Foley Readiness Center Opens

The U.S. National Guard has opened the Foley Readiness Center, a center that will be used for domestic support operations and as a platform to stage troops and provide services in case of storms in the area, according to Maj. Gen. Sheryl E. Gordon, adjutant general for the Alabama National Guard. The 30,540-ft2 facility is located on approximately 30 acres in the Foley Industrial Park on the Foley Beach Express. It is composed of two buildings. The first is a 1,726-ft2 multipurpose room for training events and disaster response with a kitchen, administrative offices and classrooms. The second includes maintenance bays, offices, storage and equipment. The facility was built with geothermal wells for efficient heating and cooling, which will reduce gas and power costs. Fourteen years in the making, it is now home to Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 173rd Infantry Regiment. The former armory building, located near Foley City Hall, is now the property of the city, which exchanged it for the property on which the new facility sits.