New York National Guard opens $3.5 million senior leader housing facility at Camp Smith Training Site

Camp Smith Training Site, New York (11/03/2026) — Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, officially opened a new $3.5 million senior leader housing building at Camp Smith Training Site on Oct. 29.

Building 508A replaces aging quarters for senior enlisted leaders and officers training at the Cortlandt Manor post.

The 3,000 square-foot housing project is designed to be environmentally friendly and meet the standards of a modern hotel.

"This facility offers single rooms with private latrines, a lounge, laundry, break area, meeting modern Army standards similar to a typical hotel room you might find," said Lt. Col. Chad Clark, the Camp Smith base operations manager.

The new building brings the post up to contemporary Army lodging standards, Clark said.

Shields said that tangible investments in installation infrastructure send a clear, supportive message to the state's force of more than 12,000 Army National Guard Soldiers.

"We need to focus on things that Soldiers see and the facilities that they use," Shields said.

Prioritizing modern workspaces and quarters directly impacts how troops view their service, he added.

Planning work is already underway on a 24-unit housing complex that will be built with federal funds behind building 508A.

Funding those upgrades relies on a level of state fiscal backing that sets New York apart from the rest of the country, Shields noted.

The state covered 25 percent of the cost of building 508A, Shields said.

He emphasized the state's support for the Army National Guard during an October 28 meeting in Washington, D.C., with Lt. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, director of the Army National Guard, Shields said.

"Most National Guard units in the country do not get the level of fiscal support and support from their governor's office that we get," Shields said.

According to Shields, over the past couple of years, New York has invested $493 million into military facilities, with $165 million funded directly by the state. The state will also fund a new firing range at Camp Smith, Shields said.

Office of General Services Executive Deputy Commissioner Sharon Buck said her agency is proud to support the New York National Guard.

"OGS is proud to support our state's Division of Military and Naval Affairs by ensuring that our National Guard members have the modern facilities that they need to serve and respond when called upon," Buck said.

"Through projects like this, we're helping to deliver on Gov. Kathy Hochul's commitment to investing in the people and institutions that serve New York State," Buck said.

The private-sector firms that executed the build include design partners Woodard & Curran, Robert Marino Architects, Environmental Design & Research, M/E Engineering, and NASCO Construction Services, as well as construction contractors Vinco Builders, Hudson Valley Construction Management, and S&O Construction Services.

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