Contact: Rick Scoggins
Date: February 10, 2012
Phone: (919) 664-6444

N.C. National Guard and State Partners Dedicate Building

RALEIGH - The North Carolina National Guard, in conjunction with N.C. Emergency Management and the state departments of Public Safety and Transportation, hosted a dedication ceremony today to open their new joint force headquarters here.

The building, located on 18 acres adjacent to the Claude T. Bowers Military Center off  Reedy Creek Road, the original N.C. National Guard headquarters, is a partnership between the N.C. Guard, State Emergency Management and NCDOT. 

Nearly 520 civilian and military employees work in the 237,000-square-foot facility.

Key leadership from multiple state agencies, the National Guard and U.S. Department of Defense were on hand to celebrate the grand opening and to speak on behalf of the new facility.

The new building is composed of some of the most modern technologies and energy-efficient "green" engineering. Some of the building's features include a 400-person concert auditorium, a 150-person dining facility, the state's new emergency operations center and State Highway Patrol's State Communications Center.

Media and event attendees were treated to a tour to familiarize themselves with the multiple departments and technological capabilities of the facility.

The building is designed primarily to be an operations center for the state in the event of natural disasters or other emergencies.

Construction began on the building in July 2009 and took nearly two years to complete. The building was made possible by legislation supported by U.S. Rep. David Price and other congressional leaders through the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a stimulus package created to generate job growth, target infrastructure development and spur economic activity for long-term growth investments.

The projected cost of the new joint force headquarters was $53 million. Nearly $39 million was supported by ARRA, with an additional $14 million provided through state funds for the construction of critical state infrastructure in the building.

The new building further solidifies the relationship between critical state agencies and the NCNG. The partnership ensures that the citizens of North Carolina receive responsive and effective support during such emergencies by exercising the full capabilities of the nearly 12,000 Soldiers and Airmen of the NCNG and the dedicated professionals of NCDPS, NCEM, SHP and NCDOT.