Camp Rapid is getting a $29 million face-lift.

State and city officials broke ground at the site for the new Joint Forces Headquarters Readiness Center at Camp Rapid and cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the new Reception Center on Tuesday.

"It's a great picture of Camp Rapid for any visitors coming in," State Command Sgt. Larry Zimmerman said. "It's upscale, and the Guard have become upscale. It's a nice step to the top when we're number 1 in so many facilities."

Col. Tracy Settle said the new building and the construction at Camp Rapid represents an outlook toward modernization to fit with the rising quality and importance of the National Guard.

"With the part the Guard plays, it's important to have a first-rate facility to show the Rapid City community," Settle said.

The Readiness Center will take two years to build and will replace the current headquarters, built in 1936. When completed, the 125,000-square-foot complex will allow consolidation of the field and administrative offices scattered throughout the complex.

Construction facility manager Col. Kit L. Cline said that, when remodeling or constructing, Camp Rapid only has one thing in mind: readiness.

"Having Camp Rapid under one roof is important to readiness throughout the city and state," Cline said.

The original 1936 building has not been torn down yet, and Zimmerman said the construction crews are collecting the sandstone from the old building to reuse on the exterior of the new building. Bricks from the old building are been sold to guardsmen who want a keepsake.

Sen. Tim Johnson, Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, and a representative from Sen. John Thune's office attended the groundbreaking ceremony, as did Rapid City Mayor Alan Hanks and Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Steven Doohen.

Johnson, chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Administration Appropriations Subcommittee, said the facility was "long overdue" and pledged to seek more appropriations for South Dakota military service members.

"It means a lot for Rapid City, for national and state defense and state safety," Johnson said. "It also means more for the economic development of the Black Hills."

Herseth Sandlin said the Readiness Center will meet several needs for current and future guardsmen. She also that the construction project will benefit Rapid City economically in the short term, and the center will have long-term effect regionally.

The Readiness Center will help with administration communications throughout the camp and benefit guardsmen as well, Zimmerman said.

"The 3,400 guardsmen will have a one-stop shop where they can stop in there for visitations and see the officers," Cline said.

Meanwhile, the Reception Center at the new northwest gate off West Main Street will house recruiting offices, I.D. services for veterans and welcome visitors.

Zimmerman said the Reception Center will reduce hassles for retirees and spouses of deployed guardsmen who need to visit Camp Rapid, providing I.D.s so they won't have to go through the security gate to get what they need.

"It represents an eye towards the future," Herseth Sandlin said of the Reception Center.

Work on the Joint Headquarters Readiness Center won't be the last construction project at Camp Rapid this year. Plans for a $14.4 million barracks and education building are in place. This project will be the third and final phase of a multiuse complex that combines barracks, dining, shower, education and administration facilities.

Contact Jessica Kokesh at jessica.kokesh@rapidcityjournal.com.