Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced $15.1 million in Military Construction (MILCON) funding for renovations of two NYS Marine Corps Reserve unit facilities in Syracuse and New York City. Training facilities used by E Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion of Syracuse will receive $13.2 million to construct a new reserve center; and the 6th Communications Battalion in Brooklyn will receive $1.9 million to undergo electrical service overhauls. The funding passed the Senate as part of the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act and now heads to the President for signature.
“Our servicemembers should have the very best facilities and these federal funds would allow the Marine bases to move forward with much-needed renovations to upgrade the training facilities for E Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and the 6th Communications Battalion,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I will continue fighting to ensure all of our installations have the resources they need to remain strong and continue to be critical assets to our national defense.”
The Marine Corps Reserve Center in Syracuse will use the funding to construct a new one-story reserve center, an organic equipment storage warehouse, and a covered equipment shelter. Due to structural failings posed by cracks in floors and walls and an inoperable fire safety system, the existing facility will be demolished when new construction concludes. The Marine Corps Reserve Center in Brooklyn will use the funding to construct a new electrical duct bank and install cabling and above ground high voltage cable junction boxes to maximize energy efficiency. The old electrical system was built during World War II and over the last few years required multiple repairs to the point where a backup generator was necessary due to several feeder cable failures.
The renovation projects at the Marine bases will include Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) features and comply with regulations and physical security mitigation in accordance with the Department of Defense (DoD) Minimum Anti-Terrorism Standards for Buildings.