SANDSTON, Va. –
Senior officials from state government, the Virginia National Guard, Defense Supply Center Richmond and the Guard’s construction partners broke ground on the new state headquarters facility Aug. 16, 2016, at Defense Supply Center Richmond in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The 102,000 square foot facility will be built on a 13.6-acre site in the northern section of DSCR, cost approximately $30 million and construction should be completed by February 2018. It will provide workspace for the Adjutant General of Virginia, the Virginia National Guard Joint Staff and Air National Guard Staff currently located at Mullins Readiness Center in Sandston.
“Our Guard is 409 years old, and this is long overdue,” said Governor Terry McAuliffe. “Finally they are going to get the headquarters they deserve. It is such an honor to be here today for this groundbreaking, and I want to thank everybody who made today possible. it is a very special day for all of us.”
McAuliffe, Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran, Virginia Senator Bryce Reeves and Delegate Richard L. Anderson, co-chairs of the Virginia General Assembly Military Caucus, Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, Air Force Brig. Gen. Allan E. Day, Commander of Defense Supply Center Richmond, Command Sgt. Maj. Alan F. Ferris, Virginia National Guard Senior Enlisted Advisor, Clifton C. White, Virginia National Guard deputy construction and facilities management officer, Stephen Ballard, owner of Ballard Construction and Mark Susa, Pond & Company National Guard Program Manager broke ground on the new facility.
“In the more than 409-year history of the Virginia National Guard, this is the first time we are building a new structure to serve as our headquarters, and we are incredibly excited to move into this next phase of the project,” said Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia. “This has been a team effort moved forward by many different state and federal entities. The DSCR staff has been supportive throughout the process and their implementation of the north post area development plan provided us with a warm welcome to the base, and we know this is going to be a rewarding partnership in the years to come.”
Williams said the support of multiple stakeholders, including National Guard Bureau, the Virginia Bureau of Capital Outlay Management, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Department of Real Estate Services, added value and helped move the process along.
“I also want to extend a special thanks to our own facilities management team for burning the midnight oil and working with these multiple agencies and the design and construction contractors to develop a cost effective design for the facility and keeping it on track,” Williams said.
Members of the Virginia Defense Force provided traffic assistance for the ceremony.
The current state headquarters in Sandston houses the adjutant general and his senior staff, as well full-time federal and state employees and traditional Soldiers and Airmen of Virginia National Guard Joint Staff and Air National Guard staff. The readiness center also houses the Joint Operations Center that manages Virginia National Guard operations during routine and emergency response operations. The Virginia Army National Guard staff is located at Fort Pickett near Blackstone, and the Virginia Defense Force staff is located at Waller Depot in Richmond.
The Virginia National Guard Joint Staff provides support for the entire state in the areas of operations, human resources, family programs, sustainment and logistics and public affairs.
“We are excited to have the Virginia National Guard headquarters facility and team come to the installation and be a part of the joint Department of Defense activities located on Defense Supply Center Richmond,” said DLA Aviation Commander, Air Force Brig. Gen. Allan Day. “The addition of their headquarters will significantly increase the number of the Guard personnel on center. We look forward to the larger footprint they will bring to our installation and the opportunities for partnership that the Guard’s presence brings to us both.”
The Virginia National Guard currently has several activities and units already on DSCR including the U.S. Property and Fiscal Office Supply Support Activity that includes the Guard’s Central Issue Facility, the Combined Support Maintenance Shop and Company B, 429th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
“This is a great partnership and it is growing,” Day said. “It is going to be awesome to have you on our base. We will welcome you like all of our families members, and you will be part of our DSCR family.”
The current facility in Sandston only provides 58 percent of the authorized space for a state headquarters, and the new facility increases available space to 98 percent, explained Lt. Col. Charlton Dunn, the Virginia National Guard construction and facilities management officer.
The funding for the State Headquarters is predominantly federal, with the Department of Military Affairs contributing approximately $471,000 of its own state funds to provide space for its employees, Dunn said. The Virginia Air National Guard is providing approximately $1.02 million for the Air Guard staff with the remaining funds to be provided by the Virginia Army National Guard.
The new facility will be built in compliance with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver requirements and will make use of ground-source heat pumps, photovoltaic solar panels and natural gas to create an energy efficient building now and for future generations of employees, Dunn said. This project utilizes Construction Manager at Risk, Building Information Modeling, and a commissioning agent to ensure the best product at appropriate initial and lifecycle costs within existing time constraints.
About the Virginia National Guard:
The Virginia National Guard provides an operational reserve to fight our nation’s wars, answers the call of the Governor to defend the commonwealth and builds partnerships to maximize resources and ensure our ability to rapidly respond when needed. It is a community-based military organization with readiness centers and training, aviation and maintenance facilities in more than 40 communities that crisscross the state from Winchester to Abingdon, Staunton to Virginia Beach, Manassas to Emporia and Danville to Warrenton.
The National Guard is a great value for the commonwealth and the nation and can maintain readiness at a fraction of the cost of active duty forces and has a unique state and federal mission set. Members bring a wide variety of specialized civilian-acquired skills, experience and mature leadership to any mission in addition to their military skills.
Since September 11, 2001, more than 15,000 Virginia Guard Soldiers and Airmen have mobilized on federal active duty for homeland security missions and combat operations, sustainment support and peacekeeping in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo and other locations around the world.
Since 2001, the Virginia National Guard has called up more than 8,000 personnel for duty to support domestic emergency operations as part of a coordinated state-wide response, as well as missions in Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia, New York and Vermont.
The Virginia Department of Military Affairs is the state agency that plans, coordinates, maintains situational awareness and employs the Virginia Army National Guard, Virginia Air National Guard and Virginia Defense Force for homeland security and homeland defense in order to respond to any incidents within the commonwealth and, on order of the Governor, assists civil authorities in protecting life and property, preserving peace, maintaining order and public safety and relieving suffering. DMA also has responsibility for the Commonwealth ChalleNGe Youth Academy and the Winchester STARBASE Academy.
About Defense Supply Center Richmond:
Defense Supply Center Richmond, the home of DLA Aviation, hosts a variety of Defense Logistics Agency tenant agencies, Department of Defense and other federal organizations on the 600-acre installation. DSCR has a number of warehousing, utility and administrative buildings with more than 5.1 million square feet of covered and uncovered storage space. There are more than 3,000 employees throughout the Defense Supply Center Richmond.
About Defense Logistics Agency Aviation:
Headquartered at the Defense Supply Center Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, DLA Aviation operates in 18 U.S. locations, with more than 3,500 civilian and military employees supporting more than 1,340 weapon systems, with focused support to 130 major weapon systems. It is the U.S. military’s integrated materiel manager for more than 1.2 million repair parts and operating supply items in support of all fixed- and rotor-wing aircraft, including spares for engines on fighters, bombers, transports and helicopters, all airframe and landing gear parts, flight safety equipment and propeller systems. Air Force Brigadier General Allan Day is the commander of DLA Aviation. The DLA Aviation command group is located in Richmond, Virginia.