LA PLATA, Md. (Oct. 28, 2015)—The U.S. Army will build a new Army Reserve Center in White Plains, Charles County. The 90,000-square-foot facility will be built on 15 acres of land the federal government purchased for approximately $1.2 million. The seller was represented by Shasho Consulting, P.A. of White Plains, and the Army has awarded the design-build contract to Sheffield-Korte Joint Venture of Lawton, Oklahoma. Currently, the new center groundbreaking is scheduled for 2016 and is slated to open in 2017.
The center will be used for Army Reserves training and day-to-day activities, and will be home to a vehicle maintenance shop, and recruitment and retention office. The Charles County facility will consolidate three existing Maryland reserve centers in Annapolis, Riverdale, and Upper Marlboro into one location. The new facility is expected to promote employment and local spending. Preliminary estimates project the Army Reserve Center will bring 40 to 60 full-time equivalent jobs. With 600 projected reservists training at the center, local spending is expected to increase.
“We are thrilled and honored that the Army selected Charles County as the central location for Army Reserve activities in Southern Maryland,” said Darrell Brown, director of Charles County Department of Economic Development. “This new project will not only bring direct economic benefits to the community, but also the potential to bring business to the large and small business contractors already in Charles County.”
The center’s location was selected among several options in Charles and neighboring counties. The Charles County Department of Economic Development increased its competitiveness by approving an expedited subdivision requested by the owner’s representative, Shasho Consulting, P.A.
Army reservists at the new center will join the more than 3,000 people employed at county military installations such as the Naval Support Facility Indian Head. In addition to the Navy’s strong presence in the county, Charles boasts a large number of federal/defense contractors such as Vulcan Engineering and Manufacturing, Cardinal Scientific, Zekiah Technologies, and Energetics Technology Center. Organizations in Charles County not only benefit from the county’s strategic location in the Washington, D.C. metro area, but also from access to a highly skilled workforce and quality commercial and industrial spaces. While the county itself continues to build a strong federal/defense contracting industry, the state of Maryland overall ranks second per capita and fourth in total overall for procurement of federal goods and services.
Source: Charles County Government