By DeweyTerrill
JC Post
Geary County Commission Chair Trish Giordano would like the decision by the Army to leave the Trooper Gate entrance to Fort Riley closed indefinitely to be looked at again. The entrance to the Gate is undergoing construction but Maj. Gen. Monte Rone has announced plans to leave it closed once that is complete. Traffic is being rerouted through the Grant Ave. entrance to the post.
Giordano noted that she reevaluated after talking to business owners who told her since the Trooper Gate has been closed people have not been coming off post at lunchtime or to do errands. "I do not want to hurt our businesses if at all possible so I think maybe we need to relook at that. Giordano also said, "Fort Riley is going to do what they're going to do."
Commissioner Alex Tyson said it's usually Soldiers manning the gates, not DA civilians at the majority of the gates. He doesn't want to see gates closed around the community and also observed that mission and training will trump everything else that is occurring.
Tyson believes it is necessary for the County to reach out their partners to make sure that they understand that Junction City is able to "thrive as a community but wants to be able to provide hometown feels to the Soldiers that are on the installation. They can come off and enjoy the restaurants and events, the different things like that, that are going on here."
Commissioner Keith Ascher noted that the staffing part of it seems to be the problem.
The Army released a statement last week that the decision on Trooper Access Control Point is based on military training and personnel requirements. The Grant ACP, which provides access to post from Junction City via Grant Avenue, will remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The command continues to monitor traffic patterns and flow through all gates and will reassess the closure at a later date.