Fifty-fifty may not happen — 70/30 might have to be good enough, Jim Richardson thinks.

Harford County’s director of economic development said Thursday that he hoped for an even split, with half of current employees following their BRAC-related jobs from Fort Monmouth, N.J., to Aberdeen Proving Ground and the other jobs filled by local residents.

But he said Thursday it looks more like only 30 percent of New Jersey residents will follow their jobs to Harford County, meaning the county will have to staff BRAC-related companies from their own ranks.

The process began this week with a job fair held Wednesday to fill the first positions with defense contractor C4ISR relocating to APG this summer.

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“You look at your graduation rates, your demographics, but until you post [the jobs] on the board, you never really know how it’s going to go,” he said. “Well yesterday we found out we can fill them.”

Richardson said more than 1,100 applicants turned out Wednesday for 140 jobs with the company. In all, 340 jobs will move to APG this summer, with 200 New Jersey residents making the move and the remainder filled by locals.

The job fair is an early indication of local interest in BRAC, but economic and real estate leaders said the move’s full effect may be some time away. According to Johns Hopkins University’s Trend Watch 2008 study, released in April, only 2 percent of respondents believed the region would start to see BRAC activity right now, while 74 percent thought it was two years or further away.

Richardson’s comments came before a gathering of real estate professionals at Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace on the first day of the LPGA tournament. The event has taken on a new significance as a showcase of Harford County to BRAC relocators, with a first few inquiring about homes in the area.

“We’ve been advertising for the last three years up there,” said Brenda Dejardins, a marketing consultant for the Residences at Bulle Rock.

While real estate agents look forward to a wave of home shoppers, Richardson said not all of the basic services they’ll need are in place. He believes the county has sufficiently planned to meet the need for new schools, pointing out that Harford County Public Schools enrollment dropped by more than 470 students last year.

But he said road, sewer, water and other infrastructure needs still need to be met and are at risk of falling behind schedule.

acahall@baltimoreexaminer.com