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National Guard outlines FTE and facility needs: Dickinson armory, veterans cemetery and Camp Grafton
Summary
Officials from the Office of the Adjutant General and the North Dakota National Guard told the House Appropriations subcommittee they need permanent staff and full funding for several newly authorized positions tied to the Dickinson readiness center, the veterans cemetery and Camp Grafton projects.
Officials from the Office of the Adjutant General and the North Dakota National Guard briefed the Appropriations - Government Operations Division on several staffing and facility requests tied to readiness centers, a state veterans cemetery and the Camp Grafton Training Center.
Jackie Hubert, deputy adjutant general, and Jennifer Sheets, division chief for fiscal and admin services, explained that several positions were previously authorized with partial funding and are now being requested for full biennial funding. The requests included full-year funding for two previously partially funded custodial/maintenance positions for the Dickinson readiness center (which the Guard expects to hold a ribbon-cutting for in June), two full-time positions for the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery funded by a veterans-cemetery foundation (the foundation’s fundraising was described as active and supportive), and a custodial supervisor to meet the model for a readiness center of that size.
Hubert said the Dickinson readiness center will provide dedicated space for unit personnel and federal equipment previously housed in leased facilities, and that having the new site will help protect roughly $1 million in federal equipment. She said the unit is planning a ribbon-cutting in June or July.
On the veterans cemetery, Guard staff said the facility handles approximately 600 burials a year and currently has about 12,000 interments and that earlier state FTE authorizations date to 2012. The Guard asked for two FTEs for cemetery operations, describing prior reliance on temporary workers and volunteers. The cemetery positions would be paid from special funds associated with a Veterans Cemetery Foundation, and staff said the foundation planned fundraising campaigns and supported prior projects including a columbarium and a road project they estimate at about $700,000.
The committee also heard an update on Camp Grafton’s physical fitness facility, which staff said is expected to open in late fall or early winter and supports training and potential outside use by other agencies. The fitness center work was described as part of broader investments in training infrastructure and range expansion efforts at Camp Grafton South.
Representative Fisher asked whether owning facilities reduced lease costs; staff said they would return to the committee with a cost-comparison showing rent savings and other benefits such as secure storage for federal equipment and federal-state cost-share for ongoing maintenance.
Ending: The committee paused decisions pending follow-up materials on rent savings, FTE advertising timelines and details of the cemetery foundation’s funding commitments.
