January 23, 1977 – It was announced Saturday that the Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant had been selected by the Army to receive a $110 million permit to build an artillery projectile manufacturing facility.
However, Capt. Douglas Baker, executive officer of the LSAAP, said construction contracts will not be awarded until after Feb. 18, after Congress reviews Army Secretary Martin R. Huffman's decision.
The local facility won the award in front of the Army Ammunition Plant in St. Louis, Missouri. Hoffman has announced plans to modernize the St. Louis plant.
Baker said Hoffman informed officials at the plant of the decision in a Jan. 15 letter. The decision to give money to LSAAP was based on a study that showed operating costs at Lone Star would be $7 million a year lower than in St. Louis, Hoffman said. He said those savings would offset the construction of the new facility in three years.
Hoffman said that with the Lone Star plant and a modernized plant in St. Louis, the Army will always have significant manufacturing capacity.
Rep. Bill D. Burlison (D-Mo.) and Sen. Stuart Symington had previously made a motion that the money not be spent in Texarkana until the Secretary of the Army personally certified that the facility was critical to national defense .
Hoffman did it.
According to Hoffman, the Army currently has the capacity to produce 2.6 million projectile rounds per month and needs to have a capacity of 3.9 million for possible mobilization.
The Lone Star plant will add a million shots per month and the upgrade in St. Louis will likely close the gap.
Capt. Baker said the facility would employ about 2,000 people when completed but would “operate only during national defense mobilization periods.”
He said after the release of funds on Feb. 18 and approval by Congress, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would manage the contract and contractor selection for the project, which would be handled by local tradespeople.
Captain Baker said about $55 million will be allocated for construction.
Construction is expected to take about four years, but it is not known if and when production will begin, he said.
Baker said there will be no increase in the number of employees at Day and Zimmermann, Lone Star's contract operator, during this period.
He said the plant will be built on a 68-acre site in the northwest corner of the plant. Of that total, 12 acres would be used for the production facility itself, which produces 105mm projectiles, eight would be used for pollution reduction and environmental controls, and the remainder would be used for an administrative building, parking lots and fuel oil storage tanks.
“We are pleased with the decision and excited for her to come to Lone Star,” said Captain Baker.
Robert Mullins, Lone Star's civilian operations manager, said: “I think it's really great. We are definitely very happy with it.”
“We were looking forward to it.
LE Gilliland, executive vice president of the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce, expressed the same reaction to the Army's decision.
“I think it's great. That's what we hoped for. I think it will be good for our region.”
The announced plan to modernize the St. Louis facility requires approval and authorization from Congress.