Armory on slow track
Friday, June 10, 2005 3:01 PM PDT
Larry Meyer Argus Observer
ONTARIO
Plans for a new Oregon Army National Guard armory in Ontario are moving ahead at a faster pace after the site for the facility was narrowed down, but the crucial, lingering question regarding funding remains - at least partially - unanswered.
Plans call for the new structure to be situated on Southwest Fourth Street across the street from the Heinz/Ore-Ida Sports Center. Just exactly where on the property the facility will stand still has to be decided, and the final site could affect some of the future goals of Treasure Valley Community College.
Originally the new armory - set to replace the current aging structure built in 1950 and situated near the Malheur County fairgrounds - was scheduled to be built on the main TVCC campus, between the gymnasium and the Weese Building.
TVCC also owns the land where the new structure is scheduled to be constructed, and in exchange for the land with the state, the college will receive free use of two classrooms, plus the ability to lease two additional classrooms. The college can also make additions to the design or on how the facility will be equipped, but only at its own expense.
Randy Griffin, TVCC dean of administrative services, said Guard officials are looking at 2007 to gain funding to build the armory, but it could come quicker.
"We don't know where we are going to site it yet," he said.
Denny Taylor, project manager, Installations Division, Oregon Military Department, concurred with Griffin's assessment. He said right now some surveys are being done and soil samples taken to help determine where the armory will sit on the Southwest Fourth Street location.
A key stumbling block is the minimum setback requirements because of security. Officials are looking to see if the armory can be sited in a way to still accommodate the plans of the college. Taylor said an architect will be working on some drawings to show some possibilities on where the armory will sit.
"We have some requirements that take a lot more space now," he said.
Taylor said the setbacks for the armory are 148 feet from any public street, which is Southwest Fourth Street and possibly Southwest 12th Avenue, and 82 feet from any parking area and trash container. He said there have been talks with the Ontario city officials about vacating the right-of-way for 12th Avenue.
Those setbacks could put the armory in the middle of the parking lot, leaving little or no room on the property for any building plans the college may have for the property, to complement its use of the armory, Griffin said. The two rooms for the college will hold about 80 students, he said.
"We're looking for larger lecture rooms," he said.
Officials are also looking at adding a sports floor to the armory, which would accept basketball or volleyball standards so the facility could be used as an additional practice site for TVCC college teams.
He said the idea of college officials would be to have the armory to one side of the property, with a college facility on the opposite side, with parking in the middle, which could be for overflow parking from the athletic fields.
"The good thing is we are back on track," Griffin said. "They are definitely working to build an armory here."
Taylor conceded TVCC has been cooperative and proactive regarding future armory plans.
"The college has been working well with us," Taylor said. "If all goes well it will be funded in 2007."
Taylor said the plans are about 50 percent complete.
