A U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee passed a bill yesterday that will provide financial support for the construction of a Pennsylvania National Guard maintenance shop in Coraopolis.

For the construction of the proposed 130,000-square-foot building, the bill has allotted $3.25 million. The funds are part of a $72.7 billion 2009 fiscal year budget for military and veterans programs.

The new facility would condense Pittsburgh's four outdated National Guard maintenance centers into one centralized complex, explained Maj. Gen. Jessica L. Wright.

According to a statement from U.S. Rep. John P Murtha, D-Johnstown, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Defense, this Combined Service Maintenance Shop would have the state-of-the-art technology and facilities to perform vehicle maintenance and combat equipment repairs.