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Bonners Ferry National Guard Armory to close
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June 9, 2016 |
In what the Idaho National Guard calls an effort
to modernize and realign its facilities with
changing demographics and new Department of
Defense requirements, the Idaho National Guard
plans to end its use of the Bonners Ferry
National Guard Armory in the near future.
Although a specific date for the closure has not
been established, the Idaho National Guard says
they will continue to work with leadership from
the community to ensure the building is put to
best possible use in the future.
Last fall, the National Guard announced the
Bonners Ferry Armory was on a list of armories
throughout the state that would be closed under
a proposal submitted Congress to reorganize
their locations and streamline National Guard
operations. At that time, the National
Guard projected that closing the Bonners Ferry
and other armories around the state would occur
at some point many years in the future.
Major Christopher Borders, Idaho National Guard
spokesman, said last fall,
"There is not a set time for when the Bonners
Ferry facility would be closed because these new
Readiness Centers are all part of a 30-40 year
plan, which has not been approved or funded, and
there are no certainties at this point."
Major Borders now says in a new statement that
new Department of Defense regulations, which
include increases to minimum acreage and square
footage requirements, will result in new
construction and facility closures throughout
the state.
“Most Idaho armories—now referred to as
readiness centers—currently sit on insufficient
acreage without enough space for expansion and
will need to close in order to meet the new
federal guidelines,” said Col. Thomas Rasmussen
of the Idaho National Guard Construction and
Facility Management Office. “When many of the
facilities were constructed—some nearly 70 years
ago—they were built on lots that, at the time
were considered adequate. As our communities
have grown, as is the case with Bonners Ferry,
the Idaho National Guard is left without
sufficient room for expansion.”
The National Guard also conducted demographic
studies to determine local recruiting and
retention potential in those communities where
guard facilities exist. In the case of Bonners
Ferry, the study determined that changes in
demographics of the surrounding area pose
significant challenges to Idaho Army National
Guard recruiting and retention efforts.
“Recruiting populations have shifted over the
past 50 years to larger regional population
centers. In some cases the study found
facilities without a single soldier from that
community assigned to the readiness center,”
Rasmussen said.
The National Guard Statement said that the Idaho
Army National Guard’s facility in Bonners Ferry
has been in operation since the 1950’s, and went
on to say that "soldiers in this area have been
an integral part of the community for more than
60 years. Detachment 1 of C Company Engineers
built bridges and completed construction of the
local football field, which is named after 1st
Sgt. Kenneth Mendenhall, an Idaho Army National
Guard NCO assigned to the Bonner’s Ferry armory
from 1961-1981."
“It’s unfortunate we have to close the doors on
our Bonners Ferry facility but we’re not closing
the doors on our community,” Rasmussen said.
”These new requirements will force us to
consolidate, but we will still remain in
proximity so we’re able to continue supporting
our community in Bonners Ferry as we always
have.”
According to current federal guidelines,
readiness centers must consist of 15-25 acre
parcels with facilities able to accommodate
specific storage space, maintain sufficient
distances between perimeters and structures and
must provide a minimum amount of square footage
per soldier. |
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