CHICOPEE, Mass.—The U.S. Air Force says the Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee poured nearly $238 into the local economy in the financial year ending Sept. 30, marking a $29 million drop over the previous year.
The decline is due a $4.2 million decrease in payroll spending, a $22 million fall in construction expenditure and a $3.3 million drop in the estimated value of the nearly 1,060 indirect jobs created by the air base.
Westover cost and management analyst Daniel McCarthy says payroll spending fell because of a decline in the number of troops on active duty. Construction costs dropped at the end of a spike triggered by the base's activation to support the military surge in Afghanistan.
The economic impact does not include any of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps Reserve units at the base.
