PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. -- After years of planning by the Army Community Service and about 11 months of renovations, Picatinny Arsenal's new Army Community Readiness and Support Center opened on Jan. 11.
The 8,600 square foot building located on Buffington Road, Bldg. 119, had been undergoing renovations since February 2010 that cost about $1.3 million.
"It was a long process, but it was very worth the wait," Tammy Mitchell, the Chief of Army Services, said at the Cannon Gate Catering and Conference Center before the ribbon cutting. She spoke glowingly about the programs that the new building will allow.
Chaplain Maj. Kevin Doll said the new center will serve as the central location for various needs of Soldiers and their families. He called the building the start of a "new era" for "spiritual, emotional, physical and mental needs" of Soldiers and their loved ones.
Lt. Col. Herb Koehler, the garrison commander, thanked Mitchell, former Lt. Col. John Stack, and Lee Moreau, former director of the installation's Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation directorate.
Shortly after, with one snip from giant scissors, Mitchell, Lt. Col. Koehler, Command Sgt. Maj. Scott Koroll, and Maj. Doll opened the remodeled facility, allowing all to tour the new Support Center.
The center houses a host of Army services, including the Army Community Service, the Chaplain's Office, the National Association for Retired Federal Employees and the Department of Labor Veterans Affairs. It holds private offices for all Community Readiness and Support program managers and contains a children's room, family readiness room, depression room, resource library and a classroom for children.
Notably, the new Support Center boasts a "resiliency" room. Master Resiliency Trainers have partnered with the chaplain and other agencies to provide classes for the mind, body and spirit, primarily for Soldiers and their families.
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