A new $18.3 million heavy-duty vehicle maintenance garage in Bloomington servicing Illinois National Guard units is springing into life.
Field Maintenance Shop 16, located behind the Illinois National Guard’s Bloomington armory, hosts a 32,308 square-foot facility with an indoor wash bay, dedicated tool and part storage and rapid fleet refueling capability.
The shop's grand opening was Oct. 6. It currently services 450 pieces of equipment for nine National Guard units in the region and can handle up to 1,000 vehicles and equipment.
Construction of the new facility was funded by the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, with assistance from City of Bloomington officials along with Illinois state and federal legislators.
First Sgt. Joseph Sieders is the surface maintenance mechanic supervisor for the facility, managing around nine full-time mechanics; the shop could expand its workforce up to 16 mechanics. Additional National Guard soldiers are working out of the facility as part of their weekend duties.
During an interview with WGLT, Sieders said they came from a smaller facility with only two bays, “so this is a lot better.”
“They like it a lot, having a new facility to work out of than having an older facility,” he said of technicians and other guardsmen on staff at the site. “They take a lot of pride in this newer facility.”
He said Field Maintenance Shop 16 maintains National Guard equipment on a day-to-day basis.
“They’ll see different types of vehicles … smaller and larger vehicles, generators, air-conditioned units, all different types of equipment [for which] they’ll do scheduled maintenance and non-scheduled maintenance that they’ll perform here,” Sieders said.
Sieders said the facility also hosts a classroom, offices, fitness areas and a larger service bay.
“This is where our bread and butter is, out here in the maintenance bay,” Sieders said. “We got four main bays — drive-through bays with a 15-ton overhead crane. We can pretty much pull any type of piece of equipment in here to perform any type of service.”
The improvements are part of an effort to enhance the National Guard’s statewide readiness with modern tools and workspace, the Guard stated in a press release.
In a press statement, Maj. Gen. Rodney Boyd, the adjutant general of Illinois and commander of the Illinois National Guard, noted the facility is strategically located near Interstates 55 and 74 to help respond to communities in crisis, such as severe weather events.
“Those mechanics didn't just turn wrenches — they saved lives. With this facility open and ready, the Illinois National Guard stands stronger, faster and more prepared than ever before," Boyd said.
Command Sgt. Maj. Kehinde Salami, a senior enlisted leader with the National Guard, said the facility improvements represent keeping faith with their troops.
“Readiness is forged when raw Soldier determination meets the right equipment. Every vehicle that rolls out of these bays is going to transport someone’s son or daughter into high-stakes environments — whether that is a combat deployment overseas or a rescue from flooding along the Illinois River," Salami said.
