22350-3100 [0704-0553]. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number.

2. Explanation of purpose of listening session.

MOD NOTE: OEA seeks to obtain feedback on the base redevelopment and realignment process and its support to communities from its customers to specifically understand how its support assisted, or hindered, LRA redevelopment efforts.

DC Group will prepare an executive summary and a written record of the proceedings for each meeting. Comments will not be attributed to specific individuals, and these reports will not be shared externally. A final report on the overall findings will also be produced and will not be shared externally. This information will be used to make improvements to DoD and OEA’s current and future service delivery by understanding which tools, resources and technical assistance have been helpful and what needs to be modified or created to assist communities facing future BRAC actions. It will be used to inform OEA program changes and may be cited if asked by DoD or others for recommendations on how the BRAC redevelopment process can be improved.

3. Background of what will be covered during the groups

   1. The meeting will cover the three general stages of the BRAC process, and your experiences and lessons learned during each.

4. Participant/Moderator instructions/ground rules

5. Participant/Moderator introductions

MOD NOTE: Each participant will be asked to provide a brief presentation about their past project(s) and any issues, challenges, or breakthroughs that they would like to share. Each presentation will be about five minutes in length.

6. Listening Session Exercise #1

After the participants provide an overview of their past BRAC projects and lessons, they will specifically be asked to identify:

1. The 2 Most Difficult Challenges?

2. The 2 Biggest Accomplishments?

3. Two Lessons Learned to Pass Along?

(This information will be captured on flip charts as each participant gives their list)

4. Participants will then vote for a rank order of the challenges from the most pressing to least.

MOD NOTE: This exercise helps create rapport among the participants as they see the successes and struggles of the others in a common situation. It also helps to establish a measure of priority among the past perceptions and experiences of participants that can lead to more actionable outcomes for OEA, as opposed to treating all challenges listed as being of equal weight.

The exercise ends with the moderator’s directed questions:

7. Do you feel, overall, that OEA and it processes and/or financial support assisted, or hindered, your redevelopment efforts? Why so?

8. What other partners (public or private) were particularly helpful or not helpful? What did they do? What was missing?

(Suggest Break after the Opening Session – 15-20 minutes)

II. BRAC Phase I: Closure Recommendation – Approval Date (approx. 1.25 hours)

9. Our discussions will now concentrate on three BRAC phases. Our first phase covers the period from the Closure Recommendation through to the Approval Date. Below are major components of this phase (DESCRIBE LIST):

CLOSURE RECOMMENDATION THROUGH APPROVAL DATE

1. Transitioning anxiety to constructive action

2. Dual tracking

3. Local leadership

4. Multiple jurisdictions

5. Advanced planning

6. Retained enclaves

(This information will be displayed on flip chart and handout will be given to participants)

10. Does the group agree with this list, or do you have any additional major components for this phase to add?

(New components will be added if recommended using different marker color to flip chart & by participants to their handouts)

The moderator then asks the group to:

11. Pick the one word that best describes your recollection of dealing with this component and write it next to that component? (Give 2-3 minutes for participants to write answers)

12. Let’s talk about some of the words you came up with? Why so?

13. Now next to that word you previously wrote for each component, write the one word that best describes the best/preferred outcome? (Give 2-3 minutes for participants to write answers)

14. Let’s talk about some of the words you came up with? What caused the gap between your first word and second?

(Staff will collect this information and create a Word Cloud of the participants’ answers to these two questions - e.g., using Wordle, Word It Out, or other similar software) to display after the participants finish their break-out team work-FG Exercise #2)

15. Who engaged with you early on? What were their motivations?

16. How did you identify and recruit new partners? What drove the decision to do so?

17. What can OEA do to be better engaged – e.g., how they do it - in this phase of the BRAC process?

18. How can the information flow be improved amongst all parties? What tools are useful?

19. What should be the policy considerations – local, state and federal?

(Suggest Lunch Break after BRAC Phase I Session – between 45-60 minutes)

III. BRAC Phase II: Closure Approval – Property Disposal (approx. 1.5 hours)

20. Our discussions will now continue on the three BRAC phases. Our second phase covers the period from the Closure Approval through to Property Disposal. Below are major components of this phase (DESCRIBE LIST):

CLOSURE APPROVAL TO PROPERTY DISPOSAL

1. Speaking with one voice

2. Representation and zoning authority

3. Locating the LRA on-base

4. SWOT

5. Personal property review

6. Federal real property screening

7. Homeless outreach and submission

8. Environmental Condition of Property information

9. NEPA scoping (military department policies and procedures)

10. Operational/business plans

11. Addressing state/federal requirements

12. Screening by military v. community

13. Multiple Federal sources of support – OEA/Military Department/Federal Sponsor Agencies

14. The Base Redevelopment Plan

15. Private v. public implementation models

16. Interim leases

17. Cooperative caretaker agreements

18. Legal services and redevelopment consultant support

19. Privatized housing and utilities

20. Warm-basing & mothballing facilities

21. Economic conveyance process

(This information will be displayed on flip chart and handout will be given to participants)

