Mr. Felker Ward, Chair of the McPherson Planning Local Redevelopment Authority (McPherson PLRA), announced the Authority has received official Department of Defense recognition and has hired Jack C. Sprott as executive director. The McPherson PLRA has the responsibility and authority for planning the reuse of the 488-acre base in southwest Atlanta.
Official recognition by the DoD Office of Economic Adjustment is an early requirement in the BRAC process. The recognition letter will be published in the Federal Register. Fort McPherson was slated for closure in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) legislation.
Sprott has served as executive director for the Charleston Naval Complex Redevelopment Authority (RDA) since 1994. The RDA managed the closure and redevelopment of the 1,400 acre US Navy’s Shipyard and Naval Station on the Charleston peninsula. Charleston quickly became the flagship of the Navy’s base closure process which created over 4,000 jobs within two years. Sprott directed the planning and development of the naval complex and managed the day-to-day business activities of the Authority.
A graduate of Wofford College with an US Army ROTC commission, Mr. Sprott served as a Signal Officer at Fort Bragg and in Vietnam. He is a Certified Real Estate Appraiser and a licensed real estate broker. He serves on the board of the Association of Defense Communities.
Mr. Ward said “we are fortunate to have attracted a leader like Jack to our team. We value his expertise and 12 years of experience in a successful base closure that generated significant economic development for the communities, employees and businesses impacted by the base closure.”