Courtesy Photo | Surviving children of Joseph T. Carrruthers gaze happily at the plaque and photo of...... read more read more
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GREENSBORO, N.C. - “Community” was the buzz word at Saturday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony where soldiers assigned to 113th Sustainment Brigade, local civilian officials, friends, and family gathered for the official dedication of the newly-renovated Joseph T. Carruthers National Guard Readiness Center here, Feb. 8.
Originally built in 1961, the building, underwent approximately $4.3 million worth of remodeling and new construction over a period of 14 months, said Rex Williams, project manager for the renovation.
Improvements included updated electrical and data systems, heating and air conditioning systems, and suite-style office areas. New construction included a building measuring 5,800 square feet to house a gym, vehicle maintenance bay, offices and restrooms complete with showers.
The renovation project also provided for a facelift for the existing building, listing new plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, modernized flooring, and new paint.
“Those who serve our state and our nation are owed a great deal of thanks,” said Sen. Richard Burr in a letter to the ceremony attendants. “They also deserve the best we can provide in the way of equipment and facilities. With the updates and editions, this is a first-rate center.”
In addition to improvements, which make the armory a more pleasant work environment, there were also eco-friendly improvements such as energy efficient windows and convenient parking dedicated to soldiers who car pool, and low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles.
The newly-paved, two-tier parking lot is a favorite amongst many soldiers. The new lot is an improvement on what was previously an unmarked grass lot; too small to accommodate the entire unit’s soldiers—many of whom travel from all over the state to attend monthly training.
“An armory, an assembly hall, a drill hall — whatever you call it,” said Maj. Gen. Greg Lusk, adjutant general of North Carolina in his remarks during the ceremony. “It is more than brick and mortar; no doubt it is also more than a place that the military or the reserve component of our military prepares for war.”
Lusk continued, “It is a place where the community gathers. It is the intersection of so many important scenes of the fabrics of our society.”
National Guard armories, which are today called readiness centers, have often been a meeting place for "bar mitzvahs, weddings and wedding receptions, school proms and even funerals," Lusk said. "They have also housed victims rendered temporarily homeless by natural disasters such as hurricanes."
City of Greensboro Councilwoman Sharon Hightower who is self-proclaimed “militarily challenged” related a story of her earliest interaction with the National Guard, and explained how her understanding of the Guard’s importance in the community has expanded.
Hightower recalled that the Greensboro area was in turmoil following the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
“The National Guard deployed to secure our city,” Hightower said.
As an 8-year-old, Hightower didn’t understand the soldiers' presence, nor their importance to her community.
“I thought they just stood there on the street corners and ate bologna sandwiches that my mom made them,” she said.
“But today, I know how much they really, really mean to our country,” she said. “On behalf of the mayor and the people of District 1, I can’t thank you enough.”
Brig. Gen. Kenneth Beard, assistant adjutant general – sustainment said, “This facility is really a tribute to what the National Guard is all about. Our sole purpose and function, our ties to the community, those support agencies, and the soldiers as well.”
In addition to local civil officers, the event was attended by many senior leaders of the N.C. Guard; local representatives of law enforcement agencies; Wilbur Holden, president of the Greensboro-based contracting company Holden Building Company; Donny Luke and Cynthia Turner of Asheboro-based Architectural Design Studio and several relatives of Joseph T. Carruthers — for whom the building is named.
Lusk praised the joint efforts of all these agencies in working together to ensure the building renovations were funded in spite of tight economics times, and that the new design met long-term infrastructure needs of the NCNG, thereby using taxpayer dollars responsibly.
As Beard noted, the unit signed for the new building before its equipment was completely unpacked from its 2013 redeployment, and members worked tirelessly to occupy the facility within a matter of a few months.
Maj. Daron T. Webb, the brigade logistics officer, was in charge of the move back into the building. Within a month’s time, Webb’s team of soldiers moved the majority of the unit’s equipment into the building. The brigade was mostly operational as of its January drill weekend.
Following the VIPs’ remarks, Holden, Luke and Turner were honored with plaques honoring their companies’ contributions to the successful renovations.
The key role-players were invited to participate in the ceremonial ribbon cutting, and then the honored guests were invited to tour the new facilities with soldier guides and share their own stories of the brigade’s history.
| Date Taken: | 02.20.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2014 18:04 |
| Story ID: | 120921 |
| Location: | GREENSBORO, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 143 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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