The development of a Pennsylvania Army National Guard armory
near Bradford Regional Airport has reached a “critical” stage.
On Wednesday, the Department of the Army, National Guard Bureau,
and Pennsylvania Army National Guard placed a final environmental
impact statement legal notice in The Era, which is essentially the
last – and most critical – step in bringing the armory to airport
grounds.
The statement, which encompasses the National Guard’s 56th
Brigade’s transformation to a Stryker Brigade as part of an
overhaul of the country’s armed services, will be on display for 30
days, after which the Guard “will have a green light” to go forward
with the actual physical development of the armory, according to
Lt. Col. Christopher Cleaver, public affairs officer at Fort
Indiantown Gap.
“This is the critical step in the process,” Cleaver said. “When
this record of decision comes out, we have a green light to go
ahead with the project. This serves as our authorization to pursue
it.”
The project, which has been a few years in the making, is also
waiting on the completion of an agreement of sale for the land the
armory will sit on. In the hands of a variety of legal teams,
including Bradford Airport Authority solicitor Daniel Wertz,
officials said the sale has already been approved by the state
departments of General Services and Veterans and Legal Affairs.
The complex deal – which currently sits in the Federal Register
until March 2 – also involves the Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation’s Bureau of Aviation and the Federal Aviation
Administration, among others. Both the FAA and National Guard went
back and forth for several months regarding whether the land would
be leased or sold outright to the Guard.
Airport Manager Tom Frungillo said he hopes the airport
authority will be able to sign the final paperwork related to the
transfer at the panel’s March 8 meeting.
“This is good news and another step in moving the process
forward,” Frungillo said Wednesday. “It doesn’t look like anything
is going to hold this up now. Just the minor details are being
worked out.”
Both Frungillo and airport engineer Ed Natusi will be meeting
with the FAA and National Guard officials during a meeting in
Hershey next Wednesday.
When approved, the armory will be located on land near the
airport’s access road. Lafayette Township has already approved a
request for a subdivision on the property.
The armory has been slated for full funding through the U.S.
Department of Defense. The Guard requested $15 million from the
state to buy land for new armories as part of the 56th Brigade’s
changeover to a new type of fighting force. The proposal entails
closing barracks in Bradford, Ridgway and Kane.
According to Cleaver and the legal ad, the environmental impact
statement outlines the scope of the proposed action slated for the
site and addresses any environmental, cultural and socioeconomic
impact the armory may bring about.
“We feel it’s a very, very solid document that covers all the
bases,” Cleaver said.
Officials had previously indicated that numerous environmental
impact studies had been completed at the proposed armory
location.
“The Stryker is an environmentally friendly vehicle,” Cleaver
said. “The facilities are state-of-the-art. We have strong
environmental ethics in mind when we construct these facilities.
Most places we go, there is an overwhelming response of welcome
acceptance for the unit.”
The 30-day comment period for the statement will be completed
March 24.
In preparation for the armory’s arrival, the airport authority
authorized the installation of a water and sewer line extension to
the airport, which is nearly completed.
Airport officials also hope the armory will help spur economic
development around the airport, with some land along the access
road already approved under the Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ)
program, which supplies limited property tax relief to businesses
locating there.
