U.S. Army Reserve Transfers 4.7-Acre Schroeder Hall into Hands of City

From the city of Long Beach:

The city of Long Beach today celebrated accepting the deed for Schroeder Hall from the U.S. Army Reserve. The 4.7 acre facility will be renovated to house the Police Department’s East Division Substation.

“Schroeder Hall served Long Beach and the region since 1960, and the U.S. Army Reserve’s action to hand over this facility to the City of Long Beach will ensure that this site will continue to serve the community well into the future,” Mayor Robert Garcia said.

“This is an exciting day. I’m looking forward to providing the Long Beach Police Officers with a first class facility,” Councilwoman Stacy Mungo said.

The current East Division Substation on Los Coyotes Boulevard near the Traffic Circle is undersized and outdated. The new Substation will include office space, renovated locker areas, showers, restrooms, and gym facilities, an elevator to provide ADA accessibility, public waiting and reception areas, and a multi-purpose community room.

“As members of the Army Reserve, we take pride in knowing that the Reserve center named in honor of Major Henry F. Schroeder will be utilized by the Police Department East Division Substation and will continue to support the citizens of Long Beach,” said Col. Peggy Stradford, Chief of Staff, 79th Sustainment Support Command, U.S. Army Reserve.

“We’re pleased to be moving forward,” Police Chief Jim McDonnell said. “This new workplace will afford us the ability to access technology, utilize space to handle complex investigations, and enhance our community partnerships in the East Division.”

Renovation work is expected to start in early 2015, and finish in time for the Substation to open by the end of the year.

Schroeder Hall U.S. Army Reserve Center was declared surplus under the 2005 round of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, which was designed to increase U.S. military efficiency by reorganizing its bases. The Long Beach City Council and a citizen advisory committee recommended that the site be used for the Long Beach Police Department’s East Division Substation. The U.S. Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development approved a no-cost public benefit conveyance of the facility in 2010, a savings to the City of Long Beach of more than $3.5 million.

As part of the BRAC process, the City helped Mental Health America acquire a site on Long Beach Boulevard, where they will provide a Healthcare Access program to help homeless people get services they need. The site is located adjacent to a Los Angeles County Mental Health facility.

The Army Reserve Center was constructed in 1960 and later dedicated to Maj. Henry F. Schroeder. Maj. Schroeder served in the United States Army and received the Medal of Honor during the Philippine-American Warat Carig in the Philippines. Maj. Schroeder joined the Army in July 1896, and permanently retired with the rank ofMajor in August 1930.

PHOTO Courtesy the city of Long Beach.

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