New Facilities Planned for Fort Butner

BUTNER, N.C. — North Carolina's Camp Butner is in line for some big changes, and local leaders said the entire state will benefit.

A $30 million would allow National Guardsmen from the post in Raleigh and other law enforcement agencies all across the state to train more efficiently at the Granville County installation. Guardsmen have trained at the camp for nearly 60 years.

"This is just an enhancement to our existing facilities here,” said General William Ingram.

Upgrades will be made on a 60-acre plot and will include 14 new barracks that will be able to house nearly 800 troops, two dining facilities and a headquarters building. Ingram said the move was a necessity

"(The addition) allows us to bring a battalion-size for the weekend,” he said. “(It’s) much more efficient for the way we do business."

The North Carolina National Guard saw a spike in the number of troops trained last year, going from about 12,000 in 2005 to more than 29,000 trained in 2006. There are currently about 700 North Carolina Guardsman deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The training they might be doing will greatly impact the community, because we'll see a lot of them uptown,” said Butner Council Advisory member Thomas Lane

Lane said he sees the new digs as a definite positive for the area.

"There will be some financial impact,” he said. “The community is excited about the training potential and the impact it has on the greater community."

Officials said that the new additions should be finished in about five years.