ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. - First Army's planned move here next year is on track.
Military and civilian officials marked the completion of the first construction phase of the unit's future headquarters during a ceremony May 20.
Laying stones in front of Bldg. 68 were: Jim Russell, CEO of Russell Construction; Joel Himsl, garrison manager, Rock Island Arsenal; Lt. Gen. Thomas Miller, commander, First Army; Maj. Gen. Yves Fontaine, commander, U.S. Army Sustainment Command; and Col. Keith Landry, commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District.
First Army, currently at Fort Gillem, Ga., is slated to be operating on Rock Island Arsenal by June 2011. The move is part of the Base Realignment and Closure legislation. Bldg. 68 dates to 1881 and is undergoing extensive renovations to accommodate an estimated 550 workers.
"Mark your calendars," Miller said. "One year from today, this building's full."
Approximately 130,000 square feet will be renovated, according to Mark Jacobson of the U.S. Corps of Engineers, Louisville District.
First Army mobilizes, trains, validates and deploys all Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve Component units throughout the continental United States and two territories in support of a broad set of diverse missions worldwide. Under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Thomas Miller, Soldiers and civilian trainers in First Army's two Training Divisions prepared more than 90,000 service members from more than 3,000 units (including almost 12,000 personnel from other services) in 2009. Located at Fort Gillem in Forest Park, Ga. (a suburb of Atlanta), First Army employs more than 200 active duty, Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers and almost 200 Department of the Army Civilians and Army contractors. The headquarters is scheduled to relocate to Rock Island Arsenal, Ill. in 2011.
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