The development of a Pennsylvania Army National Guard armory at
Bradford Regional Airport is inching along.

On Wednesday, state Department of General Services Press
Secretary Ed Myslewicz confirmed that bids for the design and build
portion of the armory project will be accepted until May 2.

The project went out for bid on March 7, according to a copy of
the bid schedule obtained by The Era from the Department of General
Services Web site for fiscal year 2007 projects.

According to Myslewicz, the department selects from only those
design-build firms which have been pre-qualified for the bidding
process.

As of Wednesday, there were five companies listed on the Web
page that had been selected as design-build firms – Burchick
Construction Co., John Deklewa and Sons Inc., Hallstrom
Construction Inc., P.J. Dick Inc., and Massaro Corp.

“You have to get a design established and then you are able to
move forward with draft construction,” Myslewicz said.

A time frame for the groundbreaking for the project and actual
construction can’t be assigned yet, according to Myslewicz.

The construction of the armory is part of the 56th Brigade’s
transformation to a Stryker Brigade as part of an overhaul of the
country’s armed services.

The Bradford-Ridgway readiness center is one of 11 statewide
that are scheduled to be built this year, according to the
department. The current cost of the project stands at $6.7 million;
the armory is slated to sit on 23.48 acres of land and take up a
total of 32,497-square-feet.

Officials are still waiting on the release of federal funds,
which are already in the pipeline and will be triggered soon.

The armory will be located near the access road into the
airport.

According to a copy of the description of the proposed
construction, the one-story facility will be comprised of brick and
concrete and will include military and privately-owned vehicle
parking, fencing, a detached facility sign, wash platform, fuel
storage and dispensing system and a flagpole.

Meanwhile, officials said cost-effective energy conserving
features will be incorporated into the design.

The armory will have space for 105 personnel, according to a
copy of the proposed construction. When completed, the facility
will consolidate armories located in Bradford and Ridgway and have
the proper space requirements needed for training, classrooms and
physical fitness.

The project has been more than a year in the making, with
airport officials signing an agreement of sale to turn over a
portion of land for the armory in March of 2006. As part of a deal
hashed out between airport officials, the Guard, DGS and Federal
Aviation Administration, the airport will retain the mineral rights
at the site and ability to harvest timber from any trees that are
cut down during the armory’s development.

Airport officials see the armory project as one step in bringing
future economic development to the facility’s grounds. Other plans
call for the creation of a multi-tenant center, also along the
access road.

During a meeting of the Bradford Regional Airport Authority
earlier this month, Airport Director Tom Frungillo said the
construction on the armory could begin in either August or
September.