Toccoa, Winder facilities among National Guard improvements

TOCCOA - Two national guard armories in northeast Georgia are among 25 in the state that are being spruced up. <br> <br> The Georgia Army National Guard is in the midst of a major renovation program which it launched two years ago. <br> <br> So far, about $25 million in state and federal funds have been committed to the project. <br> <br> In our area, work has been completed on the armory in Toccoa; work is also planned at the Winder facility.<br> <br> Eight armories overall have been completed in Americus, Jesup, Marietta, Cordele, Montezuma, Valdosta, Griffin and the one in Toccoa. <br> <br> Nine armories are nearing completion in Albany, Bainbridge, Lyons, Canton, Cedartown, Rome, Eastman, Swainsboro and Hawkinsville. <br> <br> Eight more that are funded or under construction at Lawrenceville, Covington, Metter, Newnan, Springfield, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Charlie Brown Airport in Atlanta and the Winder Airport.<br> <br> <br> The Guard has 70 armories around the state, most of them built in the 1950s, when air conditioning was a luxury and computers were in their infancy. <br> <br> Now air conditioning is standard, Americans can watch dozens of color channels transmitted from satellites or through fiber-optic cables, and laptop computers are almost as essential as M-16 rifles in modern warfare. <br> <br> An additional $7 million may be needed to complete the project, said Maj. Gen. David Poythress, Georgia&#39;s adjutant general. <br> <br> ``We naturally started with the ones that were in the most need of repair,&#39;&#39; Poythress said. ``We had armories where they had a regular supply of barrels and buckets, if it was raining.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Poythress said Gov. Roy Barnes promised the armory improvements during his first campaign and asked him to get it done. <br> <br> ``I told our folks early on that this is a first-class operation, but if you want people to work at a first-class level, they&#39;ve got to have first-class accommodations,&#39;&#39; Poythress said. ``The message from the governor and the General Assembly is, &#39;You are important, and we value your services.&#39;&#39;&#39; <br> <br> In the national defense scheme, Headquarters Company is a priority unit.