Page 33 - Mississippi_Municipalities_V66N4
P. 33

Grenada High School Superintendent Dr. David Daignault (center), joins seniors of the school’s Naval Junior Of cer Reserve Training Corps and its program leader, Chief Newtroin Forman (right), in front of the school’s repurposed National Guard Readiness Center.
“It won’t happen overnight, but that’s the direction we’re moving,” McDonald said “I think we’ll be working towards this plan for at least the next 10 years I can’t go too fast because it takes time to build We have to plan our facilities for the long-term If we’re not looking far down the road than we’re failing”
 e average time for a new RC to be built is between  ve and 10 years, he said  e state has a 25 percent stake in construction costs and must provide 100 percent of the property with the federal government meeting other costs
In Carthage, where the RC is located near softball  elds, a community center and other public facilities, the MSARNG is working with local leadership to return the RC there Land has already been set aside for a new RC
“( e Carthage RC) is too small to develop and expand, but it’s perfect for them,” McDonald said
A similar result was achieved last year in
Grenada where the former RC has been turned into a junior and high school “We handed the building over to them on a Friday and by Monday they were having classes there,” McDonald said
Dr David Daigneault, superintendent of the Grenada School District, said he and the school board are very grateful for the return “For us, it’s been a Godsend,” Daigneault said “It’s amazing what it has allowed us to do It really is We started using the facility immediately for various functions”
 e district, which has more than 4,000 students, has big plans for the still unnamed school, which they continue to refer to as“the armory”  e name will re ect the facility’s origins, he said, because they want to retain that legacy To reinforce that legacy, as well as emphasize one of the building’s main programs, the district also plans to retain the artillery piece in front of it
 e former RC will be able to keep its military roots as the home of the district’s Naval Junior
O cer Reserve Training Corps and Navy National Defense Cadet Corps
In addition, the building is also used for school dances, an indoor practice area for cheerleaders and the band, and the kitchen area will soon host a culinary arts program Outside, an open area has been converted into a bus yard
A Quonset hut on the property is also being used for the district’s archery program, which is one of the top-rated in the state, and shooting range for the ROTC cadets
Plans are also being made to modernize the facility to make it more visually appealing
“We want to be able to help our community by o ering this as a meeting place as well,” Daigneault said “It’s going to be pretty spectacular It’s going to impact thousands of students each year”
–Select Mississippi Army National Guard facilities are being returned based upon the organization’s operational priorities.
Volume 66 • Number 4
Mississippi Municipalities • 33


































































































   31   32   33   34   35