LAFAYETTE, La. — The Louisiana National Guard broke ground on a new $37.4 million readiness center in Lafayette, designed to replace the outdated armory on Surrey Street and provide state-of-the-art training facilities for soldiers and airmen.
The 83,943-square-foot facility will serve as a modern headquarters where National Guard members can train for overseas deployments and prepare to respond to emergencies within Louisiana.
"This project symbolizes Louisiana National Guard's commitment to build combat readiness," said Major General Thomas Friloux.
The current Surrey Street location has become inadequate for the Guard's growing needs, according to Friloux.
"It's been there 50-plus years. We significantly outgrown the location. The number of units there was not what it was designed for," Friloux said. "So we need a modern facility. In fact, we will keep that facility with some other units, but we needed the growth. We needed the modern facility for our headquarters, and that's what we are getting here today."
The National Guard will lease the property from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for the new center.
"It's going to be a beautiful center. It's a great place for our soldiers and airmen to start their career," Friloux said.
The facility will be located near the Hilton Garden Inn Lafayette/Cajundome.
Construction is estimated to take 20 months to complete, with a total project cost of $37,478,000.
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