SIOUX CITY — For 72 years, the vehicle maintenance building at the Iowa Army National Guard Readiness Center has been in operation.
Soon enough, it’ll be retired.
Tuesday morning, Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst was in town with Iowa National Guard leadership to tout a new maintenance building they say will last for decades to come and will help the local First Squadron of the 113 Cavalry Regiment with mission readiness.
“Much needed updates like these will ensure that all of these great young men and women have the resources necessary to meet the demands of service today while also standing ready for future missions and challenges,” Ernst said during a groundbreaking ceremony for the new 20,000-square-foot facility.
The idea for the $13.8 million project, which is being federally funded, started about 10 years ago and then ratcheted up about eight years. The expectation from Iowa National Guard leadership is that the new building, projected to open in 18 months, will last for another 50 years. The current building has operated since 1953 but has already seen two major maintenance upgrades. Iowa National Guard Adjutant General Stephen E. Osborn said its age is a factor in it being retired but so too is the size because modern military vehicles continue to get bigger and bigger.
“It’s served our community and our Guard and our soldiers faithfully since 1953,” Osborn said of the existing structure. He said that the new project represents not just a new building but a renewed commitment.
“It’s a commitment to our community, it’s a commitment to our soldiers,” he said. ” Today we’re not just building a maintenance shop, we’re building an infrastructure of readiness,” Osborn said.
Construction work was underway Tuesday at the Iowa Army National Guard Readiness Center for a new 25,000 square-foot Iowa National Guard vehic…
Osborn noted that the local unit’s readiness was critical in responding to the 2008 tornado that killed four Boy Scouts and injured dozens more people at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch and in responding to historic flooding that devastated Northwest Iowa in 2024.
“Our soldiers brought in their equipment, high water vehicles and critical infrastructure support, to help their neighbors and help the folks of Northwest Iowa through that crisis,” Osborn said.
Ernst said another benefit of the new vehicle maintenance site will be its economic impact.
“Locating here, being able to maintain vehicles here, that means these families will have their home community of Sioux City to live in,” she said.
Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott said the town was thankful for the investment by the Iowa National Guard.
“You’re the type of people who volunteer and do other things that make our community what it is,” he said.
Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Iowa National Guard vehicle maintenance shop at the Iowa Army Nat…
Ernst said the maintenance shop shouldn’t be the only improvement military units in Sioux City see in the coming years.
“Throughout my time in Congress, I’ve consistently been fighting to make sure the needs of our National Guard are met. Whether it’s pushing the Pentagon and the Air Force to honor their commitments to the 185th with their runaway. Whether it is projects like this which will meet the modern needs of our future fighting force, I will always continue to fight for these types of projects,” Ernst said.
The Journal has previously reported that replacement of the main 9,000-foot runway at Sioux Gateway Airport is vital to retaining the 185th Air Refueling Wing and its 1,400 full-time and part-time positions and the millions of dollars in economic activity the Iowa Air National Guard unit annually generates for the metro area. And for years now, officials at the local, state and federal level have been trying to secure the funding dollars to complete the $91.8 million airport project.
“We are making progress on that and we’ve had a number of commitments coming from our Air Force leaders,” Ernst said. “We will continue pushing for funding for the runway. We are putting elements of that in the National Defense Authorization Act. We need to make sure that the appropriators are appropriating the dollars toward the project as well. But steadily, we are getting there.”
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, center, Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott, far right, and members of the Iowa National Guard break ground for the Iowa …
Jared McNett is an online editor and reporter for the Sioux City Journal. You can reach him at 712-293-4234 and follow him on Twitter @TwoHeadedBoy98.
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