Area 51 (Photo : Wikipedia)
The owners of a property in Nevada have until Thursday to sell their land to the U.S. Air Force for $5.2 million or forfeit the land. The property, held by the owners since the 1870s, is near Area 51, a place known for its secrecy.
The secrecy is the result of the Air Force moving into the region in the 1940s. By 1951, nuclear tests have been held there. In 1954, the mine mill exploded and in five years, the owners were financially hard up to pursue reparation claims against the government, reports Associated Press.
While the 20 property co-owners want to keep the land, they said they are willing to part with it at the right price and right conditions, not under duress, says Joseph Sheahan who spoke on behalf of the other owners. "Why don't they ask themselves what it cost my family over the years in blood, sweat, tears and money?" Sheahan said.
The less-than 400-acre mine property, Groom Mine, northwest of Las Vegas, was protected by the federal government which made it a private island with armed security personnel stationed at the gates. A 4,500-square-mile reservation that surrounds the mine was reserved for nuclear testing, military training and other studies.
The Air Force made a final offer to the property owners because the land has "become an increasingly greater safety and security risk" due to more demand or test and training opportunities. The reference to it as Area 51 is informal, although the place is also being linked with aliens and extraterrestrials.
In 1986, in a letter sent to the Air Force as part of an environmental study, the owners estimated the value of the property at $13.6 million. But Jennifer Miller, deputy assistant Air Force secretary for installations, said assessments in the 1980s and 1990s estimate its value between $1 million and $1.2 million. She said the $5.2 million offer is "reasonably prudent and in the public interest," adding the land's sale should not result in windfall for the owners.
Fox reports that the representatives of the family would reject the offer for now.
