JAK
Story by Spc. Michelle Waters/ Photos by Spc. Michelle Waters and Sgt. Dale Elliott
[caption id="attachment_1750" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="After two years of planning and construction, the new Armed Forces Reserve Center in Richmond, Ky., opened its doors June 5th."]
RICHMOND, Ky. (June 7, 2010)-- After two years, the $19.1 million state-of-the art Armed Forces Reserve Center officially opened its doors June 5, in Richmond, Ky.
Nearly 100 Soldiers from the Kentucky National Guard attended the dedication ceremony of the 65,000-square-foot building.
"It's an extraordinary facility. This is as good as it gets in Kentucky," said Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini, the adjutant general for Kentucky.
The AFRC will become a Regional Emergency Operations Center during state emergencies. It includes a 26,611-square-foot maintenance shop, which is the largest in the region and will serve both Southern and Eastern Kentucky units.
The Kentucky National Guard's 2123rd Transportation Co., the 617th Military Police and Army Reserve personnel will be stationed at the new location.
The AFRC is the result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005, and consolodates several other facilities into one state-of-the-art building.
[caption id="attachment_1751" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Maj. Gen. Edward Tonini, adjutant general of Kentucky, and Richmond Mayor Connie Lawson, assist members of the Kentucky National Guard and the Richmond Community with the ceremonial ribbon cutting marking the opening of the newly constructed Armed Forces Reserve Center in Richmond, Ky., June 5."]
