VICENZA, Italy — The Italian army officer in charge of U.S. facilities in Vicenza received some added responsibility Tuesday — about half of the Dal Molin airfield.
Col. Edoardo Maggian now has control over not only Caserma Ederle, but the property the U.S. plans to use for barracks and offices for the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.
The announcement was made by Tuesday by Paolo Costa, the Italian government’s representative for the Dal Molin project, at a news conference in downtown Vicenza. The Italian air force has controlled the land, but doesn’t have a use for it. Costa said that Italy will maintain control over the new base as it does over other U.S. facilities in the country. The U.S. doesn’t own the land for its bases in Italy, unlike in other countries such as Germany.
Costa also said that a professor at the University of Padova had studied the project and determined that U.S. buildings shouldn’t have an adverse impact on two key aquifers for the city.
Opponents to the project have cited potential damage to the city’s water supply as one of their main concerns. He also talked about building a new runway on the eastern side of the property. The U.S. says it has no use for any runways on the property and the current one will be destroyed in order to make room for U.S. facilities.
Asked about another project criticism — increased vehicle traffic — Costa said that was an issue the province of Vicenza would have to tackle. He noted that during past Italian and NATO operations on Dal Molin, such as during the air war over Kosovo, twice as many troops were based on the land than the U.S. plans to base there.
Col. Erik Daiga, U.S. Army Garrison-Vicenza commander, also attended the news conference. He said the U.S. plans to have housing for about 1,200 soldiers on the property and office space for a total of 2,000. Other elements of the brigade will remain on Caserma Ederle.
Daiga said the U.S. facilities will be built to the most modern environmental standards, with various devices in place to reduce water and energy consumption.
"SETAF and the United States Army will be responsible stewards," he said.
Costa said the timing of the announcement, less than a week before Sunday’s scheduled referendum, was purely coincidental. He reiterated the federal government’s position that the vote — in which Vicenza residents will be asked if they want the city to buy the property — has no merit, because the land isn’t for sale and the decision to let the U.S. use it has already been made.
