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http://www.post-trib.com/news/167682,mcarmory.article

Michigan City armory among 8 set for closure

December 11, 2006
By POST TRIBUNE STAFF and WIRE SERVICES
The Indiana National Guard intends to close eight of its 68 armories over the next 18 months, including the Michigan City armory that houses the 938th Military Police Detachment.

The Indiana National Guard is targeting locations that are aging, maintenance-intensive or rarely used, a guard spokeswoman said.

Michigan City Mayor Charles Oberlie said the news of the armory's closing was not unexpected.

"We had conversations about a year ago that they were going to be doing exploratory studies about closing several armories, and that this might be one of those," Oberlie said.

Oberlie said the city is interested in purchasing the facility, which is located across from Washington Park near the Lake Michigan shore.

The facility boasts a full gym and has been used in the past for city recreational purposes. It also served Marquette High School before the school built its own gym.

"It certainly has recreational opportunities," Oberlie said. "Municipal offices also are a possibility. Perhaps we could work with the (Department of Natural Resources) for shared storage."

Along with Michigan City, armories in Attica, Boswell, Darlington, Kempton, Portland, Spencer and Terre Haute will closed over the next 12 to 18 months, said Lt. Col. Deedra Thombleson, public information officer for the Guard's Joint Forces Headquarters.

In the communities whose armories face closure, the National Guard is meeting with elected officials to discuss utilizing the armory properties for different purposes.

A county emergency-management agency has expressed interest in one of the buildings, Thombleson said.