Redevelopment began on the former Northup Grumman facility in Perry earlier this year. Patriot Reporter Mayci McLeod toured the future Guardian Center to check on it's progress...

The Guardian Center will be a 75 acre city scape in which first responders and emergency crews from across the country can train for natural and man-made disasters.

The space was originally built to serve as a missile manufacturing facility in the 80's, yet no missiles were ever produced there. The area is constructed to resemble a metro-city... complete with a 1600 foot long dual rail subway tunnel.

The facility also has houses built in what Maloney described as a 5.5 million gallon "bathtub" which can flood the houses up to 8 feet high... the height of the ledge between the roof and the windows. This flooding serves as practice for rescues during disasters such as Hurricane Katrina; where dive teams can enter the houses through the water, and boat rescues save live victims from the attic windows.

The Guardian Center will be equipped with realistic effects such as smoke, fire, and explosions.Some of the buildings will be completed structures, with furniture and props to simulate businesses and apartments. Others will be collapsed buildings to simulate disasters such as the Oklahoma City bombing.

Maloney says the facility will provide a significant economic boost to the Middle Georgia area

The Guardian Center is scheduled to officially open at the beginning of December.