4/21/07 — CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS — Usually when talking to a soldier about a piece of Army equipment, there will be a list of ways to improve it as far as “the boots on the ground” are concerned.

But when Spec. Kirk Hinz of Erie was asked to comment on the Stryker Fighting Vehicle on Friday afternoon at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Cambridge Springs Readiness Center and Field Maintenance Shop, he had nothing but praise.

“It’s held up to what’s expected so far — and it’s getting better,” he said.

Hinz would know. He drove a Stryker when it was an experimental vehicle at Ft. Knox, Ky., in 2000.

The 10-year veteran has driven many vehicles in the Army’s inventory including the Humvee, and to Hinz, there’s no comparison.

“The Stryker is an easy, quick and effective deployment vehicle — it definitely has some power,” he said at the ceremony to bring a Stryker training facility to Crawford County. In the southeastern corner of Cambridge Springs, next to the Cambridge Springs State Correctional Institution, earth is already being moved to place the facility at the former Alliance College site. Nearly 75 people attended the event.

The new facility will be home to the National Guard’s only Stryker Brigade. Of the seven active Stryker Brigades, six are within the active components ranks.

Lt. Col. Jerome Miller, 1-112 Infantry battalion commander, welcomed everyone to the ceremony and acted as master of ceremonies.

Pennsylvania National Guard Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Jessica L. Wright, was the first dignitary to make remarks regarding the historic event.

“Today is a great day for Cambridge Springs and the Pennsylvania National Guard. This hails the largest military construction program in the history of the Pennsylvania National Guard,” she said.

While the Cambridge Springs facility is the first, 10 new readiness centers are scheduled to be built across the state.

“It’s a huge economic impact to the state,” said Lt. Col. Marc Ferraro, who will be the Stryker Brigade commander upon completion of construction, which is scheduled for May 2008.

Soldiers such as Hinz have been attending special driving courses to be qualified to operate the 19-ton, eight-wheeled armored vehicle which will add a mobility factor that many officials feel U.S. forces need in the War on Terror. The entire brigade of 330 vehicles can be uploaded and deployed anywhere in the world within 96 hours, Ferraro said.

On training weekends, more than 400 National Guardsmen will converge on the facility for drills.

Republican state Sen. Bob Robbins, whose 50th District includes all of Crawford County, also addressed the crowd. “It’s a very exciting day. It’s a great tribute to the Pennsylvania National Guard to receive the only reserve Stryker Brigade, and you’re going to have the highest-caliber soldier driving it,” he said.

Cambridge Springs Mayor Randy Gorske attended the event with Cambridge Springs Borough Council member Larry Morrow.

Both men had been on board since the earliest planning stages of the project and were thrilled to see it moving forward.

“We’re excited. It’s a great use of land which wasn’t being used,” Gorske said. “I’m looking forward to them being here,” Morrow added.

Aside from the potential economic impact it will have on the community, the center will be an invaluable community resource which the borough hopes to utilize in some capacity, Gorske said.

Republican state Rep. Brad Roae, whose Sixth District represents central and eastern Crawford County, was the final guest speaker.

Roae was introduced as a volunteer firefighter. In his opening remarks he made a comparison of firefighters being on-call as are the Guardsmen.

While Roae’s family might expect him to be at a scene for hours, he pointed out the National Guard has it tougher. “You folks in the Guard leave your families for days, weeks, months and even years — thank you.”

Following Roae’s remarks, he and Wright, Robbins, Sen. Jane Earll of Erie, Mike Caine of Mascaro Construction, Miller, and Mark Austin, director of facility and engineering for Pennsylvania Department of Veteran Affairs, used ceremonial gold shovels to officially begin construction.

The Readiness Center and maintenance shop will cover approximately 85,000 square feet and will cost $16 million. Once open, the center will replace outdated armories in Erie, Corry and Meadville.

While the center won’t bring a large influx of jobs to the community, it will be staffed by 40 permanent active Guard members and 15 contracted civilians. All locals are upbeat regarding the economic advantages the facility will bring to the area.

“It’s definitely going to be a positive impact,” Gorske said.

After the festivities, Roae summed it up best: “It’s great this is going to be in Crawford County. It’s going to be a great facility and will play a vital role in our national security.”