Sen. Luchini introduces bill to renovate and repair Maine National Guard facilities

AUGUSTA – On Tuesday, April 27, Sen. Louie Luchini, D-Ellsworth, introduced a bill to fund renovations at Maine National Guard Readiness Centers. LD 3, “An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue for Maintenance and Improvement of Maine National Guard Facilities,” was the subject of a public hearing before the Legislature’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee.

“The Maine National Guard stands by, dedicated and ready to serve our state during times of need. The pandemic has underscored this, and the Guard was instrumental in helping address a COVID-19 outbreak in one of Hancock County’s nursing homes over Thanksgiving weekend,” said Sen. Luchini. “They are always ready to come at a moment’s notice, and their help is always appreciated. It’s our duty to make sure our Guard members are properly trained and have the tools they need to confront the diverse situations we send them into. Ensuring we have quality, modern readiness centers is essential, and making these investments now will help us avoid costlier replacements down the road.”

The bill would authorize a $6.8 million bond to match approximately $7.9 million in federal funding for maintenance, repair, capital improvement, modernization and energy efficiency projects for Maine National Guard Readiness Centers. The Maine National Guard operates 100 primary facilities comprising 150 buildings, the average age of which is 39 years. Seventeen of these 100 facilities are Readiness Centers, and the federal government requires 50-50 state and federal shares for repairs and renovations to these facilities. LD 3 would dedicate the state funding necessary to take advantage of federal funds to improve these Readiness Centers.

“Without the bond funds, conditions of our facilities will continue to deteriorate to the point where they may suffer major building system failure or require total replacement,” said Scott Young, Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management. “This investment in our Maine National Guard infrastructure will provide for better training, increase unit readiness, provide safer working environments for our service members, improve morale, and display attractive and efficient buildings within our communities.”

LD 3 faces further action in committee.