Army Reserve training center planned for Danbury

DANBURY, Conn. (AP) - The federal government is buying 17 acres in Danbury for $4.3 million to build a U.S. Army Reserve training center.

The News-Times reports (http://bit.ly/ooGjvi ) that the military plans to build a regional training center with a 95,000-square-foot building, a weapons simulator and a physical fitness area.

Some residents were initially concerned about traffic and hoped the land would remain as open space. The military reduced the scale.

Mayor Mark Boughton said the project will not generate a lot more tax revenue, but will bring visitors and local spending.

Eight U.S. Army Reserve units and two Connecticut National Guard units will be assigned to the center. Officials say it will attract as many as 200 members of the Army Reserve and National Guard for weekend drills.

Construction is expected to take up to two years to complete.