By Dominic Immer

For some institutions, tradition means doing the same thing for years on end.

For Jefferson Barracks, tradition means changing with the times.

Jefferson Barracks is the oldest continuous military base west of the Mississippi. It opened in 1826 and has needed to change throughout history to meet the needs of the military.

Now, new changes are coming to the historic base including a $100 million training facility, an increase in the number of troops and the impending departure of the 157th Air National Guard unit.

Col. David Newman, commander of the base, said Jefferson Barracks always has adapted with the passage of time. The first 10 calvary divisions were stationed at Jefferson Barracks in the 1800s. Many military leaders of the civil war served at the Barracks, including Robert E. Lee, Ulysses Grant, William T. Sherman and Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

“Then World War II came along,” Newman said. “This was one of the biggest Midwest training areas of the U.S. Army. On any given day, there were 35,000 to 40,000 troops here at Jefferson Barracks.”

Newman envisions new types of missions to continue the Barracks’ tradition of moving with the times. One preliminary idea involves using the base to coordinate organizations in the city to help during emergencies such as an ice storm, an earthquake or a terrorist attack. Newman could not give any details regarding the new missions on the base, but he said they have plans for “high- tech classified missions.”

The age of the base makes it necessary to put money into the facilities for renovations. Other major renovations have taken place in many of the buildings over the years. One of the old stables now serves as offices.

“Once you renovate them you get good value,” Newman said. “These buildings just don’t deteriorate — these huge brick buildings.”

A new addition will be made to the base in the form of the $100 million Joint Army Readiness Center. This armory will be a training facility for the National Guard, the Army Reserve and the Marine Reserve. The government is paying the entire cost.

“It’s going to be one of the biggest armories in Missouri,” Newman said. “We’re probably going to have over 1,000 soldiers coming in here, at a given time.”

Crews will demolish several old buildings to make way for the facility. That will begin this summer. The armory will be finished by 2011.

Also by 2011, Newman and his unit, the 157th Air National Guard, must move to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport because of a military directive created in 2005 to consolidate military bases through the Base Realignment and Closure process, or BRAC.

Barbara Hehmeyer, the executive director of the Lemay Chamber of Commerce, wants to see the Air National Guard keep a presence at the base. She said it is important to the stability of Lemay.

Newman believes Jefferson Barracks has a lot to offer the Air National Guard because of its location and facilities. He thinks some research should be done after 2011 to find the best location to consolidate the Air National Guard forces.

“Eventually we will look at consolidating, along with what BRAC wants to do. What we want to do is look at the best option,” he said. “We think the best option is Jefferson Barracks.”