21. Does the group agree with this list, or do you have any additional major components for this phase to add?

(New components will be added if recommended using different marker color to flip chart & by participants to their handouts)

The moderator then asks the group to:

22. Pick the one word that best describes your recollection of dealing with this component and write it next to that component? (Give 5 minutes for participants to write answers)

23. Let’s talk about some of the words you came up with? Why so?

24. Were there any parallel state environmental processes? Did they align with NEPA?

25. For BRAC 2005 communities, was the Staubach report of value to Army communities?

26. What was your experience with MilCon exchange? Infrastructure studies?

27. For BRAC 2005 communities, did the Great Recession impact the planning or implementation process in your community?

28. Listening Session Exercise #2

Participants will again be divided into three small-groups of 3-4 members. The groups will be tasked with identifying recommendations related to BRAC Phase 2 components as follows:

Group 1 – What can OEA do to be better engaged – e.g., how they do it –

in this phase of the BRAC process?

Group 2 – How can the information flow be improved amongst all parties?

What tools are useful?

Group 3 – What should be the policy considerations – local, state and federal?

MOD NOTE: Give 20 minutes for participants to develop recommendations. The results of the Word Cloud will be presented to the participants as a resource to help frame the value of the small group report outs. Groups will then spend 5 minutes each making their report out including recommendations.

Follow up the report outs by the small groups with questions related to recommendations, such as:

29. How would your recommendations impact/adjust OEA’s outreach and program assistance for any future rounds of base closures?

30. How would your recommendations help LRAs utilizing OEA support to better engage/collaborate with the military services?

31. How would your recommendations inform other federal agencies to revise/update their support for any future rounds of base closures?

32. Based on your recommendations, is there a need for potential legislative changes?

(Suggest Break after the BRAC Phase II Session – 15-20 minutes)

IV. BRAC Phase III: Acquisition of and Redevelopment of Transferred Property (approx. 1.5 hours)

33. Our discussions will now continue with the last of the three BRAC phases. The third and final phase covers the Acquisition of and Redevelopment of Transferred Property. Below are major components of this phase (DESCRIBE LIST):

ACQUISITION OF AND REDEVELOPMENT OF TRANSFERRED PROPERTY

1. Addressing state/federal requirements

2. Connecting with potential federal redevelopment resources

3. Early transfers / ESCAs

4. Public and negotiated sales

5. Property Conveyances

6. Legal services and redevelopment consultant support

7. Public / Private / Public-Private Partnerships

8. Master developer

9. Environmental cleanup

10. Financing demolition, site improvements and redevelopment

11. Phase-out of OEA organizational support

12. Privatization (housing, utilities)

13. Warm-basing & mothballing facilities

(This information will be displayed on flip chart and handout will be given to participants)

34. Does the group agree with this list, or do you have any additional major components for this phase to add?

(New components will be added if recommended using different marker color to flip chart & by participants to their handouts)

The moderator then asks the group to:

35. Pick the one word that best describes your recollection of dealing with this component and write it next to that component? (Give 5 minutes for participants to write answers)

36. Let’s talk about some of the words you came up with? Why so?

37. Where does “as-is, where-is” work well or not work?

38. For BRAC 2005 communities, did the Military Service’s policy on property disposal affect the negotiations with your community? In what respect?

39. For BRAC 2005 communities, did you have sufficient information and resources to develop modifications to your plans?

40. How did you measure success for this phase and what would you measure differently?

41. Listening Session Exercise #3

Participants will be divided into three small-groups of 3-4 members. Groups will be reorganized so different participants are grouped together. Groups will be tasked with identifying recommendations related to BRAC Phase 3 components as follows:

Group 1 – What can OEA do to be better engaged – e.g., how they do it –

in this phase of the BRAC process?

Group 2 – How can the information flow be improved amongst all parties?

What tools are useful?

Group 3 – What should be the policy considerations – local, state and federal?

MOD NOTE: Give 20 minutes for participants to develop recommendations. The results of the Word Cloud will be presented to the participants as a resource to help frame the value of the small group report outs. Groups will then spend 5 minutes each making their report out including recommendations.

Follow up the report outs by the small groups with questions related to recommendations, such as:

42. How would your recommendations impact/adjust OEA’s outreach and program assistance for any future rounds of base closures?

43. How would your recommendations help LRAs utilizing OEA support to better engage/collaborate with the military services?

44. How would your recommendations inform other federal agencies to revise/update their support for any future rounds of base closures?

45. Based on your recommendations, is there a need for potential legislative changes?

V. Conclusion (approx. 15 minutes)

46. Of all the things we’ve discussed and evaluated today—what stood out the most? Why?

47. What best advice would you give to leaders in future BRAC communities to use or consider when using OEA services? e.g., what would you say to him or her?

48. Based on your experiences and our discussions today, what are the OEA’s strengths as an organization and as a service provider? What about weaknesses?

49. How should the OEA communicate to you about all of this stuff?

50. Is there anything surrounding these issues that we didn’t talk about that you wish we had covered? What is it, and why?

(Thank and Dismiss Respondents)