Vermont National Guard lays out multiyear plan for four regional readiness centers; cites rising costs and PCB cleanup

At a Feb. 5 meeting, Colonel Jacob Roy, construction and facility management officer for the Vermont Army National Guard, told a state committee the Guard plans to replace many aging armories with four larger regional readiness centers and is seeking state matching funds as federal construction dollars shrink.

Roy said the Guard is aiming to break ground this spring on a new facility in the Northeast Kingdom near Linden and is working to secure design funds and a state match to accelerate a Franklin County readiness center that would replace the Saint Albans and Swanton armories. "We are heavily looking at, again, roofs, boilers, electrical and heating upgrades. Electrification still is a huge component to that," Roy said.

Why it matters: The Guard’s inventory includes many small, historic armories built between 1912 and 1972 that do not meet current energy, storage or training needs. The department said moving units into larger, modern facilities is intended to improve training capacity, accommodate heavier and larger vehicles and equipment, and position units closer to population centers to aid recruitment and response to state missions.

Key details and budget requests - The department asked for $2.6 million in the FY2026 request to cover sustainment, modernization and the state match tied to…