Commissary income at Fort Belvoir has shown only a slight decrease in the last quarter of 2001, not the one-half free fall announced at the recent Mount Vernon Town Meeting.
During his presentation at Mount Vernon High School on Jan. 26, Lee District supervisor Dana Kauffman (D), said, "Commissary business had been cut in half." He attributed this to the post's access control measures imposed since Sept. 11, 2001.
This was apparently well off the mark, according to Donald N. Carr, Fort Belvoir, director of public affairs. In follow-up figures, furnished by Carr, the overall drop in both customers and revenue for the three-month period averaged approximately 1 percent in each category.
Totals for the months of October, November and December in both 2000 and 2001, according to Carr, were as follows:
* October 2000: Customers — 95,403; Sales — $7,429,396; October 2001: Customers — 87,956; Sales — $7,357,160;
* November 2000: Customers — 95,544; Sales — $7,655,120;
November 2001: Customers — 84,538; Sales — $7,324,057;
* December 2000: Customers — 99,829; Sales — $8,288,487;
December 2001: Customers — 90,784; Sales — $7,890,167.
As reflected throughout the local retail economy, the overall trend was upward leading into the new year. This was attributed to a variety of factors by local merchants in a survey conducted following the Christmas holidays. January figures are not yet available.