KEYSER, W.Va. — WVU’s Potomac State College will take over the Keyser Armory from the West Virginia National Guard next year, state Adjutant General James Hoyer said.
The transition of the armory and the 39-member Guard unit that is stationed there will begin Monday. The unit will be moved to the Guard’s Morgantown Readiness Center, Hoyer said.
Potomac State will use the armory for expansion and a wellness center. It could provide space for up to 200 additional students. Hoyer said the deal is also good for the Guard.
“We will maintain a recruiting office on the Potomac State campus as well as have an agreement in place that should we need facilities during an emergency response we could use their facilities,” Hoyer said. “If there’s a time of emergency the National Guard is going to be there.”
Talks about the possible deal began last February. Since then the discussions have also included strengthening the Guard’s successful Mountaineer Challenge Academy through the agreement, according to Hoyer.
“It spun off another opportunity for West Virginia institutions to address some of the issues we have with at-risk youth in our state,” Hoyer said.
Meanwhile, Mineral County Delegate Gary Howell said there is the upside of the transition is the expansion of the institution.
“Potomac State has the potential to expand by 200 students, which would bring an additional $2 million into the school annually and that would distributed through the community (with economic growth),” Howell said.
The armory has been used for larger community events and Howell said he’s concerned about the future of those events including a large gun show.
“That gun show may have to be canceled. There is no other facility in the county that I know of that is large enough for that gun show,” he said. “With the loss of the armory that’s the kind of thing the community loses.”
The growing impact of the Guard’s Moorefield Readiness Center is also playing a role in the decision, Hoyer said.
“The goal is to position units most efficiently to achieve their training and administrative requirements,” he sad.