RELEASED BY:Lt Col. Greg Hapgood

PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER
OFFICE:   (515) 252-4582
CELL:       (515) 971-6385
HOME:     (515) 986-5725

RELEASE: IMMEDIATE

JOHNSTON, IOWA…
 

DES MOINES FIRM AWARDED $33.1 MILLION
READINESS CENTER CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT

The Iowa National Guard has announced the award of a construction contract for the Camp Dodge Armed Forces Readiness Center (AFRC) to Neumann Brothers, Inc., of Des Moines, Iowa. A groundbreaking ceremony will be announced and held later this month at the project site in Johnston.

Consisting of more than 211,000 total square feet and estimated at $33.1 million, the AFRC project was authorized by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission, and is a joint project between the Iowa National Guard, the United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC), and the Military Entrance Processing Command (MEPCOM). This project is unique among all Reserve Component BRAC actions, in that it brings the National Guard and two active duty entities together in a single project. The three-building facility is 100 percent federally-funded, and is the first construction project awarded to a National Guard organization by the 2005 BRAC commission.

Governor Tom Vilsack hailed the project’s potential. "We are very excited to learn the Readiness Center will be built at Camp Dodge. Approval of this project is a testament to the leadership the Iowa National Guard has shown in planning for the future. This investment in our security will not only improve the readiness of our troops, but will also positively impact our state's economy."

The USAREC building is an approximately 11,000-square foot administration building that will accommodate the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion Headquarters. This organization currently occupies leased space at the Federal Building in downtown Des Moines. The battalion provides administrative support and oversight to recruiters in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

The proposed MEPS building encompasses approximately 27,000-square feet and will replace the Military Entrance and Processing Station, Des Moines, which currently occupies leased space in West Des Moines. The MEPS is responsible for assessing the fitness of potential servicemembers through testing and medical evaluations, and then shipping qualified applicants to their assigned training stations. MEPS performs this mission for all U.S. Armed Forces. Both the USAREC and Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) facilities will be one-story buildings with a brick façade, and it is anticipated that those two structures will be completed by June 2007.

The National Guard building will consist of an approximately 173,000-square foot Readiness Center which will house and service various units with a combined authorized strength of approximately 900 personnel, currently stationed in several buildings around Camp Dodge. It will be a one-story building with a brick façade, built in a distinctive V-shaped configuration. The entire Camp Dodge AFRC project will be completed by October 2008. This facility is the largest facility construction project undertaken by the Iowa National Guard since World War II.

The Iowa Army National Guard has approximately 7,700 Soldiers at 44 locations statewide, with approximately 2,000 of those Soldiers stationed at Camp Dodge.

For questions concerning this news release as well as additional information about the operations, training, and activities of the Iowa Army and Air National Guard, please contact Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood, Iowa National Guard Public Affairs Officer by e-mail at gregory.hapgood@ia.ngb.army.mil or (515) 252-4582 (office), (515) 971-6385 (cell), (515) 986-5725 (home), or Master Sgt. Duff E. McFadden at (515) 252-4666 (office) or (515) 480-7647 (cell) or by email at duff.mcfadden@ia.ngb.army.mil.

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IOWA NATIONAL GUARD
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