Oregon National Guard seeks funds for multipurpose range, armory upgrades and a Linn County retrofit
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Summary
The Oregon Military Department told the Joint Capital Construction Committee that funding in Senate Bill 5506 would support armory life‑extension projects, a new multipurpose machine gun range and a revised approach to a Linn County readiness center that reduces federal limitation needs.
The Oregon Military Department asked the Joint Capital Construction Committee on May 2 to include funding for several National Guard readiness projects in Senate Bill 5506, including a 10‑lane multipurpose automated machine gun range and a change in approach for a Linn County readiness center.
Sean McCormick, chief of state affairs for the Military Department, said the department requested $29,000,000 in other funds limitation and $20,000,000 in federal funds limitation for a package of armory projects. He described the multipurpose machine gun range in detail: "13,000,000 of the requested federal funds limitation will allow OMD to construct a 10 lane automated multipurpose machine gun range. The range will have 6 2 person walk in lanes and 4 vehicle fighting positions," McCormick said, adding the range would include a control tower, support buildings, target emplacements and utilities.
McCormick also explained a change to the Linn County project. The bill originally contained $28,000,000 in federal funds limitation for a new readiness center; the department said it now plans to retrofit the existing Albany armory instead. That approach still requires approximately $7,000,000 in bond proceeds and a corresponding limitation but reduces the needed federal funds limitation to about $3,500,000, McCormick said.
Why it matters: The range is intended to meet qualification requirements for Oregon Army National Guard units and to complete improvements at the Rees Training Center, making it a more comprehensive training site. The Linn County retrofit reduces federal fund dependence by shifting to renovation rather than new construction.
What was not decided: The committee heard the request and technical details; no formal action was taken during the hearing. McCormick said federal funding timing would depend on the congressional delegation and federal planning schedules.
Ending note: The Oregon Military Department said projects are at advanced design stages on several items and ready to proceed if funding and federal timing align.