Projo Biz Blog

Sen. Jack Reed and state officials will gather at Quonset Point Friday, to mark the start of construction of two National Guard facilities that will be built with $43 million in federal money.

A 40,000-square-foot aircraft maintenance facility dating from the World War II era will be replaced by a $38 million, 150,000-square-foot building that will take two years to build, creating 100 construction jobs. The facility, to be built by Bacon Construction, of Providence, will store National Guard planes and Huey and Blackhawk helicopters.

"This is going to give them a modern facility so they can protect and maintain their aircraft," Reed said this afternoon. "They deserve something better than a World War II building."

The other facility, a 14,200-square-foot, $5 million special operations training support facility, will house top secret operations that are now scattered among several facilities at Quonset. "They're deeply engaged in cyber warfare operations," said Reed.

MCC Construction, of Connecticut, will build the facility, employing 15 to 20 full-time workers for 10 months.

"Not only is this going to improve our national security," said Reed, "it's going to put people to work in good jobs."

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