Note: this story will be expanded for the June 19 print edition of The Courier-Herald.

Buckley Mayor Pat Johnson announced Wednesday that the Washington Army National Guard intends to build a second armory in town.

Construction of the $32 million facility would be on a 20-acre parcel immediately west of Rainier School, on land belonging to the state’s Department of Social and Health Services.

Johnson said the project will be accelerated, with an 18-month schedule to include everything from permitting to construction.

The following are highlights from a letter addressed to Johnson, signed by Col. Duane Coffey, a construction facilities management officer with the National Guard.

• the WANG proposes to enter into a 50-year lease with DSHS for the land on the north side of Ryan Road.

• proposed is a two-story Readiness Center of 97,515 square feet, plus parking and a storage building. The center will house training classrooms, unit administrative offices, an assembly hall and large kitchen.

• the facility will house approximately 339 on monthly drill weekends. Up to 38 people will be assigned to the facility as their permanent duty station.

Johnson said there are only five or six Readiness Centers in the state, designed for WANG staff who can deploy immediately in the event of a natural disaster. Buckley will be the only city in the state to have two armories, she added.