A Historic Investment in Readiness
Smith Sinnett Architecture is proud to celebrate the completion and ribbon cutting of the McLeansville Regional Readiness Center Campus in McLeansville, North Carolina — a transformational investment in military readiness and infrastructure for our state.
Originally approved through the 2016 State Bond Referendum at approximately $37.9 million, the project has evolved into the largest financial undertaking ever executed by the North Carolina National Guard’s Construction and Facilities Management Office (CFMO). The current design and construction budget stands at $65.1 million, with additional funds allocated for building upfits.
Building the Largest Regional Hub in the State
Advance planning began in December 2018 to program a facility capable of housing the 113th Sustainment Brigade, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, Support Operations, the 196th Signal Company, and the 882nd Engineer Company.
The completed Regional Readiness Center includes approximately 85,000 square feet of administrative space, classrooms, assembly areas, fitness facilities, locker rooms, and unit storage, along with an 11,000-square-foot unheated storage building and a 400-square-foot guard house. The campus provides 396 personal-owned vehicle parking spaces and a military-operated vehicle area totaling more than 240,000 square feet.
Designed for resilience and reliability, the facility includes two permanent 750-kilowatt diesel generators and an Army Fitness Test field with a one-mile running loop along the perimeter road.
Infrastructure at a Transformational Scale
Significant coordination was required to establish site infrastructure. In partnership with Guilford County and the City of Greensboro, the project team secured and coordinated a $10 million state utility grant to extend water service approximately 2.5 miles to the site — including installation of the largest pump station in Guilford County.
Additional coordination with Duke Energy and Duke Piedmont Natural Gas extended natural gas service approximately one mile to the campus.
The early site package, awarded to Smith Sinnett Architecture in July 2020, included clearing and grading approximately 70 acres and drilling and blasting nearly 37,000 cubic yards of rock. Construction for this phase began in April 2021 and was completed in July 2022.
Field Maintenance Shop: Supporting Operational Readiness
The McLeansville Field Maintenance Shop (FMS 9), a separate MILCON project, was designed to replace FMS 8 in High Point and FMS 9 in Greensboro. Originally budgeted at $15 million, the project ultimately reached a design and construction budget of $23 million.
The 32,000-square-foot facility includes office space, classrooms, storage, and a six-bay maintenance area, along with a 3,200-square-foot covered wash rack. Supporting infrastructure includes a permanent 450-kilowatt diesel generator, additional storage facilities, dedicated parking, and a 170,000-square-foot motor vehicle operations area.
The building package bidding process resulted in a $10 million value engineering reduction, demonstrating disciplined cost management while maintaining performance standards.
Delivering Complex, Mission-Critical Campuses
The McLeansville Regional Readiness Center Campus reflects years of planning, coordination, and collaboration among state agencies, utility providers, contractors, and the design team.
From infrastructure development and value engineering to sustainability and long-term resilience, this project demonstrates Smith Sinnett Architecture’s ability to deliver complex, large-scale campuses that support mission-critical operations.
We are honored to contribute to a facility that strengthens readiness, supports the men and women of the North Carolina National Guard, and will serve our state for generations to come.
