(Radio Iowa) – Members of the 185th Iowa National Guard in Sioux City have been in Woodbine, building a giant tension fabric structure (tfs) that is a precursor to an Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) mission soon to take place at the Woodbine High School. Woodbine Schools Superintendent Justin Wagner, is also a colonel with the 185th, and says the fabric structure will initially house teams of U-S. military members traveling to the area to help construct a new Ignite Pathways building already under construction in Woodbine.

“And they’ve done exactly what they’ve done overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq. They took something completely bare just like this field. And they’re building this and these folks have been up in the morning at 7. They’re working to 7 p-m,” he says. “I’m not sure I’ve seen a better example of the Iowa National Guard connecting with the community for a value added project.” Wagner requested the support of the Department of Defense I-R-T program to help construct the new ignite building as well as the accompanying structure.

“It’s called Ignite Pathways it’s a 45-thousand square foot facility completely focused on Career and Technical Education. And so it’s the skills kids learn by doing and so that process to get approved as a D-O-D I-R-T project is taking about 18 months,” Wagner says. This is the first ever I-R-T in Iowa. As part of their annual training, Iowa guard members from the 185th Air Wing set up the privately donated 30-thousand square foot structure in woodbine. Wagner says when construction on the adjacent Ignite building is complete, the school plans to use the tfs building as an indoor athletic facility.

“It combines two really important things, the governor’s push on current technical education and our future-ready Iowa initiative which is really on the school side what we’re really trying to push, and then that D-O-D I-R-T push being the first ever in the state of Iowa is pretty special to us,” he says. The Ignite building project is scheduled to be completed at the beginning of the 2023 school year. Colonel Wagner also serves as the vice wing commander with the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City as a traditional guard member.