Why the Indiana National Guard is demolishing a former Boys & Girls Club

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WISH) — Indiana Army National guardsmen with the 113th Engineer Battalion are conducting a demolition mission in Terre Haute as part of the Innovative Readiness Training program.

A news release issued Monday said guardsmen are demolishing a 60,000-square-foot former Boys & Girls Club building on the city’s near-north side.

The cleared site will be used by the state’s 19th Chemical Enhanced Response Force Package Battalion for specialized rescue training in June.

The Innovative Readiness Training program allows government entities and nonprofits in the United States to partner directly with military units for assistance on projects.

The release said the Terre Haute mission provides soldiers with two distinct opportunities for specialized training within an urban, civilian environment.

The 113th Engineer Battalion, specializing in horizontal construction and the use of heavy equipment, including excavators, is responsible for demolishing the former Boys & Girls Club to prepare the site for new housing.