445th TC Information Page 6

New Waterloo Army Reserve center at HCC promoted
By JON ERICSON, Courier Staff Writer

WATERLOO --- A new U.S. Army Reserve Center on the Hawkeye Community College campus could replace the current facility on Burton Avenue.

Bob Krause, a former Waterloo school board member and local reserve officer, has been working with the Army and legislators to get a new center built.

The concept has been approved by the Army, and now Krause is rallying support to get a Congressional committee to fund the project. A new building is likely several years away, possible even a decade.

"It will be a multi-million dollar project because it is complete construction of a new reserve center," Krause said.

Krause said the current facility is not adequate to fit the units currently using it. The primary unit, the Army 445th Transportation Company, has a lot of equipment that the existing center was not built to house. The center was initially constructed for a light infantry company.

In addition, the building has plumbing and electrical problems.

Krause is president of the Iowa Reserve Officers Association. He had run into Gen. Michael Symanski, head of the 89th Regional Readiness Command, which Waterloo is a part of, two years ago.

"He asked me to start advocacy for upgrading reserve centers in Iowa. There were no updates scheduled for reserve center in Iowa, but there are virtually everywhere else," Krause said.

When he looked into it, Waterloo's center seemed as needy as any.

With the Army approval, the project will be completed. But without more immediate funding from Congress, it could take 10 years or more.

Krause is currently circulating petitions for people to ask a Congressional discretionary budget committee to fund the project.

If anyone is interested in passing out the petitions, they can contact Krause at bobkrause@lisco.com.

Krause said the HCC site seemed a natural fit. The reservists could use some Hawkeye facilities, such as the shooting range. In turn, the Army would build a large drill hall that HCC could use for athletics.

Courtesy of: www.wcfCourier.com