Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced that a $24 million construction project in Stormville, NY, for the New York Army National Guard has passed the U.S. Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. Specifically, the $24 million federal investment would allow the construction of a new maintenance shop to provide field and sustainment maintenance for vehicles and equipment supported by this shop for Transformational Army National Guard units. Current maintenance facilities located at nearby Camp Smith, dating from the 1940’s, are inadequate and do not support the work of the New York Army National Guard. The project will create over 50 full-time local construction jobs for two years and once completed the facility will be home to over 75 full time employees.
“New York’s Army National Guard is as critical to the Hudson Valley’s economy as it is to our national security, and this key military construction investment will help keep this station in line as we look to the future,” said Senator Schumer. “This construction project will create a central location for the equipment maintenance required for New York’s Guard to achieve readiness standards. I am pleased that this military construction bill has cleared several key hurdles in the Senate, and I will fight tooth and nail to ensure that this project becomes a reality.”
“This is a great investment for New York’s Army National Guard to help upgrade our military facilities and provide better resources for our Soldiers, while creating new construction jobs,” saidSenator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “When we equip our National Guard bases with the resources they need, we can strengthen our military readiness and the local economy.”
Specifically, this funding will support the construction of a specially designed Combined Support Maintenance Shop facility that will include vehicle maintenance bays to maintain over 1,700 wheeled and tracked vehicles from throughout the New York Army National Guard, including the 42nd Infantry Division, a Combat Aviation Brigade, the 153rd Troop Command, and 369thSustainment Brigade.
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 will now be reconciled with the House version, and pass the full Congress before being sent to the President for signature.