By Brian Lyman
Star Staff Writer
05-22-2005

This could be a real estate deal in the future: Approximately 625 acres, last used as a bird refuge and chemical-weapon disposal site, just 825 miles from the nearest U.S. state. There’s water around the island, but not on it; you’ll have to rub your socks on a carpet to generate any electricity and the island’s single airstrip is closed. But if you like isolation, you’ll love the Johnston Atoll. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime deal. Johnston Atoll, the site of the first chemical-weapons disposal program, has shown up for auction on at least one private business site. Chooseyouritem.com, which has the property listed on its Web site (www.chooseyouritem.com/reland/files/99000/99041.html), says bidding will start at $13 million. An official with the General Services Administration, which oversees sales of excess federal property, said Tuesday that nothing has been determined and the property is not on the market. Carol Arnold, a branch chief with the GSA’s Pacific Region in San Francisco, said the GSA still is determining “interest” in the property. “We’re open-minded,” she said. “We’re following procedures and determining our next step.” But a GSA Web site that was still available on-line Tuesday evening (http://propertydisposal.gsa.gov/Property/PropforSale/BLMprint.asp?PropertyID=1273) had a lengthy description of the atoll and listed a sale method as “written auction” and potential uses for the property as “ecotourism” or “wildlife refuge.” The Web site touted to potential buyers the 32 species of coral, the 300 species of fish and the 20 migratory bird species that inhabit the island or the waters around it. There are no utilities, water services or schools on the island, but it does have its own golf course (it’s closed, says the government). And: “The deed will contain use restrictions because the atoll was used by the Defense Department for storage of chemical munitions and as a missile test site in the 1950s and 60s,” says the Web site. Crews at Johnston Atoll destroyed four million pounds of chemical agent from 1990 to 2000 – VX, sarin and blister agent stored in ton containers, rockets, projectiles and bombs. In most markets, that would make it a hard sell. On the other hand, it’s beachfront property. “If you want to compare the prices down in Destin, Fla., it’s worth that,” said Sonny Smith, who worked at Johnston Atoll from 1989 to 1991 and again from 1994 to 1995. “I don’t know that you’ll find any outlet malls to go in the middle of it.” As to the island itself, workers liked to say “It’s not the end of the world, but it’s close.” Still, veterans of Johnston Atoll say it’s charming, with a great variety of wildlife. “It’s pristine,” said Smith, who now works at the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility as a government facility representative. “It’s the clearest water, the prettiest water in the world.” “It’s nice flat rock in the middle of the Pacific, surrounded by beautiful water,” said Skip Cates, an engineer with SAIC, one of the companies working in Anniston. Birds – from terns to blue-footed boobies – dominate the island, and make their presence known. “They would adapt very well,” said Jerre Mitchell, a government engineer and former Atoll worker. “There would be a tree over the sidewalk going to post office. (Walking there), you were liable to get a good howdy-do over your head or get your hair ripped out of your head.” As always, upkeep will drive your price up. Buyers will have to build their own homes, find their own water, ship in their own food and purchase a plane or a boat to travel between the island and Hawaii. And the mortgage payments probably would be high. “It’s either way overpriced or way underpriced,” said Cates.

About Brian Lyman

Brian Lyman covers infrastructure and the cities of Heflin and Lincoln for the Anniston Star. He lives in Anniston.