FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — The Indiana Army National Guard is seeking to upgrade and expand its armory in South Bend rather than build a new training center near the Fort Wayne International Airport.
Lt. Col. Steve Hines tells The Journal Gazette the cost of upgrading the South Bend facility might be less than $21 million. He says construction cost in Fort Wayne would have been nearly $25 million in federal funds, plus at least $2 million in state money to pay for land acquisition.
The expansion of the South Bend "readiness center" remains only a proposal in the military construction budget for fiscal year 2013.
Hines says in addition to the lower cost, the Guard also considered moving the armory would have meant a two-hour drive for people based in the South Bend area.
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Information from: The Journal Gazette, http://www.journalgazette.net
