It is the "professional services staff" that is being tripled, which currently stands at 40.kipfilet wrote: 70 to 210 is pretty substantial if those are high skill engineering jobs
Shouldn't we move discussion over to CORTEX thread? Get the geospatial part but company presence is in St. Charles County and CORTEX. Then we can discuss if the bump up in numbers will land at CORTEX or St. Charles, or if they would make a great anchor tenant for next Wexford building or Cortex K
^ I could see them moving the whole kit and caboodle to Cortex once the NGA really starts getting off the ground. I can't see any real sense in keeping a large office in St. Charles when your biggest customer is in North City.
As far as this discussion I think it's fine for here, it would be fine in the tech or Cortex thread too. The reason they're tripling their staff is because NGA, not Cortex.
As far as this discussion I think it's fine for here, it would be fine in the tech or Cortex thread too. The reason they're tripling their staff is because NGA, not Cortex.
^ Assume St. Charles office has to do more with whose running it since there presence in St Charles been a lot longer and CORTEX rather recent. But agree, CORTEX makes a lot of sense with the expanded presence, tech presence and proximity to NGA.
They have a presence with companies all over the area. At the conference the founder/president talked at, the NGA rep on stage with him stated how nice a building/campus they have in St. Charles. So I don't see them moving from it.The Mayor wrote: ^ I could see them moving the whole kit and caboodle to Cortex once the NGA really starts getting off the ground. I can't see any real sense in keeping a large office in St. Charles when your biggest customer is in North City.
As far as this discussion I think it's fine for here, it would be fine in the tech or Cortex thread too. The reason they're tripling their staff is because NGA, not Cortex.
I don't know if anyone posted these yet, but this is the 2.3 million SF NGA Campus East (third largest federal facility in the DC area) completed in 2011:
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Looks like they spared no expense. Hopefully, St. Louis can expect a similar design quality for NGA West.
Looks like they spared no expense. Hopefully, St. Louis can expect a similar design quality for NGA West.
There are a couple of paragraphs in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (pdf), about the "security feature" at NGA West:
I wonder how much 1.25 miles of an 8 foot tall black aluminum and brick fencewall would cost...
Section 2, page 4Building infrastructure would require approximately 15 acres and another 15 acres would be required for hardscape (roadways, surface parking lots, sidewalks, and other impervious areas). A 60-foot security strip would be required around the buildings. The security strip would consist of a security feature (either a fence and/or wall), a 30-foot patrol strip inside the security feature, and a sidewalk outside the security feature. The site acreage for the alternative sites is larger than what is required for buildings (including the potential future data center), security, and the hardscape. NGA would obtain one of the four sites in its entirety, as described below. Any area that is not required for building infrastructure, security, or hardscape would be landscaped or restored to native vegetation. The impact analysis in Section 4.0 assumed disturbance within the full construction boundary, thus allowing flexibility for site layout.
Section 4, page 99The preliminary designs for the St. Louis City Site include a security feature between the proposed campus and surrounding historic properties. The security feature would take the form of either a fence or wall and will be compatible with the surrounding historic district and historic buildings. Design considerations will include construction materials, color, and architectural details. Buildings within the campus could range in height from one to six stories tall, which is taller than the typical historic buildings in the area that range in height from one to four stories. Although these new buildings would be set back within the project alternative boundary, with the tallest building likely placed in the center of the property, it is possible that they would still be visible through or over the security feature. The implementation of the security feature and the alteration to the existing street grid pattern adjacent to the historic properties would likely result in visual impacts from the operation of the St. Louis City Site but a finding of no adverse effect under Section 106 (Cultural-1).
I wonder how much 1.25 miles of an 8 foot tall black aluminum and brick fencewall would cost...
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^^Props to Urbanitas for posting NGA East HQ, so we can have more context when considering the New NGA West. While some have been underwhelmed at the preliminary design work for the future North City site, I do think that what's been done for the Eastern HQ can be anticipated for the Western HQ. Maybe North City will get a giant atrium, too, and perhaps more.
