Schumer Announces Fort Wadsworth Chosen as Site for Staten Island Army Reserve Center; Victory Years in the Making Ensures Center will be Built on the Island, Not in New Jersey

Statement

After Years of Working To Keep Center On Staten Island, Schumer, Army Corps And Army Reserve Will Announce that Fort Wadsworth Is Chosen Site for Location of the New Army Reserve Center

$18 Million Dollar Facility Will Include Training Center and Boost Army Recruitment On Staten Island

Schumer: The Process Has Been Like a Marathon, But We're Now Crossing the Finish Line

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, joined by Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, Assemblyman Michael Cusick, and representatives from the Army Reserves, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the National Park Service, announced today that the Army Reserve has chosen Fort Wadsworth as the preferred site location for the construction of the new Staten Island Army Reserve Center. This announcement represented a major victory in the effort to see the center built. The Army Reserve's decision to choose Fort Wadsworth as the preferred site location caps years of advocacy by Schumer and local officials to ensure that the $18.55 million project remained on Staten Island and didn't wind up in New Jersey.

"It's been a long time coming, but we have finally found a home for the Army Reserve Center and that home is right here on Staten Island, where it belongs," Schumer said. "Staten Island is a patriotic place that produces a huge number of volunteers to our nation's military services. Thanks to the efforts of the countless local officials like Borough President Molinaro and Assemblymember Mike Cusick and the work of the Army Corps of Engineers and Army Reserve, we now have a plan to build the Center at Fort Wadsworth. It will improve Army recruitment on Staten Island and provide much needed resources for our men and women in uniform."

The ACOE plans to establish the Center at Fort Wadsworth by alterations to existing, underutilized facilities at the Fort. The plan does not require use of National Park Service land, which had been a holdup in the process, and requires only minor changes to the exterior of Fort Wadsworth buildings. It will not encroach on any current space used at Fort Wadsworth, but rather use under-utilized spaces. In order to cut costs, the Army Corps will offer the construction contract as a "design-build project" requiring the bidder to both design and build the project.

"The Army Reserve Center on Staten Island is important to this Borough, and I salute Senator Schumer for his leadership in helping secure both an excellent location and the necessary approvals," Borough President Molinaro said. "This is another major victory for Staten Island achieved by Senator Schumer, and on behalf of our Borough's 500,000 residents, I want to thank him for working tirelessly on this issue. Staten Island welcomes the opportunity to do our part for Army recruitment, and we welcome the economic benefits associated with this project."

Assemblyman Mike Cusick said, "As a Staten Islander, I am thrilled about the building of an Army Reserve Center at Fort Wadsworth. It goes without saying that our men and women in uniform deserve the very best. I believe this project will enhance the morale of reservists while simultaneously raising retention rates. There is a sizeable number of reservists residing in the Staten Island community. Fort Wadsworth's central location is beneficial, not only for Staten Island GI's, but also those traveling from other boroughs."

The process to see the Reserve Center built has been long and arduous. Funds for the Staten Island Army Reserve Center were approved by Congress and signed into law by President Bush in 2008. The project called for the construction a complex that could accommodate 300 reservists. The three building center would be designed to increase recruitment on Staten Island, and would include modern facilities and equipment including a training center, offices, a drill hall, gym, arms vault, storage facility, and vehicle repair shop and garage.

The project was originally intended to be completed in January 2011. Weeks after the funding was approved, however, the ACOE announced that Fort Wadsworth, the site originally proposed for the Center, presented difficulties and began considering moving the $18.55 million dollar center to New Jersey. Schumer successfully lobbied then Army Secretary Peter Geren and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ensure the Center stayed on the Island.

The ACOE conducted a lengthy study process to determine what site might be appropriate. Fort Wadsworth was considered a good candidate for the Center because it had sufficient space and, because it sat on federal land, there were no acquisition costs for the project. This fact was key, because the $18.55 million approved for the project did not include land acquisition costs.

Today's announcement that Fort Wadsworth is the preferred site location for construction of the Army Reserve Center is the capstone of a two year effort to ensure that the Center remained on Staten Island.

Source