Fort Bragg's name change could cost NC taxpayers over $6 million
Fort Bragg will soon be named Fort Liberty.
Of the nine other military bases getting a name change due to their ties with the Confederacy, Fort Bragg is the most expensive one to re-name – and tax-payers will be footing much of the bill.
According to the final report from the Naming Commission, the total cost for all change-overs will cost around $20 million. Because of the size of Fort Bragg – and the number of buildings and street signs with the name – the estimated cost for the change over is around $.6.3 million.
While taxpayers will be covering a large chunk of the costs, local business-owners will also face their share of expenses associated with changing signage, ordering new lettering for their storefronts and printing new flyers and business cards,
As for changing highway signs: The North Carolina Department of Transportation doesn't have a final number yet, but estimated the cost last year at over $300,000. However, the rise in overall costs for construction and materials has gone up since then.
"We've seen a lot of cost escalations in materials and construction," says Andrew Barksdale, spokesperson for the NCDOT. "Liberty is a pretty short name, like Bragg, but things are costing more now than a year ago."
Barksdale says the City of Fayetteville and Cumberland County would be responsible for changing street signs with Bragg on them, if they decided to make the change.
Some local businesses have already bought into the planned change. For example, Crown Ford is now Liberty Ford.
However, some smaller mom and pop operations aren't sure if they can afford to make the change.
Congress has given the nine military installations until Jan. 1, 2024 to complete the mission of changing their names.
After more than a century as Fort Bragg, Fort Liberty will soon be 82nd Airborne's new home. And whether state, federal or local governments do the work, ultimately it's going to be the local taxpayers and business-owners who cover the bill.
