Military presence before the base Plattsburgh was the third oldest military post in the United States. The U.S. has maintained a military presence at the site of the now-closed base since 30 December 1814. In particular:
Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut
Michael P. Anderson, born at Plattsburgh AFB, was a USAF pilot at Plattsburgh AFB when he was selected by
NASA in 1994. Major commands to which the base was assigned: •
Strategic Air Command, 1954 – 1 June 1992 •
Air Mobility Command, 1 June 1992 – 25 September 1995
Major units assigned from Plattsburgh AFB on display •
308th Bombardment Wing (Wing existed on paper, but was non-operational) •
373d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) •
374th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) •
375th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) •
425th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) •
380th Bomb Wing •
26th Air Refueling Squadron (7 August 1957 – 31 July 1959) •
310th Air Refueling Squadron (25 January 1967 – 1 October 1994) •
380th Air Refueling Squadron (16 August 1956 – April 1961; 15 September 1964 – 1 October 1994) •
528th Bombardment Squadron (11 July 1955 – 1 July 1991) •
529th Bombardment Squadron (11 July 1955 – 25 June 1966 and 6 January 1971 – 1 September 1991) •
530th Bombardment Squadron (11 July 1955 – 25 June 1966 and 1 July 1986 – 1 July 1991) (later 530th Strategic Bomber Training Squadron, Combat Crew Training Squadron) •
531st Bombardment Squadron (1 May 1959 – 1 January 1962) •
556th Strategic Missile Squadron: 15 September 1964 – 25 June 1965) •
497th Air Refueling Wing (1 January 1963 – 15 September 1964) •
26th Air Refueling Squadron (1 January 1963 – 15 September 1964) •
380th Air Refueling Squadron (1 January 1963 – 15 September 1964) •
820th Strategic Aerospace Division •
556th Strategic Missile Squadron Missile operations #100 at Site 6 AuSable Forks NY Plattsburgh Air Force Base was designated as one of four major
Atlas launching systems in the U.S., the only
ICBM missile system deployed east of the Mississippi River. Two years later, when BRACC reconvened for another round of closures, PAFB, along with
McGuire AFB in
New Jersey and
Griffiss AFB in
Rome, New York, were considered for closing. The local sentiment was that, again, PAFB will be spared mainly because the USAF had plans to transform the base to a major Strategic Air Command base for the Northeast, expanding to add more aircraft and personnel. It has produced standard passenger cars, locomotives, hybrids, light rail cars and subway cars.
Current status Plattsburgh Airbase Redevelopment Corporation (PARC), led by the nationally known planner, David Holmes, was created to manage the property. Holmes had overseen the redevelopment plan which included a mixed-use solution to overcome the economic shortfall that occurred when the military moved out. Uses included Aviation, Biotechnology, Industrial and Recreation. Ultimately, PARC split up the base into 165 parcels for redevelopment. While community leaders feared in 1995, at the time of the actual closure, that the North Country's economy would collapse, this did not turn out to be the case; the base actually only accounted for $42 million in economic impact (about 8 percent of the local economy) because it was so isolated. It was anticipated that it would take 20 years to replace the impact. But in 1996, Dave Werlin of Great Northeast productions and PARC's Director of Planning, Nate Sears, devised a way to make up $30 million in 3 days. On 16 and 17 August 1996, PARC hosted a massive music concert on the runway of the old decommissioned airbase by the band
Phish. The concert, known as
The Clifford Ball, was attended by 70,000 people and added $30 million to the local economy. The concert was the largest Rock concert in North America in 1996 and drew attention from The New York Times, MTV and numerous news media world-wide. The concert was possible due to a coalition of entities, including the
New York State Police, Clinton County Sheriff, City of Plattsburgh, CVPH Medical Center, the Clinton County Health Department and numerous other private and public organizations. Although Phish wanted to return, PARC's Board of Directors declined in a 6-1 vote and subsequent Phish concerts were held at the former
Loring Air Force Base in
Limestone, Maine, where they generated $25 million and $40 million for the local community, respectively in 1997 and 1998.
NSYNC were scheduled to hold a concert at the former base on June 10, 2001 as part of the
PopOdyssey tour, but it was cancelled. As of 2016, PARC tenants on former airbase properties include: •
Wood Group •
Pratt & Whitney Industrial Turbine Services •
Sikorsky •
UPS Air Freight •
FedEx Air Freight • PrimeLink • Gradient etc. The site also hosts a number of specialty services on site, including acres of parks, trails and playing fields as well as an 18-hole golf course, a day care center and a gym. On the original Military Reservation, on the shores of Lake Champlain, is the Old Base Museum Campus. There are five museums within 200 feet of each other – the Clinton County Historical Museum, the Air Force Base Museum, the
Champlain Valley Transportation Museum, the Kids' Station Children's Museum and the
War of 1812 Museum, all housed in former military buildings. Included on the Museum Campus are edifices built in the 1890s including Officers' Row, the old Headquarters Building and the old fire station. The historic district around the Oval parade ground saw General
Leonard Wood's founding of the Plattsburgh Idea, a training program started to prepare officers for duty in
World War II. There is also a Memorial Chapel, the Clyde A. Lewis Air Park, and the Old Post Cemetery, in which a Spanish American War Medal of Honor recipient is buried. Two of the original structures built just after the
War of 1812 are still on Campus – the
Old Stone Barracks and the original powder magazine. The USAF lists Plattsburgh among its BRAC "success stories." The base's reuse and the circumstances surrounding it were chronicled in ''Flying High Again: PARC's Redevelopment of Plattsburgh Air Force Base'', written by
Marian Calabro and published by CorporateHistory.net in 2008. ==Environmental problems==