CONTACT: Mr. Eric Durr (DMNA), 518-786-4581 or (cell) 518-429-5186

FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, Aug 19, 2009

ON SITE: Mr. Eric Durr (DMNA), 518-786-4581 or (cell) 518-429-5186

The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs officially opened its newest Readiness Center in the Queensbury Industrial park today. Major General Joseph Taluto, the Adjutant General and commander of the New York Army National Guard was joined in the ribbon cutting by Rep. Scott Murphy and Denise O’Donnell, deputy Secretary for Public Safety who represented Gov. David Paterson. The new building will house the 1427th Medium Truck Company which is currently located in the Whitehall Armory and the 466th Area Medical Support Company, which has used the Glens Falls Armory. The Glens Falls Armory will be closed and turned over to the Office of General Services as a surplus property. The maintenance facility at the Whitehall Armory will continue to be used until a new maintenance shop can be constructed adjacent to the new Queensbury Armory. “The new Queensbury Readiness Center is typical of the modern, 21st Century facilities we want to move all of our Army National Guard units into,” said Major General Taluto. “Our historic old armories are beautiful buildings, but they were constructed for the National Guard of the 19th Century and early 20th Century and simply aren’t what the Soldiers of today need. Modern buildings like this provide our Soldiers with the right place to train and prepare to deploy, either to respond to domestic emergencies or to war." "The people of New York and our country count on the Soldiers of the National Guard for service here at home in emergencies and disasters as well as overseas. They deserve the most modern facilities possible to train in," said Gov. David Paterson. "The new Army National Guard Readiness Center will provide the brave men and women of the National Guard with the technology and support that they need to continue to perform their duties," said Rep. Murphy. "The opening of this state-of-art Center is an investment in the protection and the future of Upstate New York." The Readiness Center is located in the Queensbury Industrial Park and construction contracts were let in the fall of 2007.Bunkoff General Contractors Inc. of Latham is the general contractor; while John V. Warren Inc. of Rensselaer did the heating ventilation and air conditioning work and Schenectady Hardware and Electric, was the electrical contractor. The $11.52 million building boasts 51,960 square feet of space, which includes 16,480 square feet of storage space. The building includes offices and instruction space, along with a dining facility, locker rooms, showers, and a digital library room to accommodate the needs of about 500 to 600 National Guard Soldiers. The energy efficient design will reduce heating and cooling costs in compliance with United States Army Corps of Engineer requirements. The building’s offices incorporate room for the latest in data and LAN technology and includes common areas for Soldiers use. The bulk of the funding for this building came from federal fund The 1427th Medium Truck Company and the 466th Area Medical Support Company along with the region’s Army National Guard recruiting force have already begun moving in. The 1427th Transportation Company, Medium Truck was originally organized in 2003 in Rochester and officially activated in 2005 whereupon it was transferred to Glens Falls with a detachment in Whitehall. Equipped with M1088 tractor trucks and M871A3 semi-trailer flat beds, the 1427th provides critical logistical support and is always prepared to haul essential containerized cargo and equipment wherever necessary New York Army National Guard's 466th Area Medical Support Company provided medical support to Coalition Forces in Iraq from October 2006 until September 2007. The 72 Soldiers of the Glens Falls-based medical company were responsible for providing immediate medical care in a region stretching from Baghdad to the Kuwait border, an area as big as the state of Pennsylvania. The 466th's primary mission was to provide medical treatment and coverage for the convoys which continually move along the main highway between Baghdad and Kuwait. Operating from four dispersed locations, and often coming under fire while treating casualties, the men and women of the 466th would treat and stabilize patients before moving them on for more advanced care elsewhere.

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