State and local dignitaries Wednesday lauded the long-awaited opening of Wheat Capital Road south of Vance Air Force Base, calling the $3 million project a “tremendous project.”

Crowds later gathered on base to break ground for a $20 million Armed Forces Reserve Center, which was added to Vance as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Com-mission process. Construction is scheduled to complete in December 2010.

The reserve center will be one of seven new centers to be built across the state, replacing aging National Guard armories and reserve centers.

A crowd of about 80 people attended the road ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday afternoon in sweltering temperatures. Sitting beneath a tent, they heard Gov. Brad Henry talk about the partnership bet-ween the city of Enid, Vance Dev-elopment Auth-ority, Vance, Oklahoma Strat-egic Military Planning Commission, the state of Oklahoma and the state’s congressional delegation.

He said Wheat Capital Road looks dramatically different than it did when he came to the dedication of Southgate Road about a year ago. He said the cooperation of many people made it possible.

“Our congressional delegation who helped secure the federal dollars and your legislative delegation, who do such a great job at the Capitol, helped make this possible,” Henry said.

“It’s a strong partnership. The thing we’ve done together made Oklahoma stand out in the nation. We are the only state that has not had a base closing or significant reduction to our military bases. We have even added to our missions,” Henry said.

Mayor John Criner said he hoped the project will be the beginning of development on South Van Buren and discussed the relationship of Enid residents and the military.

“The people of Enid respect and care for the military. This is just the beginning, and there is no telling where it will end up,” he said.

Maj. Gen. Bruce A. Casella said he commands Army Reserves in seven states, but 35-40 percent of the new construction is being done in three of those, including Oklahoma. Since Sept. 11, 2001, 170,000 Reserve members have been deployed and that level is expected to continue in the near future. Over the next three years the Army will spend $1.2 billion in construction in the seven states he controls. He said the Army have partnered with the Air Force in several areas, plus partnering with National Guard units in every state.

However, he said the $20 million construction process at Vance is a bargain compared to some other states, such as a similar structure in California that will cost $80 million.

Col. Chris Nowland, 71st Flying Training Wing commander at Vance, said Wednesday the architecture will be the same throughout the base, so there will be no difference in appearance between the Wheat Capital Road entrance near the Armed Forces Reserve Center and other gates to the base. Security will be provided by National Guard and Army Reserve forces.

The construction involved about 4,500 feet of Wheat Capital Road from U.S. 81 to the base.