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Neighbors voice concerns over new National Guard facility in Lafayette

"I really wish we would've had a little more notice about this."
Neighbors voice concerns over new National Guard facility construction in Lafayette
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LAFAYETTE, La. — Construction is underway on a new multi-million-dollar Louisiana National Guard facility along West Congress Street.

But some residents nearby say they were surprised to see bulldozers move in without prior notice. The $37.4 million Lafayette Readiness Center is being built next to Oaklawn Avenue.

For longtime resident Laura Lawton, who has lived in the neighborhood since 2009, the start of construction came as a surprise.

“When the ground started being moved and the bulldozers moved in, that was really the first big notification to my knowledge that anybody had,” Lawton said. “When there have been zoning or additional projects that have impacted this neighborhood, there’s usually public notice or hearings, there was no notice of this, it was just done.”

Lawton said she’s concerned about how the project could affect traffic, noise, and light levels once it’s complete.

“It certainly has that potential based on the size and what I read about what they’re putting in there,” she said. “I can see some increases in traffic flow, and when you have that many people and big equipment, there could be a noise impact on the neighborhood as well.”

The director of public affairs for the Louisiana National Guard, Lt. Col. Noel Collins, shared this statement on the matter:

"The new Lafayette Readiness Center will be home to the headquarters element of the 256 Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) and a military intelligence company. These units are allotted a limited fleet of vehicles, and historically, approximately 15% of the unit is manned full-time working regularly at the center, with the additional 85% in attendance for monthly drills.

The Louisiana National Guard appreciates its relationship and the support it routinely gets from the citizens of Lafayette and Acadiana. The 256 IBCT received an outpouring of support from the community during its recent 2021 deployment to the CENTCOM region and likewise, the 700 Soldiers of the 256 IBCT currently overseas are receiving a similar level of support.

We train to protect the homeland during times of emergency and to fight our nation's wars. We're successful because of our communities. We look forward to the enduring partnership with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and building a strong relationship with the local public, including the Oaklawn neighborhood."

“I hope it all turns out wonderful and that there is no negative impact to the neighborhood, especially since it seems it’s well underway,” Lawton told KATC.

Construction is expected to take about 20 months to complete. Click here for our past story on this.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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