Tyler May Be Home To $29M Armed Forces Reserve Center Tyler Morning Telegraph   |   Sep 29, 2008

Tyler could soon be home to an Armed Forces Reserve Center following U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's announcement Saturday that $29 million has been appropriated for its construction.

The funds are part of the Fiscal Year 2009 consolidated security, disaster assistance, and continuing appropriations bill -- a broad spending package which provides disaster assistance, full year defense, military construction and veteran's affairs, and homeland security funding. The bill also includes $4 million that Sen. Hutchison secured for the Columbia Regional Geospatial Service Center System at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches as well as continuing appropriations for various government agencies and priority programs through March of next year. The package passed by a vote of 78-12 in the Senate and it will now be sent to President Bush to be signed into law.

"Our reserve forces play an integral role in the war on terror," Sen. Hutchison said in a prepared statement. "This funding will help provide modern facilities and resources for our reservists."

Tyler mayor Barbara Bass said the addition of the center is a great asset to the city.
"I think it is absolutely fabulous," she said. "I had been hoping that the appropriations came though since hearing that Sen. Hutchison and Sen. Cornyn had requested the appropriations."
Bass said since there is no military reserve center between Shreveport and Dallas, the one here will not only facilitate reservists, but also give Tyler's economic development a boost.

"It will bring jobs and people into the community on an ongoing basis. It is going to serve a lot of people," she said.

Tyler Economic Development officials have said the reserve center may be located on a 25.5 acre parcel of land on the west side of Tyler. Other cities designated to get a reserve center are Abilene, Lewisville, Round Rock, San Marcos and Amarillo.

The appropriations legislation funds military construction projects for the U.S. Department of Defense. Sen. Hutchison successfully secured more than $2.7 billion in the bill for Texas military construction and Base Realignment and Closure projects.

The overall bill provides $10.8 billion for active duty military construction, $3.1 billion for family housing construction and operations, $230.8 million for the NATO Security Investment Program, and more than $8.7 billion for the implementation of BRAC 2005.