19th Engineers Set to Expand Caruso Youth Sport | Article

Fort Knox, Kentucky. — Fort Knox and the leader of the 19th Engineer Battalion are expected to break through the cold, hard ground between the Caruso Youth Sports and Fitness Complex and Wilson Road on January 23 to provide more options for youth sports We have officially started the expansion project.

The project, which stalled more than a decade ago due to a series of shifting funding priorities and a pandemic, is thanks to the leaders of the 19th who provide power, according to Fort Knox family and morale, welfare and recreation officials. And it’s in progress.

“It was going to cost about $750,000,” said Raisel Oggs, director of Fort Knox Children and Youth Services. “This will save you a lot of money.”

Oggs explained that in 2010 they began seeking funding for the expansion project, but that funding is no longer available. Ryan Lewis, director of youth sports and fitness, said interest in expanding Caruso’s field returned in 2017, but several setbacks continued to delay the project.

“They had deployments and then COVID, but that wasn’t a priority,” says Lewis. “We always [soil moving and leveling] work to be done. Once the work is done, everything else, such as the fence, will be in place. ”

During the ceremony, Lewis explained to those in attendance that Caruso needed an expansion for several reasons.

“We can’t accommodate all the children in this complex,” Lewis said. “I know it’s huge and awesome, but this is for older kids. The main demographic we serve is her kids under the age of nine and these areas are too big for

Youth sports are divided into two groups, with older youth playing at Caruso and younger children playing elsewhere around the facility. Lewis said once the expansion project is complete, it will not only create more space for younger children to play sports in Caruso, but it will also allow all young people to come together in one central location for him. I was.

Ground clearance work fell into the hands of the 15th Engineer Construction Company under the command of Captain Kevin Erkyra. He presided over the ceremony and finally took part in moving some of the first dirt with a shovel.

Oggs said the 19th is expected to complete its role in about two weeks, barring worsening weather. Then, once funding for the fence is available, she said, she plans to tentatively begin expanding Caruso in the spring of 2024.

The 19th’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Todd Bradford, said he was pleased with the relationship his unit had developed and maintained with Garrison’s leadership and FMWR.

“I think it’s important to structure this as a beginning, but it’s not just the beginning of this construction project, it’s the beginning of future construction projects,” said Bradford.

After the groundbreaking ceremony, Fort Knox Garrison Commander Colonel Lance O’Brien offered their credit for building Castle Lake, which is expected to open for recreational activities this spring, and provided the necessary assistance for its installation. I applaud you for stepping up again to do it. for this project.

“I am very proud of your work,” said O’Brien. “After all, no other unit has contributed more to this facility than you. I just want to say thank you.”