There has been has been a bit of press lately about controversies between the town of Brunswick, the Governor’s Office and the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority. Given some of the incorrect statements made about some of these issues, it’s important to correct the record from MRRA’s perspective.

First and foremost, MRRA’s mission is to redevelop the former base to create new jobs to replace the 5,000 military personnel and civilian employees lost when the base closed. We take this responsibility seriously and are making some solid gains in meeting this objective.

We have received national recognition for the pace and level of redevelopment compared to other closed facilities. To date, there are more than 20 businesses operating at Brunswick Landing, employing nearly 175 people, with planned growth of over 600 jobs over the next few years, just from these companies.

In addition to job creation, these companies have generated more than $450,000 this year in new property taxes for the town of Brunswick — and it will grow exponentially every year. This is new money that can help the town meet its municipal and education obligations.

This is significant because this property was never taxable while the Navy owned it. Furthermore, these new businesses are now part of the local economy. They are buying services from local vendors and their employees are eating in local restaurants, shopping in local stores and even purchasing or renting homes in the community.

MRRA is striving hard to attract new businesses to fill those empty buildings left by the Navy. Creating new jobs in this economy is tough work, and competition is fierce for attracting those few investments that do exist.

In addition to the quality-of-life factors, businesses looking to locate in a community must perceive that the community is welcoming to them. Programs such as state and local Tax Increment Financing, tax credits and workforce training are also very important to these location decisions. So it’s important to be able to provide some of these incentives at Brunswick Landing if we want to be competitive in attracting new investment and jobs here.

It’s important to note however, that there are no special incentive programs being offered at Brunswick Landing that wouldn’t be available in other parts of the state.

One of the areas of controversy involves a tax exemption for aeronautical businesses. State law includes a property tax exemption for aeronautical uses in buildings owned by municipal organizations such as MRRA.

This exemption has been in statute since the 1950s. As reported, MRRA and the town disagree as to whether or not a certain aviation business at Brunswick Landing is taxable.

It should be noted that we are not seeking a special or new tax break for a particular business, but are just asking for the law to be applied correctly.

Certainly, as a taxpayer in the community, we have the right to question a tax assessment.

Based upon our research, many other communities in the state apply this exemption to their airport businesses. The net effect is that we do not currently have a level playing field in which to try to attract aviation companies to Brunswick Landing, compared to other communities in the state.

In light of the above, we are seeking a “referee” of sorts to make a call on the meaning of the law.

The options that exist for MRRA include a tax appeal, a declaratory judgment from a judge, or legislative action. Now that this law seems to be applied inconsistently across the state, the governor’s office is asking the Legislature to clarify it.

If the Legislature decides that all airport businesses should be taxable, it will certainly be acceptable to MRRA, in that we will then have a level playing field in which to compete.

The long-term success of redevelopment here will largely be based on how well MRRA, the town of Brunswick, and state and federal agencies can work together.

To date, the state has provided critical financial resources in the form of bonds to help repurpose the facility to accommodate new businesses, and the town has steadily approved necessary zoning amendments and subdivision approvals.

It should be noted that environmental stewardship is a cornerstone of the redevelopment program. In all development activities, MRRA regularly consults with and complies with all federal and state agencies and requirements regarding environmental issues.

Contrary to a recent allegation, no development at Brunswick Landing has destroyed any habitat areas, nor caused any environmental degradation.

In fact, the environment is even better protected now. The Reuse Master Plan preserves more than 1,000 acres of sensitive wildlife habitats, wetlands, vernal pools and other conservation areas in perpetuity, and we are currently developing a wildlife management plan for portions of MRRA-controlled property.

Given the complexity of the base redevelopment process, there will always be issues. As we continue through this process, I hope we can all maintain our civility.

Recognizing the need to have a forum to maintain dialogue on matters of mutual concern, MRRA has reached out to the town of Brunswick on numerous occasions over the past several years, and now have formally asked the two host communities and the state to join us in forming an advisory working group to help work through these issues.

In addition, in recognition of Brunswick as the primary host community, five Brunswick citizens serve on the MRRA Board of Directors, which gives us a strong local perspective.

MRRA board members and staff are very focused and dedicated to the task of redeveloping this base as rapidly as possible. As we continue with this endeavor, it’s important to state that we will always be open to constructive feedback on how we can do things better.

STEVE LEVESQUE is executive director of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority.