National Guard’s new Freedom center underway
After breaking ground in the fall on the Freedom Readiness Center in Sykesville, officials from Maryland Department of General Services, the Maryland Military Department and the National Guard are moving into the next steps of the project.
“The clearing of the site is mostly complete at this point, and they are working on water main connections soon,” said Lauren Buckler, general services’ assistant secretary. “That’s the next big project activity.”
The Freedom Readiness Center will be a 67,121-square-foot building with a 6,700- square-foot detached storage structure, and will be located at 6501 Sykesville Road, replacing the existing Catonsville and Ellicott City armories.
The center will house approximately 10 full-time staff with 326 individuals on weekend drills and be the largest readiness center in the state when it is complete, according to a media release.
The building was designed to standards qualifying for Leadership in Energy and Enviromental Design (LEED) Silver certifi- cation.
The Department of General Services is responsible for overseeing the planning, budgeting and design of the $24.5 million center, which will combine the 200th Military Police Company in Catonsville and the 729th Composite Quarter Master Supply Company in Ellicott City into the one facility.
“There were site constraints at those other sites that meant we had to pick a new site,” said Buckler, and this is a site the state already owned.
“It’s a win for the taxpayers that it’s land the state already owns that can be utilized for this purpose,” she said. “It’s a win for the local area with what the state has chosen to utilize the site for; it’s not a disruptive activity.
The project is on schedule — slated for completion in October 2020 — and coming in under-budget, Buckler said, and there are no plans as of now for road closures in the surrounding area due to construction.
“The clearing of the site is mostly complete at this point, and they are working on water main connections soon,” said Lauren Buckler, general services’ assistant secretary. “That’s the next big project activity.”
The Freedom Readiness Center will be a 67,121-square-foot building with a 6,700- square-foot detached storage structure, and will be located at 6501 Sykesville Road, replacing the existing Catonsville and Ellicott City armories.
The center will house approximately 10 full-time staff with 326 individuals on weekend drills and be the largest readiness center in the state when it is complete, according to a media release.
The building was designed to standards qualifying for Leadership in Energy and Enviromental Design (LEED) Silver certifi- cation.
The Department of General Services is responsible for overseeing the planning, budgeting and design of the $24.5 million center, which will combine the 200th Military Police Company in Catonsville and the 729th Composite Quarter Master Supply Company in Ellicott City into the one facility.
“There were site constraints at those other sites that meant we had to pick a new site,” said Buckler, and this is a site the state already owned.
“It’s a win for the taxpayers that it’s land the state already owns that can be utilized for this purpose,” she said. “It’s a win for the local area with what the state has chosen to utilize the site for; it’s not a disruptive activity.
The project is on schedule — slated for completion in October 2020 — and coming in under-budget, Buckler said, and there are no plans as of now for road closures in the surrounding area due to construction.
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