New York Army National Guard Cuts Ribbon on New $30 Million Building

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Camp Smith Readiness Center

CORTLANDT MANOR , NY (04/20/2011)(readMedia)-- The New York Army National Guard will officially open its new Readiness Center here at the Camp Smith Training Site on Thursday, April 21.

WHO: Major General Patrick Murphy, the Adjutant General of New York; Congresswoman Nan Hayworth; Ms. Elizabeth Glaser, New York State Deputy Secretary for Public Safety; Peekskill Deputy Mayor Donald Bennet; Soldiers and leaders of the 53rd Troop Command of the New York Army National Guard and other units.

WHAT: A formal opening ceremony for the $30 million Readiness Center at Camp Smith which will serve as the home for approximately 350 National Guard Soldiers assigned to Headquarters, 53rd Troop Command; Company C, 1st Battalion 69th Infantry; the 42nd Infantry Division Band; the 727th Military Police Detachment and the 1156th Engineer Company, as well as an Army National Guard recruiting office.

WHEN: 11 a.m. Thursday, April 21, 2011

WHERE: Camp Smith Training Site, Routes 6 and 202 (Bear Mountain Bridge Road) Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.

Members of the media wishing to attend the event must contact Public Affairs Officer Lt. Col. Richard Goldenberg 518-786-4581 or (cell) 518-727-7314 for access to this secure military facility.

Coverage Opportunities:

Ribbon cutting ceremony in the rotunda of the New Headquarters Building. There will be opportunities to interview Maj. Gen. Patrick Murphy, the Adjutant General of New York, and other key National Guard leaders.

Background:

Camp Smith Readiness Center:

The New York Army National Guard Readiness Center recently completed at the Camp Smith Training Site is a 96,290 square foot building that cost about $30 million to construct. New York State spent $7 million on the project, with the other costs being paid for by the federal government. Designed work began in 2005 and 2006 and a contract was issued to Glenman Industrial and Commercial Contractor Corp, of Yonkers, in 2007. Construction began in the spring of 2008.

The building includes a state-of-the art lecture hall with full audio-visual system, fully equipped offices and class rooms as well as a kitchen area, supply rooms, locker rooms, arms rooms, a workout facility and built in security features like blast-resistant windows. The design includes parking for tactical vehicles as well as 350 privately owned vehicles.

Because the building will house the 42nd Infantry Division Band, the only band in the New York National Guard, the design includes sound-proofed practice rooms and a recording studio.

The 53rd Troop Command, one of the New York Army National Guard's two major commands which oversees about 4,500 Soldiers across the state has established its headquarters in the new building. The unit used to lease office space in Valhalla. Company C of the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry, which was occupying existing space in the new Readiness Center while the 727th Military Police Detachment will move from an older armory in Poughkeepsie, and a detachment of the 1156th Engineers will also move from its current location in Peekskill.

Camp Smith Training Site:

Camp Smith has served as a training area for the New York National Guard since 1882 when 97 acres of the McCoy Farm was leased for summer training. The site was purchased in 1885 and called Peekskill Camp until 1919 when it was named for then-Governor Al Smith. Today, Camp Smith comprises 1,585 acres of training property.

Approximately 94 percent of Camp Smith is rugged mountainous terrain ideal for light infantry tactical maneuvers and paramilitary training. The remaining 95 acres cantonment area consists of outdoor ranges, training simulation facilities, administrative buildings, and a maintenance shop. The New York Army National Guard, the Army Reserve, the United States Military Academy, and federal and local law enforcement agencies all conduct training at Camp Smith.