Senate OKs Bangor Guard site funds $14.9 million for renovation, expansion still requires House approval

BANGOR – The U.S. Senate has approved a bill that will give the Bangor Army National Guard facility $14.9 million to complete phase two of a two-part project to expand and renovate existing administrative areas, according to Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins on Friday.

The Senate approved the funding late Thursday night as part of the Fiscal Year 2004 Military Construction Appropriations bill. The bill will go to the House before being passed on to the president.

“We’re very severely limited as far as the space required for administrative offices,” Col. David Smith, Maine Army National Guard state aviation officer, said Friday.

“Even though we’re a training facility, we have only one classroom space available to us, virtually no briefing areas and maintenance shops are extremely limited in their space,” Smith said. “This will kind of bring us all together under one roof for the first time in many years.”

Phase I of the project is about 96 percent done, according to Smith. The scheduled completion date is Aug. 1.

Improvements to be made during Phase II include interior and exterior lighting, fire protection, handicapped accessibility, paving of aircraft parking areas and tie-down pads, hover lanes, landscaping and physical security measures.

About 60 people work at the base full time. But there currently isn’t even a break room where they can eat lunch together, Smith said, and in many cases, there are several people crammed into a space made for one or two.

“We’re hoping this will complete our requirements,” Smith said. He also said the completion of the project would make for a more secure facility.