Jackson National Guard armory undergoing $900,000 renovation

JACKSON, Mo. -- The Missouri National Guard armory in Jackson is in the midst of a $900,000 renovation that will not only provide Citizen-Soldiers with the 1137th Military Police Company with newly remodeled offices, a larger kitchen and a workplace that is free of asbestos.

And the project is also expected to bring money into the area's economy.

The work began almost a month ago at the armory at 224 W. Park St., located near Jackson City Park, and is being done by Cape Girardeau-based Boulder Construction, said Sgt. 1st Class Bill Hoxworth, the unit's readiness noncommissioned officer. The renovation is scheduled to be completed no later than March 2010, though it is hoped a finish date is by Christmas.

"We're really updating almost every part of the armory," Hoxworth said. "It's moving really fast. They've gotten a lot done. We're pleased with the progress so far."

The armory's outdated paneling is replaced with drywall and new doors are being installed. A new state-of-the-art kitchen is being installed, which will be larger than the old kitchen because part of the training room will be added to the kitchen area.

An update to the heating and air conditioning is also being added, he said. Desks, computers, the locker room and the weapons locker area will all see an upgrade. Fencing is being added to the armory and work is also being done in the motor pool area, he said. A small amount of asbestos has already been removed from beneath tile in a training room, Hoxworth said.

"When it's all said and done, it's going to make us more consolidated," Hoxworth said. "We should be able to be more effective and, you know, it's a good thing for our members to be proud of our armory. The public will be able to look at the new armory and see that we're trying to keep it looking good."

The Jackson armory comes directly on the heels of the $1.5 million renovation of the Cape Girardeau armory, which was completed earlier this year. That job also provided Guardsmen with newly refurbished offices, a new kitchen as well as newly paved parking spaces and asbestos abatement.

Hoxworth said that should a natural disaster occur in Jackson, the new, larger kitchen could be used to feed a big portion of the Jackson residents. The remodeling is probably the first major renovation for the armory, which Hoxworth estimated was built in the 1940s. The Jackson armory is currently authorized 60 National Guard Soldiers, but several are gone as the result of deployments.

"We would just ask the public to forgive our mess," Howorth said. "We believe it will be worth any convenience to have a nice, new armory that the entire community can be proud of."

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-800-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.