IAAP breaks dirt on new facility

MIDDLETOWN – The U.S. Army kicked off the construction of their new Future Artillery Complex in Middletown with a bang…literally.
Three salutes were fired from two howitzers by officers with the Iowa Army National Guard as part of groundbreaking ceremonies Wednesday morning at the site of the FAC facility deep in the 19,000 acres of the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds helped toss some dirt on the new $635 million facility and then signed the construction board with the artistic rendering of the new mechanized facility that will produce up to 36,000 rounds per month.
Major General Christopher D. Schneider, who delivered an address to the dignitaries and media in attendance, took some questions following the ceremonies that included remarks from Governor Reynolds, members of the contracting teams, and the U.S. Army.
Schneider said there is a sense of urgency around the project.
“That’s an understatement. What’s consistent is that there’s always a contingency that the United States is involved in. What’s happened in Europe and could happen anywhere else – we have to be ready,” Schneider said.  “I think the Department (of Defense) recognized that we need to have more modern facilities that we can scale quickly to the evolving threat.”
He said the new facility, being designed, constructed, and commissioned by MSM Group North America, will be a model for future weapons facilities across the country.
“What’s unique about this facility is that not only will it be able to scale production very quickly, but it’s also flexible enough to adapt to whatever munitions we need for whatever  fight our soldiers are going to be in,” he said,
“That’s unique. We don’t have something like that in the United States today. This is an incredibly high priority, and we’ll see a continued push to make sure our munition capacity will continue to grow and improve over the next several years. I think this will represent the model for other facilities in the United States.”
Jason Gaines, CEO of MSM North America, said the project would likely put $300 million-plus back into the regional economy despite a project labor agreement that was put in place. PLAs are common in projects using federal money that exceed $35 million.
Gaines said the PLA wasn’t intended to keep folks out, but to make sure they're awarding fair and consistent wages to allow those people to compete. "I do understand that those non-union folks could be left out, but I think there’s a lot of opportunity for them, as well because there are mechanisms in the PLA that require certain levels of competition.”
He said at least 50% would go to local contractors.

“That’s probably conservative because most of the activity that’s going on here is done by local contractors,” Gaines said.
“We may have national firms that are the construction firm, but they are all subcontracting with local folks and there will be a significant economic impact on the area.”
Ryan Drew, President of SEI Building Trades who advocates for local contractors on large scale construction projects, said MSM’s contractors have done a good job keeping local firms engaged in the project. He said they held a contractors' day for the project about a month and a half ago.
“And it’s snowballed from there.  The PLA makes sure whenever a contractor is hired, they are going to local labor providers first. Local workers get a first look,” he said.
“It’s a good mechanism. Right now, they’re pricing concrete and utility work. It’s just a matter of who can put a competitive bid in there.  The Government requires at least three bids to ensure they are using public money in the best way.”
Schneider said the relationships with local governments and contractors are a big part of the success of the project to date.
“We could not do this without community involvement and community support. Innovation and the get-stuff-done-every day is happening here,” he said. “I think over 26 local companies are involved in putting this together. The greater Southeast Iowa area is instrumental, and we would not be getting this done without them.”
Gaines said construction reality will be under two years, with the design element being about 90% complete. Commissioning following construction will likely take another full year. They are hoping to have the facility online in the fall of 2029.
“We’ve moved very quickly on this. Way quicker than we’ve been able to move on other sites,” said Lynda Armer, Executive Director for Army Contracting Command - Rock Island.
“We have struggled as an Army to put modernized facilities in our plants and this is the model right now of what ‘right’ looks like.”
Gaines said the investment shows the Army’s commitment to modernizing facilities to support soldiers wherever they may be deployed.
The facility will create what is known as “full-up rounds” which means they are taking the explosives into a finished shell body, packing it up, and shipping it out to soldiers. The facility will also replace IAAP’s  current line 3A.
The munitions will be 155-millimeter M795 artillery shells that have a range from howitzers of about 14 miles.