Spring road maintenance at Fort McCoy may be a reminder of local economic impact

Workers with the installation grounds contractor, Kaiyuh Services, completed road shoulder work April 23 on Quarry Hill Road at Fort McCoy. But maybe it was more than that.

The work was part of regular roads and grounds maintenance at the installation, according to officials with the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works, which coordinates this type of work with the contractor.

Similar work was also conducted throughout the installation in April and on the cantonment area to improve road shoulders after the winter in preparation for summer training traffic.

Having contractors like Kaiyuh Services is a factor in contributing to local economic impact as well, according to statistics compiled by the Fort McCoy Plans, Analysis, and Integration Office.

Since fiscal year (FY) 2019, more than $1.3 billion has also been applied to operating costs that included utilities, physical plant maintenance, repair and improvements, other new construction projects, purchases of supplies and services, and salaries for civilian contract personnel working at Fort McCoy. That includes contractors like the grounds contractor and it in turn affects the local economic impact, officials said.

Taking a closer look, following are the year-by-year breakdowns of economic impact numbers for new construction and operating costs at Fort McCoy.

— FY 2019 — $27.6 million in new construction of buildings and ranges; operating costs of $120.56 million.

— FY 2020: $50.3 million in new construction of buildings and ranges; operating costs of $194.4 million.

— FY 2021: $39.4 million in new construction of buildings and ranges; operating costs of $249.88 million.

— FY 2022: $42.5 million in new construction of buildings and ranges; operating costs of $391.46 million.

— FY 2023: $58 million in new construction of buildings and ranges; operating costs of $346 million.

Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger said in a past news article that it’s money well spent.

“Fort McCoy has laid out a very good plan of goals over the next five, 10, and 15 years,” Messenger said. “For example, as we look at Fort McCoy in 2030, we can see a vision. … Fort McCoy wants to be the training and mobilization center of excellence.”

Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.

The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984. Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”