Photo By Allison Joanis | Maj. Gen. Thad Martin, Adjutant General of the Connecticut National Guard, along with...... read more read more
WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. – The Connecticut Army National Guard is propelling their ground maintenance repair capabilities into the 21st Century by breaking ground on a new $29 million central repair facility located at Camp Hartell in Windsor Locks.
The 112,000 square foot facility, known as a combined support maintenance shop (CSMS), will serve as the maintenance headquarters and centralized level two repair facility for approximately $325 million in vehicles and specialized equipment assigned to the Connecticut Army National Guard.
The $29 million facility construction project is financed entirely with federal funds.
“The National Guard is an essential operational partner with the Active Army,” said Governor Dannel P. Malloy. “Our Guard deserves maintenance facilities that are modern and efficient to help ensure its equipment is always ready. I am grateful for the strong support of our Congressional delegation in making this project a reality.”
The new CSMS facility replaces a recently demolished shop one-fourth its size built in 1954. The project also replaces and incorporates four dated external support shops into the new facility’s one-story design.
“Beyond their national defense mission, the Connecticut National Guard is also an integral part of our state emergency response team,” said Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman. “This facility will support the National Guard’s efforts to provide critical assistance to residents during times of crisis and help Connecticut recover from natural disasters.”
Sixty-four management and maintenance personnel will work out of the facility when completed. They are responsible for managing and completing all higher level repairs to the Connecticut Army National Guard’s more than 700 vehicles and thousands of pieces of specialized equipment located at 17 facilities throughout the state.
As part of the new integrated design all major maintenance sections including wheeled vehicle and construction equipment repair, armament, electronics, calibration and allied trades (carpentry/welding/body shop) will be housed under one roof for the first time The state-of-the-art facility will also offer an environmentally-advanced paint stripping bay and paint booth for refurbishment of ground vehicles; modern, in-bay exhaust removal and lubrication systems; expanded parts storage areas; and dedicated training classrooms.
“Equipment readiness is a vital part of keeping our unit’s prepared for both federal and state missions,” said Maj. Gen. Thaddeus J. Martin, Connecticut’s adjutant general and commander of the National Guard. “This facility will help us maintain that readiness for generations to come.”
Construction is scheduled to be completed in October 2015 with full occupation expected in December 2015.
During construction essential maintenance functions and personnel have been dispersed to smaller organization maintenance shops throughout the state and temporary locations on Camp Hartell.
The project architect and engineer is the URS Corporation headquartered in San Francisco with Connecticut offices in Rocky Hill and Groton. The contractor is the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company headquartered in Baltimore with Connecticut offices in New Haven and Shelton. Leidos, headquartered in Reston, Virginia, is the construction administrator.
The Connecticut Army National Guard has pursued an aggressive facility modernization program over the last decade completing approximately $500 million in new construction and renovation projects. This Windsor Locks CSMS facility marks the 17th federal military construction project the Connecticut Guard has successfully executed in the year of appropriated funds.
Camp Hartell is named in honor of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Lee R. Hartell of Danbury who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry on Aug. 27, 1951 during the Korean War while serving as a field artillery forward observer on Hill 700 near Kobanson-ni, Korea.
| Date Taken: | 05.28.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 05.29.2014 11:53 |
| Story ID: | 131465 |
| Location: | WINDSOR LOCKS, CONNECTICUT, US |
| Web Views: | 311 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Connecticut Army National Guard breaks ground on state-of-the-art central maintenance facility, by COL John Wiltse, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
