The Air Force closed its base there in 1993, a few years after the Berlin Wall came down, but kept the King Salmon operation in caretaker status with 42 contract workers at an annual cost of $7 million, said Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins of the 11th Air Force, headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage.
For the last five years, the Air Force has used the Southwest Alaska site only for training, so it makes economic sense to scale it way back, Atkins told reporters.
The new contract should be in the range of $3.5 million a year with a staffing level of 21 to 30. The operation will be able to ramp up and house up to 400 if needed, according to the Air Force.
The contract currently is held by Chugach Support Services and expires in March.
The Air Force will continue to contract separately with the state Department of Transportation for runway and taxiway maintenance, the lieutenant general said.
After he briefed reporters, Atkins was flying to King Salmon to evaluate which buildings the military wants to keep, which should be demolished and which could be turned over to the community.
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