By Tony McVeigh
Murray, KY – The three-year transformation of Ft. Knox, Kentucky, from an armor school to a multi-purpose, U.S. Army command center remains on schedule. The armor school moves to Fort Benning, Georgia, next March. In the meantime, human resources, officer recruitment, cadet command and marksmanship units are moving in. Ft. Knox Garrison Commander Col. Rick Schwartz says everything is on time, on target and within budget. Governor Steve Beshear says that's great news.
"It's a fantastic project for the future of the Commonwealth. The economic impact that it's going to have for that whole region is as big, if not bigger, than any particular economic project that we've ever done in Kentucky."
The military and civilian payroll for the facility alone will be around $200 million, with a net population increase of almost seven thousand people. Modernizing aging infrastructure and providing adequate housing for new residents remain two of the biggest challenges ahead.