The Army National Guard is considering whether to close several small armories in Arkansas to save money, according to an Associated Press report. Military officials and state, local and county leaders addressed the issue at a public meeting in Rector Monday morning.
Maj. Gen. William Wofford with the Arkansas National Guard says nothing has been decided and he’s just gathering information. According to KAIT, 45 Guard members drill at the armory on weekends and two people work there full time. Wofford says not enough people have been recruited in Rector to offset the expense of running the facility, which his figures show is about $19,000 annually. State Rep. Mike Patterson and Sen. Robert Thompson said they could find the funding and urged that the building not be closed.