Army Reserve center to close, Oshkosh's loss is Neenah's gain

In an effort to reduce maintenance and operational expenses - which the government hopes will save taxpayers money in the longrun - the Army Reserve center in Oshkosh will be closed, along with other existing locations in Neenah, Menasha and Appleton. In their place, one larger facility will be built and everything centrally located in Neenah.

I don't know exactly how long the Army Reserve center has been in Oshkosh, but it's been part of our history for as long as I can remember. Before retiring, my father was in the unit "stationed" there and as a young child I can remember periodically going there for family events or to see he and his fellow reservists depart for their annual two-week summer training camp. While it is sad to see another part of my own personal history come to a close and to have Oshkosh suffer yet one more loss to our neighbors to the north, the desire and need to cut costs and save money where you can is certainly understandable in these tough economic times.

Construction will reportedly get underway in spring with occupancy in the new facility currently slated for October 2008. The existing properties will be sold, except for the current Neenah location, which is being leased. It's not clear yet what might go into the Oshkosh location, but according to this morning's online Appleton Post Crescent, the City of Menasha has its sight set on the facility there to house some of its operations. Let's hope a good use will be found for the center here. One thing we don't need is another empty building sitting around.