The fate up of the longtime home of Georgiana’s National Guard unit is up in the air.

Currently, the Georgiana Armory sits shuttered and silent. Deteriorating conditions in the structure led to the closure, one local citizens hope is not permanent.

Tina Little, who heads the Family Readiness Group for Detachment 1 of the 781st Transportation Squadron, says those involved with the unit were originally told their move to the Fort Deposit armory would only be temporary, to allow repairs to be made to the Georgiana facility.

“Engineers did come in and evaluate the state of the structure and they said the building is sound, it just needs a new roof,” Little said.

“And then we were closed down, and now we are hearing it’s going to be permanent. A lot of us are very upset about this happening. This has been the home of several of our local guard members who have twice deployed to Iraq. It means a lot to them.”

Little said the armory was an important part of the community, serving as a voting house and a storm shelter, and in the past had served as venue for parties and wedding receptions.

“When the hurricanes came through, we had many people from our own area who came here to escape their mobile homes and other unsafe structures. And it was from this armory that our guard members delivered bottled water and ice to people in communities like Starlington and Chapman,” Little said.

Little, along with Georgiana’s mayor, Mike Middleton and other interested citizens have launched a campaign to try to save the city’s armory.

“It is worth the effort,” Little said.