$95M for West Virginia Under Military Construction Bill

December 13, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., today announced that Congress has passed and sent to President Obama for his signature the FY 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill. The measure includes funding for key priorities offered by Senator Byrd, totaling more than $95 million for West Virginia’s military installations.

The bill also lays the groundwork for improvements to two Veterans Administration Medical Centers for the next fiscal year. The bill was part of an Omnibus Appropriations bill, which combined 6 of the 12 annual spending appropriations measures.

“This funding continues efforts to enhance and expand West Virginia’s military operations duty and mission ready capabilities,” said Byrd. “When completed, these facilities will be better able to serve the federal mission of unit training and mobilizations, as well as maintaining its ever-ready status in the event of state and national emergencies.”

Byrd, who is the senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and also a member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, had the following projects, totaling more than $32.5 million, included in the overall appropriations bill to upgrade and improve West Virginia’s military and National Guard facilities:

-- Infrastructure Improvements at Shepherd Airbase: $19.5 million has been approved for the West Virginia Air National Guard to complete the upgrade of the taxiway at Shepherd Airbase in Martinsburg, West Virginia. This is the last project to be funded as part of the $280 million transformation of the Air National Guard facility for the 167th Airlift Wing’s new C-5 aircraft mission. The current taxiway was designed for small- and medium-weight aircraft and requires structural upgrades to make it serviceable to accommodate the conversion of the base to the much heavier C-5 aircraft, of which ten aircraft are now stationed there. Senator Byrd was the keynote speaker at the April 4, 2009 ceremony celebrating the designation of the 167th Airlift Wing as a fully operational C-5 unit;

-- Emergency Service Center at the Naval Security Group Activity: $10.99 million has been approved for the U.S. Department of the Navy to replace the Emergency Service Center at the Naval Security Group Activity at Sugar Grove, West Virginia. The project entails consolidating the current outdated fire station and emergency dispatch office into a larger facility that is fire and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliant, and helps to significantly improve the response time of emergency personnel; and
-- Upgrades to the St. Albans Armory: $2 million has been approved for the West Virginia National Army Guard to expand the 1960’s armory in St. Albans, West Virginia, by 4,600 square feet and to bring the remainder of the facility up to code in terms of life safety, fire, communications, electrical, and HVAC issues.
“Senator Byrd's longstanding commitment to funding the National Guard has earned West Virginia a strong national reputation for supporting the overseas fight while, at the same time, developing key homeland defense capabilities right here in the United States,” said Adjutant General Allen Tackett. “Senator Byrd's leadership has resulted in the most modern equipment and facilities for our soldiers and airmen, and led to the creation of nearly 500 new full-time jobs at the Martinsburg air base and in the Guard's homeland defense training programs. Senator Byrd's support has been invaluable and has helped me position the West Virginia National Guard as a key player in our national security," Tackett added.
In addition to the monies secured by Byrd, the bill also contains more than $62.5 million that was included in President Obama’s FY 2010 budget request for three U.S. Department of the Army/West Virginia National Guard projects that were recommended by the Base Closure and Realignment Commission for funding:

-- $22 million for the U.S. Department of the Army for the construction of a new 56,000 square-foot Elkins Armed Forces Readiness Center;

-- $19.54 million for the U.S. Department of the Army for the construction of a 62,000 square-foot Spencer-Ripley Armed Forces Readiness Center; and
-- $21 million for the U.S. Department of the Army for the construction of a 66,000 square-foot Fairmont Armed Forces Readiness Center.
West Virginia Army National Guard units will be co-located in each of these new facilities.
Finally, through Byrd’s efforts, the Appropriations Committee included language that requests the Veterans Administration to provide funding in its FY 2011 budget request for construction projects at both the Beckley and Martinsburg Veterans Administration Medical Centers (VAMC):

--Beckley VAMC -- Proposed Nursing Home and Adult Day Care Center: The Committee included report language urging the Veterans Administration (VA) to include sufficient funding for the construction of the $28.5 million 120-bed Beckley VAMC nursing home and adult day care center in the President’s FY 2011 budget request; and

--Martinsburg VA Medical Center (VAMC)/Renovation and Expansion:The Committee included report language urging the VA to include sufficient funding for planning and design work associated with the renovation and expansion of the primary, mental health, and specialty outpatient care space at the Martinsburg VAMC in the President’s FY 2011 budget request. The $36 million renovation and expansion project would include approximately 58,000 square feet of renovation and 31,000 square feet of new construction.

Source: Senator Robert C. Byrd