FREEPORT, NY — The Freeport Armory got one step closer to becoming a trade school Monday, as the Nassau County Legislature awarded $300,000 to the Village of Freeport to help fund construction work at the site.
Transferred to the village in a 2019 State Senate bill, the Freeport Armory was previously home to a National Guard unit until 2011. Prior to state transfer, "The property…suffered damage as a result of numerous natural disasters, and [had] most recently been leased as storage space of heavy equipment," that senate bill reads.
In the years since that transfer, the village has made improvements to the building, at one point allowing it to serve as a temporary home for the Merrick Fire Department. Thus far, work at the armory has allowed for it to host the Rising Stars Youth Foundation, which gives local kids and their families the chance to play basketball, volleyball, pickleball and engage in other activities.
The long-term goal of a trade school, members of the county legislature said, is one that could unlock "unlimited potential" on the three-acre site.
"Freeport's Armory has unlimited potential to become a multifaceted hub for the Village and our greater region, and these funds will help prepare this historic site for its next phase of service," County Legislator Debra Mulé said. "I thank my colleagues for unanimously supporting this latest investment in our community's future."
The newly-awarded funding will be put toward asbestos testing and monitoring, the replacement of windows, doors and roofs, electrical service and the installation of heating units at the old armory site.
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