LANSING - --Michigan National Guard officials will participate in a ribbon
cutting ceremony and an open house for the public at the new $26.5 million, federally funded Army Aviation Support Facility in Grand Ledge, Mich., on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. The 156,000 square foot building consists of three major structures; a heated maintenance hangar, an unheated storage hangar, and an administrative office portion.

The building will provide organization maintenance and training support for all aviation units in the Michigan Army National Guard. The facility is large enough for 23 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters to be stored indoors, significantly reducing maintenance costs.

A mechanical radiant heating system built within a seven-inch thick floor
will heat the state-of-the-art hangar. The administrative portion holds the
flight operations and training personnel offices, as well as a 100-seat
classroom and a 30-seat briefing room, which will be helpful when conducting flight training.

The facility will house Michigan Army National Guard units assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 238th General Support Aviation. There are 78 full-time
employees and on a typical drill weekend, approximately 523 Soldiers will train at the new AASF located at 10700 Eaton Hwy., Grand Ledge, Mich.

MEDIA ADVISORY

Media is invited to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony and Open House.
Refreshments and facility tours will follow the brief ceremony. Invited
guests include U.S. congressional representatives Tim Walberg and Ryan Boeskool, state Rep. Rick Jones, Grand Ledge Mayor pro tem., Jeff Fitzgerald, and senior Michigan National Guard officials. For more information, contact

Maj. Dawn Dancer at (517) 481-8140 or (517) 896-0860.