Good News

July 14, 2009

Major renovation of the 109th armory in the works

$20M in funding sought for work on the exterior and interior of structure.

By Bill O'Boyle boboyle@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
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WILKES-BARRE – The 109th Field Artillery Armory is slated to receive a major facelift, according to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs – an upgrade that could see nearly $20 million invested in the 86-year-old facility.

According to Kevin C. Cramsey, acting press secretary at Fort Indiantown Gap, the armory will receive $1.5 million for replacement of doors, roofs and windows this year and another $12 million in federal funds could be on the way for various upgrades and improvements throughout the facility. Cramsey said the department is also seeking $5.9 million in state funding.

The armory was built in 1923 and contains approximately 99,000 square feet of space.

“The funds for the initial project are a combination of federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and state funds, approximately half from each,” Cramsey said. “This work is expected to begin in the fall, after Sept. 30.”

Cramsey said the larger project would begin within the next two years.

“We are working to obtain approximately $12 million in military construction funds,” he said. “We hope to get it approved in the 2010 fiscal year budget.”

Another $5.9 million in state funds are also being sought, which would bring the investment to nearly $20 million, he said.

“We really feel it is worth it to bring (the armory) into the 21st century,” Cramsey said.

Cramsey said the building has been assessed and reports show it is in need of major improvements. He said the brick building needs a lot of masonry work, electrical systems need upgrades, the air conditioning needs work, and the interior space needs reconfiguring to provide larger classrooms and locker areas for the soldiers.

The armory is home to about 500 soldiers with the Pennsylvania Guard’s 55th Brigade. The soldiers come from the 1st Battalion, 109th Field Artillery and Company G, 228th Forward Support Battalion.

Cramsey said it’s difficult to predict when word will come on the project’s approval. He said he hopes to hear within the next few months.

News of the 109th Field Artillery Armory projects comes on the heels of Friday’s announcement that a new National Guard facility will be built to replace the existing building in West Pittston.

U.S. Rep. Chris Carney, D-Dimock Township, voted in support of the 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill that would fund a new facility that could be built in Wyoming County, replacing the West Pittston center.

Vincent Rongione, Carney’s spokesman, said that while a new facility is “critical,” the site for the new building has not yet been selected.

Cramsey said the West Pittston Armory was built in 1956 and contains approximately 19,000 square feet of space. He said that should a replacement armory for West Pittston ultimately be funded and built, the existing West Pittston facility would be vacated and declared excess property. An appraisal would be done, and ultimately the property would be put up for sale by the state Department of General Services.

West Pittston Mayor Bill Goldsworthy on Friday said the borough has maintained a solid working relationship with the National Guard personnel through the years. He said he would hate to see it close. The mayor said the armory is used often for community events and he hopes it will remain intact and available for community use.

In related news, U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, like Carney, voted in favor of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, which passed in the House by a vote of 415-3. Included in the legislation is $9.8 million for a new Army Reserve Center in the Hanover Industrial Park, Kanjorski said.

“This legislation provides needed funding for many military construction projects throughout the country including at the Army Reserve Center in the Hanover Industrial Park in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” Kanjorski said in a prepared release. “The project will replace the current, outdated facility.”

The funding will allow for the construction of a 150-member training building that will include administrative, educational, assembly, library, learning center, vault, weapons simulator and physical fitness centers for the two Army Reserve units. It will also enable the creation of an Organizational Maintenance Shop, unheated storage building and organizational parking.

Bill O’Boyle, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7218.

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