BRUNSWICK (AP) – A popular drive-in just outside the Brunswick Naval Air Station was one of Gov. John Baldacci’s stops as he sought to reassure local business owners of state support as the base moves toward a shutdown.

The governor munched on a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich as he visited the Fat Boy Drive In, owned by Jeanne and Ken Burton, which employs 38 people and depends on naval station workers for 25 percent of its income.

Baldacci said small businesses like the Burtons’ are the ones affected most by the closing. He vowed to fight any attempt by the Navy to speed up the shutdown, which was approved last week by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Congressional and presidential approval of the closure are likely.

“It feels like you are getting ripped apart,” Jeanne Burton said as car hops scurried back and forth carrying trays filled with hamburgers, lobster rolls and french fries. “As long as I have been alive that Navy base has been there. It’s going to be a scary thing when we look across the street and it’s no longer there.”

The state estimates it will take until 2011 to close the base completely. Baldacci has said he believes it can be redeveloped into a mixed use facility.

“We have a lot of opportunities here but we need to make sure that we are on the right course,” Baldacci said as Brian Burton, the Burtons’ son, flipped hamburgers on the Fat Boy grill.

Fat Boy, which was established in 1955, was among several stops Baldacci made during a visit to Brunswick businesses on Thursday. Jack Cashman, the state’s director of economic and community development, accompanied Baldacci.

Cashman said the state will hold informational meetings for midcoast businesses this fall to let owners know what resources are available. Cashman said the air station is large enough to accommodate a number of uses that might include a commercial airport, an aircraft cargo inspection site or an aircraft maintenance center.

At Bubba’s hair salon, also at Brunswick’s Cook’s Corner, owners Bubba and Debbie Henke are worried about the impacts of the closing.

“Our biggest concern is the real estate market. That will affect everyone and have a trickle down impact on businesses,” Bubba Henke told the governor.

Earlier this week, Baldacci met with about 200 civilian and military employees who work at the base and pledged the state’s support for helping civilian employees find new jobs or get retrained.

Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com

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