AMY SZPARA

RESERVE – The Louisiana Army National Guard may soon be coming to St. John Parish to set up shop, establishing a new transportation unit that would be housed next to the parish airport. Parish President Nickie Monica wrote a letter to the State Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Benny Landreneau asking him to consider St. John as a site for a unit. In response to the request, Landreneau assigned Lt. Col. Robert Jones to conduct a feasibility study. Jones found the area to be accommodating and recommended the National Guard accept Monica’s proposal. “They came to the airport for a meeting,” said Monica. “They flew in on a Black Hawk to look at the site and liked the project so much that they approved it.” During some swamp fires in October 2000, the parish established a good working relationship with the National Guard as soldiers helped with the firefighting effort, Monica said. “We started the dialogue to locate the facility in St. John then,” said Monica. Monica’s proposal consisted of leasing at least five acres of land to the National Guard for $1 a year for 99 years. As early as October, the Guard could be moved onto the property, using a double-wide trailer until the new facility is built. The permanent building will take five to seven years to construct and will cost $2.2-$2.5 million. The 15,000-18,000 square foot building will sit on the eastern side of Airport Road in Reserve. A 55-man unit, the transportation unit will have 40 semi-tractor trailers, and the armory can be used by the parish on non-drill weekends. The unit will eventually double in capacity to 110 men and women, when an existing unit is relocated to the site. “What attracted me the most is the positive to this project. There are so many benefits to the parish,” said Monica, who added 168 people in the Tri-Parish area are enlisted in the National Guard. “A lot of those members would be reassigned to this company. The payroll would be one impact. It would come back to the parish in taxes. It also gives some of our young people an opportunity to serve,” said Monica. The National Guard offers tuition exemption to any state college in Louisiana and the Montgomery G.I. Bill to its members. Monica hopes the military presence might encourage area students to join. The National Guard would buy fuel locally, and a local catering company would have to be contracted to supply food to the troops on drill weekends. “They will train young men and women to be truck drivers, which is a thriving job that they can go into the private sector with. And anytime you have military personnel in the parish it adds to the parish,” said Monica. “We have military veterans here who are proud of the service that they’ve given the country. They’ll be happy to have the presence.” Monica said the armory will be used for public meetings and possibly as an evacuation shelter when not being used by the military. He also believes it will benefit the airport. “They can use it in emergency situations and to fly people in when needed. We can expand it, expand the runway,” he said. According to Monica, the diesel contract will be around $40,000 and the catering $8,000 a year. Jones, who works at the Jackson Barracks in New Orleans, but who lives in St. James, presented a proposal to the St. John Parish Council at a meeting in early June, in which he began by describing the National Guard to the council. According to Jones’ presentation the total economic impact includes $143,328 annually in drill pay and $46,018.80 in two week annual training pay. Each new soldier will receive a $8,000 bonus, as well. The St. John Council will be asked to support the proposal at an upcoming meeting, and the members are expected to approve the request.