TROUTVILLE. Va. –
The Virginia National Guard formally opened the new Roanoke Regional Readiness Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 4, 2017, in Troutville, Virginia. Virginia 6th District Congressman Bob Goodlatte and Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, joined other Virginia National Guard senior leaders and members of the Facilities Management Office in cutting the ribbon. The 29th Division Band is first unit to relocate to the new facility.
“We are extremely excited to officially open the Roanoke Regional Readiness Center,” Williams said. “The opening is the culmination of years of hard work, spearheaded by the outstanding effort of our facilities management team. We greatly appreciate the support of state government agencies and local government officials in the area that was essential to completing this project, and we look forward to renewing our partnerships in the region.”
The 29th Division Band recently relocated from Clifton Forge in a space colocated on the campus of Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, and the space will be turned over to the college.
The relocation of the 29th Division Band will be the first in a series of moves to the Roanoke Regional Readiness Center as the Virginia National Guard continues to develop the facility. Near term plans include setting up a field maintenance shop. A regional maintenance facility and additional troop units will transition to the facility in the future, Williams said.
The Virginia National Guard secured the site of the former Botetourt Correctional Center in June 2015.
The total site area is approximately 56.5 acres in Troutville, located at State Drive and Route 651, east of I-81 and north of Roanoke. It is adjacent to a Virginia State Police shooting range and a Virginia Department of Transportation regional maintenance facility.
The Botetourt Correctional Center closed in the winter of 2010 and was declared surplus state property. It was transferred to the Virginia National Guard at no cost.
By utilizing this site and most of its existing facilities, the Department of Military Affairs is saving the taxpayers significant money and limiting environmental impacts as compared to building an all new facility. while providing a capability to more efficiently support our national defense and state public safety missions, Williams said.
The 29th Division Band consists of 34 enlisted Soldiers and one chief warrant officer. Its mission is to support the Virginia National Guard with musical performances around the state. A group of Soldiers from the band recently returned from Kuwait where they performed at the transfer of authority ceremony for the 29th Infantry Division as they ended their federal active duty mission.
Read more about the 29th Division Band’s recent performance at the dedication ceremony for the American Revolution Museum in Yorktown at https://go.usa.gov/x58K8.
In addition to the full band, the 29th Division Band contains 18 different musical performance teams. These include the concert band, marching band, ceremonial band, rock band, jazz ensemble, jazz combo, brass ensemble, brass quintet, saxophone ensemble, clarinet ensemble, flute ensemble, trombone ensemble, an F horn/euphonium ensemble, the fife and drum, the color guard and a sound reinforcement team.