SPENCER'S NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY WILL BE CLOSED

(10/19/2006)
Calhoun National Guard soldiers will have to travel about 35-miles further to attend drills with the closure of the Spencer armory.

A 350-acre site near Millwood, Jackson County, will be the site of a new armory for the National Guard and US Army Reserves.

The new facility is expected to open in 2010.

Major General Allen Tackett, Adjutant General of West Virginia has agreed to pay the Eastern Star, owners of the land, $1.25 million for the property.

Projected cost for the new 61,000 square foot facility is $16.2 million.

The facility will house about 200 military personnel, after the closure of Spencer, Ripley and Huntington armories.

The project is expected to contribute $2.2 million to the local economy in the form of payroll, supply purchases and other expenditures.

Spencer Newspapers reported there are no definite plans regarding use of the "old" armory building in Spencer.