[Louisiana Cemeteries] Alexandria National Cemetery in Pineville received $4,000 for repairs to a maintenance building.
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- Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:27:36 -0700 (PDT)
March 24, 2009
$14.3 million for Polk, Camp Beauregard: Alexandria VAMC will get $1.2 million
By Abbey Brown
abrown@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Nearly $51 million
in federal funds will be going to Louisiana military bases for
improvement projects, including more than $14.3 million going to Camp
Beauregard and Fort Polk in Central Louisiana.That
announcement, along with news of $8.3 million going to veterans'
medical facilities and national cemeteries statewide with more than
$1.2 staying locally, was made Monday afternoon by Democratic U.S. Sen.
Mary Landrieu, who helped craft the Economic Recovery Act from which
the funds came."These
projects will help repair and modernize facilities at Fort Polk and
Camp Beauregard for our military service members who work each day to
keep us safe," Landrieu said. "The Economic Recovery Package is sending
$13 million to Fort Polk and $1.3 million to Camp Beauregard to
strengthen aging infrastructure."This
funding will upgrade roofs and lighting, fix electrical and mechanical
systems and repair traffic signals -- all of which will improve the
quality of life at Fort Polk and Camp Beauregard."Other
bases receiving funding include Barksdale Air Force Base in Shreveport,
Bell Chasse's Marine Corps and Naval reserve bases and Camp Minden."The
recovery act dollars will also go a long way to boosting the economy in
our Central Louisiana military community," Landrieu said. "As a member
of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue working to secure
funding to upgrade our Louisiana military installations and maintain
our competitive edge."Funded
improvements to Fort Polk include roof repairs, upgrades to surrounding
roads and a $2 million renovation of the base's dining facilities to
include a fire detection and suppression system.Camp Beauregard's take will
fund an upgrade of its energy system and streetlights.Ball
Mayor Roy Hebron said the impact of the improvements to Beauregard will
be far-reaching and "very important to our community." He added that
the projects "improve and create more jobs for Ball and the city of
Pineville."Maj.
Michael Kazmierzak, Louisiana National Guard public affairs officer,
said the funding will help repair some of the facilities around the
state damaged as a result of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike."We
have also worked proactively with the National Guard Bureau on our
previously identified infrastructure projects for our installations,
which will provide an improved quality of life and improved work
environments for our soldiers, airmen and their families," Kazmierzak
said. "Camp Beauregard looks forward to the improvements provided by
several of these funded projects."Leesville
Mayor Betty Westerchil said the community appreciates Landrieu's
continued support of Fort Polk and the community, and that one of the
city's goals is to "improve the quality of life for our soldiers and
their families.""This
is great news for Fort Polk and our partner Louisiana military
installations," said Brig. Gen. James C. Yarbrough, commanding general
of the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk. "This further
demonstrates the commitment to improving and sustaining quality of life
for our soldiers and their families."We've
got great momentum in our progress toward making Fort Polk an
installation of choice, and these additional funds build on that
momentum. The future couldn't look any brighter for Fort Polk."Fort
Polk's funding will go toward projects backlogged and previously
identified in the Army Project Prioritization System. All were awaiting
funding.Evans said
that the $2 million dining project will bring the old building up to
current standards and the road work is for highly-traveled roads.The
more than $5 million in repairs and improvements in roads projects will
allow Fort Polk to continue to maintain safe roads for military
personnel, their families and civilian personnel.State
Rep. James Armes, a Democrat who represents Beauregard and Vernon
parishes, described the roads scheduled for repair as in "deplorable
shape" and said the projects will be "a great uplift for the Army
families at Fort Polk."Vernon
Parish Schools Superintendent Jackie Self said they appreciate
Landrieu's effort in securing the funds. "Any effort to improve the
quality of life of our soldiers and their families will greatly benefit
Vernon Parish," he said. "Specifically the improvements to the roads
listed will help in the transportation of students to and from school."Funding
for medical facilities
"These VA grants will serve
the dual purpose of providing good-paying construction jobs and
upgrading medical facilities for Louisiana's veterans," Landrieu said.
"Ensuring our VA clinics and hospitals are modernized is key to
fulfilling our nation's promise to care for those who have answered the
call of duty."Alexandria's
VA Medical Center is getting more than $1.26 million for improvements
that will help create office space for mental health programs, as well
as update existing systems and equipment."These
are projects that were already planned, but this grant funding will
allow us to complete the projects much sooner than we had anticipated,"
said Barbara Watkins, director of the Alexandria VA Medical Center.Alexandria
National Cemetery in Pineville received $4,000 for repairs to a maintenance
building."I
can think of no better purpose for economic recovery funds than to
honor Louisiana's veterans," said Lane Carson, secretary of the
Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs. "The great men and women who
sacrifice in service to our nation deserve every effort we can afford
toward caring for their legacy."
Additional Facts
Military installation projects and funding:
Army
at Fort Polk
Dining Facility Building 2382, repair failing electrical, mechanical and fire
detection and suppression system -- $2,000,000
Repair/Overlay Chaffee Road, (Exchange Road to ACP) -- $3,880,000
Repair/Overlay Louisiana Avenue West and traffic signal improvements on La.
Highway 467 to Texas Avenue -- $2,900,000
Repair failing heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, paint and
interior repair to building 2070 -- $1,300,000
Repair/super preventative maintenance One 5 Company administration building
2264 -- $700,000
Install solar lights, 4/10 operations group -- $700,000
Consolidated fuel facility access road and utilities -- $500,000
Repair roof of building 4291 -- $395,000
Repair roof of secure information facility building 2759 -- $350,000
Repair Magazine Road -- $320,000
Replace failing roof components, mini mall B 1455 -- $250,000
Army National Guard
at Camp Beauregard
Upgrade street lights to solar -- $660,000
Energy system replacement in dining facility building 1007 -- $625,000
Energy audit on administrative buildings -- $7,000
Source: U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu
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URL: http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20090324/NEWS01/903240321
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