AYETTEVILLE – Leaders with the Base Realignment and Closure Regional Task Force met at it's annual meeting Thursday to discuss the progress of the program, which is expected to bring in thousands of people to Fort Bragg.

Sen. Tony Rand had a simple way of summing up the task force's status at the meeting.

"We ain't as good as we want to be, we ain't as good as we're gonna be, but thank God, we're better than we were," he said.

Rand was the keynote speaker at the meeting, where he and other state leaders said they’ve done a lot of planning for BRAC, and expect it to pay off.

"A lot of great planning has gone into this effort,” said Cumberland County Commissioners Chair Breeden Blackwell. “It's going to be a boon for our economy – not only for Cumberland, but for the 11-county region [affected by BRAC]."

It’s estimated BRAC will bring 40,000 people in the next five years to that region that stretches from Bladen County to Montgomery County, and as far north as Lee County. Leaders say the influx will have an impact on the region’s education, transportation, health care and various other issues.

"That [influx] puts a tremendous strain on our schools, on the infrastructure, on the roads and changes our workforce," said Paul Dordal, BRAC RTF executive director.

But Dordal said the realignment will ultimately be positive for the Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base and the community.

"We see this as an opportunity to create 'Research Triangle Park' for defense in our area,” he said. “We see it as an opportunity to become the center for defense and homeland security in North Carolina."

And after years of research, the RTF has plans to deal with issues that BRAC brings, which they detailed during the meeting.

Blackwell said the biggest issue now is how to fund their plans. They’re looking for Congress, state legislature and local help.

"But I'm optimistic that with the impact that Bragg and Pope have on our economy and our region and our nation, that this funding will come," he said.