(Estherville)– Adjutant General Ron Dardis of the Iowa National Guard was in Estherville today (Mon.) to officially announce the receipt of state and federal funding for the armory/training center. The Estherville armory project will receive 2.7 million of the 10 and-a-half million dollars in the military construction appropriation bill signed into law by President Bush November 5th. In addition to that, Dardis said the project will also be getting 1.2 million from the state of Iowa.
Construction is to start in May of 2002 with completion slated for December of 2003. Dardis says the new facility will be state-of-the-art and that the training center will be a model project for the Iowa National Guard, the state and nation.
The armory project will be carried out jointly with a new regional wellness center and performing arts center to be located in the same facility.
The city of Estherville, Emmet county, Estherville-Lincoln-Central School District, Iowa Lakes Community College and National Guard are all jointly involved.
So far, slightly more than 1.7 million dollars has been raised in the local capital campaign for the project. Project organizers have also applied for funding through the Vision Iowa Community Attractions and Tourism Program…or CAT.
