Norton Pressing Repairs of Buildings & Schools As Unemployment Mounts (12/23/08)

Washington, D.C. - The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), chair, Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, today released the Congresswoman's letter to the chair of the full Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, James Oberstar, recommending that the repair of existing federal buildings be a major part of the stimulus bill. Funding these smaller projects will result in more jobs for, "more people with many kinds of skills, including construction workers, but also many others, especially minorities and others who often are not journeymen or apprentices," Norton wrote.

Because government spending to stimulate the economy focuses on public works, Norton is focusing on the disrepair of many buildings here. The federal buildings that line Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues today, among them the Justice and Commerce departments, the IRS, and the National Archives, all were constructed as public works projects during the Great Depression of the 1930s to stimulate jobs and provide space for government agencies. "These and other structures will never be torn down," Norton wrote. "Now is the time, I believe, to begin the repair and renovation of these buildings just as Roosevelt understood that the depression of the 1930s was the time to build these facilities for the expanding federal presence in the first place." Norton also wants funding for repairs and rehabilitation of public schools.

The Congresswoman, who chairs the subcommittee responsible for construction of public buildings, is one of the congressional leaders now developing the $850 million stimulus package in partnership with the new Obama administration. In her letter, Norton cited Obama's focus on prioritizing repairing existing structures. "‘Use it or lose it', he said, to focus on the projects that will get money circulating and jobs going even faster than would occur with construction contracts that could take up to 90 days to be awarded," the Congresswoman wrote.

Norton's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) headquarters project on the west campus of St. E's, a classic public works project, is already in the proposed package. In addition, the General Services Administration (GSA), under Norton's committee's jurisdiction, has identified hundreds of millions in ready-to-go repair projects that involve repairing, modernizing, and greening historic federal buildings here and throughout the nation.

A copy of the letter follows.

December 17, 2008

BY HAND DELIVERY

James L. Oberstar

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

2165 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Oberstar:

Thank you sending the Rebuild America proposal, distributed on December 16, 2008, to subcommittee chairs. I write to say how pleased I am that the proposal emphasizes projects that can be started immediately, such as repairing and rehabilitating existing infrastructure, which, of course, can most quickly create jobs, stimulate the economy and do much delayed and vital work at the same time. I noted in last Sunday's Washington Post that President-elect Obama is also prioritizing such projects -- "use it or lose it," he said-- to focus on the projects that will get money circulating and jobs going even faster than would occur with construction contracts that could take up to 90 days to be awarded. Your proposal for my subcommittee, for example, shows that GSA has identified many small, ready-to-go repair projects. These projects can begin immediately and have the great advantage of employing people with many kinds of skills, including construction workers but also many others, especially minorities and others who often are not journeymen or apprentices.

I am happy about this emphasis as well because my subcommittee has watched helplessly the deterioration of valuable federal inventory because of low priority funding for upkeep and renovations. The disrepair of federal buildings has dramatically increased GSA's move to leased space from third parties. I hope that our committee will also consider that many federal buildings in the United States were built more than a half century ago during the Great Depression to stimulate the economy, but are now in need of repair and modernization, including, as your report notes, greening. In the nation's capital, for example, almost all the federal buildings on Pennsylvania, Constitution and Independence Avenues were built during the 1930s, including the National Archives, Commerce Department, Internal Revenue Service, Justice Department, Interior South and Health and Human Services. These and others are now historic structures that will never be torn down. Now is the time, I believe, to begin the repair and renovation of these buildings just as Roosevelt understood that the Depression of the 1930s was the time to build these facilities for the expanding federal presence in the first place. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Best personal regards.

Sincerely,

Eleanor Holmes Norton