Like many renovations, a kitchen update blossomed into an overall facelift.

In the case of the Missouri Army National Guard armory at 2626 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau, the work being done includes new paving for parking spaces, doubling the size of the kitchen and updating the building's 32 offices.

More than 90 percent of the asbestos will also be removed from the armory, which was built in 1953. Asbestos was commonly used in construction before the mid-1970s but its fibers present a health hazard.

Among the units using the armory are the 1140th Engineer Battalion's Headquarters Company and Forward Support Company, the 735th Quartermasters, Troop Medical Company 2 and the Recruitment Sustainment Program's Echo Co.

"We want it to look nice and be aesthetically pleasing for the public," said Scott Moyers, a civilian spokesman for the Missouri National Guard.

The renovation will cost about $1.5 million and is being paid for by state and federal funds. The work is being done by local contractors, Moyers said.

The Guard owned $30,000 in new kitchen equipment that had been stored for six years because it couldn't fit into the armory's 18-square-foot kitchen. Renovation plans started two years ago, originally aimed at expanding the kitchen and fixing the pothole-pocked parking lot. It became an opportunity to remove most of the asbestos rather than just enough to accommodate the kitchen remodeling.

Mark Bonney, owner of Trutest Environmental Solutions, handled the asbestos testing at the armory and told National Guard officials that it was mostly found in flooring and some walls and ceilings. A company specializing in asbestos handling was hired to remove it.

According to Scott Satterlee, senior project manager with Image Architects, the renovation will result in better lighting, heating and cooling.

The building is used by 33 full-time workers and dozens of visitors, such as those on weekend duty assignment, potential recruits and military retirees and family members seeking help through the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System office.

"It's not like the mall — between 20 and 30 people who aren't working for the Guard come and go in the armory," Moyers said.

The work is the first major renovation since the armory was built.

"It's hard to say how long it will extend the life of the building," Moyers said. "That's not to say we won't have to do a nip or tuck here or there, but if it lasted almost 60 years so far, we'd like to think it will make it for another 60 years or so."

Renovations are scheduled to be done by late May at which point, Moyers said, asbestos levels will be "well below state and federal requirements."

To learn more about the Missouri National Guard, call 800-464-8273 or visit www.moguard.com.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

388-3646

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