Plans for a large new Alabama National Guard training facility in Foley are moving forward again after federal budget cuts stalled the project last year, according to Mayor John Koniar.
The proposed 125,000-square-foot Foley Training and Community Center, planned for a site along the Beach Express, had originally been expected to break ground by 2015. Automatic federal spending cuts known as sequestration pushed that timeline back to 2019, but Koniar said the city is now working with Alabama’s congressional delegation to move construction up, with hopes of starting as early as 2016 or 2017.
The Foley project is part of a broader consolidation effort by the Alabama National Guard, which has closed 13 armories statewide over the past two years in favor of fewer, larger regional facilities.
The city has been planning for the new armory since 2011, when the Foley City Council agreed to hand over 30 acres in its Beach Express Industrial Park, located just south of U.S. 98, in exchange for the Guard’s existing Fort Smith Armory property behind City Hall. The industrial park site sits near the U.S. Navy’s Barin Field, which is expected to eventually house Air National Guard units as well.
Once built, the new facility would dwarf Foley’s current armory, built back in 1969, coming in at more than five times its size. Beyond housing Guard operations, the building is designed to double as a community resource, with plans for a commercial-grade kitchen and partnerships allowing local colleges to offer distance-learning courses on site.
“They’re already meeting with people like Faulkner (State), South Alabama, etc. for the educational part of it,” Koniar said. “They’re not your daddy’s or granddaddy’s National Guard anymore. They’re pretty progressive and do a lot of good stuff.”
Design plans call for roughly 100,000 square feet of heated and air-conditioned space along with another 25,000 square feet of unheated area, giving the Guard room for both emergency response operations and community programming. Supporters say the facility would strengthen the Guard’s readiness while also serving as a hub for local education and public events.
An early cost estimate put the project at around $27 million, though Koniar noted that figure will likely rise given the continued growth of the south Baldwin County economy since the estimate was first prepared. City officials say they remain optimistic that renewed momentum on the federal funding side could help the long-delayed project finally break ground within the next few years.