U.S. CONGRESSMAN BILL JOHNSON Proudly Representing Eastern and Southeastern Ohio

An $8 million project that was funded in the 2015 budget of President Obama is now a reality at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna. 

Members of Congress joined Air Station leaders and local officials for the ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday.

The line up included U.S. Senator Rob Portman and Congressmen Tim Ryan and Bill Johnson. 

 The firing range is state of the art, offering the latest technology. It replaces an outdoor range that was more than 30-years-old. 

Base personnel will be able to train and qualify with a range of firearms.

One of the selling points for the new range was making it available also to civilian law enforcement.

"We went to the federal government and Department of Defense and said we need a new firing range but we're going to make it a community range. That's why you see police officers here from around the region because they're all going to have access to this range," said Portman.

A large door will allow police to bring a patrol car onto the range for additional training techniques.  

Friday's ceremony was also combined with a meeting of the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission (EOMAC) where the base commander talked about future plans for the base.

Commander Col. Dan Sarachene says another $8 million is already in the works for an upgraded and more secure entrance to the base.

"This shows that the viability and capability of this installation and the future of the installation for defense purposes is still viable," Sarachene said. 

Ryan and Portman say the more investment, the less likely the facility will someday end up on a list of those bases to be closed.