CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Security has now been improved at the 130th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard.
“It makes it much easier for our men and women and security forces to be able to maintain this base and do their job,” said state Adjutant General James Hoyer.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Friday for the new entrance at the McLaughlin Air National Guard Base in Charleston.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) was on hand to celebrate the completion of the $3.75 million project.
“It’s much more secure. Much more professional. I think it is a nice completion of the base that we have here that we’re very proud of,” she said.
Capito worked to secure funding for the project after the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission highlighted security concerns at the base. In 2005, the BRAC Commission recommended the shutdown of the airlift wing, but local and state leaders made sure that did not happen.
“I was glad to be on the Appropriations Committee to that was very critical in getting the federal dollars for this, but it was a whole joint community project,” Capito said.
Coonskin Drive, where the base is located, used to serve as the only way into Coonskin Park. Security gates were installed on the road, so the public could longer drive right past the military facilities. A new bridge to the park opened in Oct. 2015.
“It’s going to be much easier to turn people around and direct them in the right direction. I think the bridge has made a significant impact on the growth of the park on that side, so it’s been a win for every body,” Hoyer said.
The project is part of what Hoyer called “Joint Base West Virginia.”
“With the term Joint Base West Virginia, we’ve created a vision that we, the Guard, can be the key catalysts for this state to be a national security and homeland security asset,” he said.
Members of the Kanawha County Commission were also on hand to applaud the efforts made in the last decade.