May 19—McAlester is getting state military planning grants totaling more than $400,000 to support work on a railroad wing to connect with the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant.

The grant award, which is for 2022 is for $260,000, and requires a 10% match from the city.

That's in addition to a $160,000 the city has already received during the previous year from the Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission.

OSMOC Commission member Jessica Gregg said Wednesday the two amounts total $420,000 the city will get from funds available from 2022.

And the city can still apply for more funding for 2023, she said.

Gregg spoke with city councilors about the newest grant amount when she attended their May 9 meeting at City Hall.

Speaking of the two amounts, McAlester Mayor John Browne said "We can get $260,000?"

"For a 10 percent match, you will get an additional $260,000," Gregg said.

City councilors then acted unanimously to approve the Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission grant award to support the Haywood Rail Project.

The project is to provide another railroad link to McAAP.

Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission's functions include helping ensure military bases in Oklahoma remain viable to the nation's defense.

Gregg and the others appointed to the OSMPC by Gov. Kevin Stitt are charged with representing the interests of communities that would be affected by the realignment and closure of military bases in Oklahoma.

Along with McAAP, federal military bases in Oklahoma include Fort Sill, in Lawton; Altus Air Force Base in Altus; Vance Air Force Base in Enid and Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City.

The idea is to make sure the bases continue as strong members of the state military infrastructure, especially should there be another round of base closings ordered by Base Realignment and Closure Commission, also known as BRAC.

Gregg, who is also the director of Business Development for Choctaw Defense Manufacturing, previously said the role of OSMPC is about BRAC prevention. "It's also about increasing our military value."

To help in those efforts, OSMPC has issued several grants to McAlester and other cities where military bases are located.