Something I haven't read in the thread here but worth considering: The new design schematics show what they look to build above ground. But, no one has said anything about how much they could be looking to build underground. What's been shown in the designs, stated that it will cost $700MM (out of a total $1.75BB site cost), looks damn expensive for what would be built (especially when the land itself was gifted to the NGA by STL City, and not part of the $700MM number). For a facility with such critical importance to national security; noting how the new design looks smaller than the current NGA West (and perhaps half the size of NGA East); and recognizing the needs for dense wall shielding to protect from conventional attacks, electronic warfare attacks, and simple spying... They've got to be building one hell of a basement there. I'd guess it could be 5 stories straight down in parts.
Something I haven't read in the thread here but worth considering: The new design schematics show what they look to build above ground. But, no one has said anything about how much they could be looking to build underground. What's been shown in the designs, stated that it will cost $700MM (out of a total $1.75BB site cost), looks damn expensive for what would be built (especially when the land itself was gifted to the NGA by STL City, and not part of the $700MM number). For a facility with such critical importance to national security; noting how the new design looks smaller than the current NGA West (and perhaps half the size of NGA East); and recognizing the needs for dense wall shielding to protect from conventional attacks, electronic warfare attacks, and simple spying... They've got to be building one hell of a basement there. I'd guess it could be 5 stories straight down in parts.
^ From what I've read in the press the rest of the money after the $700 million for the main building will go towards outfitting the building with all the required technology and other features that are necessary for a large spy campus. Though I'm sure there will still be a sizable basement.
NGA west is basically a mini NGA east. 2 parking garages one on each side, Two buildings connected by an atrium/courtyard. Guest entrance with a long covered walkway to the main building.
Just not as many floors.
Just not as many floors.
I read somewhere that the city's property acquisition and site prep costs were ~$130 million and that that figure is included in the overall $1.7 billion project cost.gone corporate wrote:
Something I haven't read in the thread here but worth considering: The new design schematics show what they look to build above ground. But, no one has said anything about how much they could be looking to build underground. What's been shown in the designs, stated that it will cost $700MM (out of a total $1.75BB site cost), looks damn expensive for what would be built (especially when the land itself was gifted to the NGA by STL City, and not part of the $700MM number). For a facility with such critical importance to national security; noting how the new design looks smaller than the current NGA West (and perhaps half the size of NGA East); and recognizing the needs for dense wall shielding to protect from conventional attacks, electronic warfare attacks, and simple spying... They've got to be building one hell of a basement there. I'd guess it could be 5 stories straight down in parts.
As to the underground portion, I'm sure you are correct. There is a maximum 15 acre facility footprint figure given in the Final Environmental Impact Statement. That purportedly includes the footprints of all structures (office, parking garages, visitor control center, inspection facility, utility plant, as well as future expansion and a "possible future data center" (may be one and the same). That is a lot to squeeze into 15 acres if the office facility will not exceed 6 stories above grade.
I also assume that the Quinjet hangar won't factor into the 15 acres as it is clearly under the lake...
Krewson: The future of geospatial intelligence is being shaped right here.
https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/column ... 772a5.html
https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/column ... 772a5.html
Little bit of background from St. Louis Public Radio regarding street improvements to Jefferson and Parnell in the NGA area.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st ... e#stream/0
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st ... e#stream/0
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Anybody heard/read anything about whether the funds that Trump now gets to divert from the Pentagon to build his wall will include the funds that were earmarked for the NGA relocation? If so, I would think that puts a screeching halt to the project, or at least delays it considerably for several more years (i.e. maybe until 2030).
^Last specific funding sources I have seen mentioned was this:
The only thing on that list that could apply to NGA West would be the last item, but the majority of those funds will be taken from non-allocated Overseas Contingency Operation funds, according to the WH spokesperson quoted in the article. In any case, they would never take funds which had already been obligated for a quasi-military / civilian intelligence domestic construction project like this.CNBC
- $1.375 billion from the Homeland Security appropriations bill
- $600 million from the Treasury Department’s drug forfeiture fund
- $2.5 billion from the Department of Defense’s drug interdiction program
- $3.6 billion from the Department of Defense’s military construction account
Well, not any more than any other large federal government project at least...jshank83 wrote: We don't need to worry about it getting delayed.
"Building a GEOINT Cluster in the Greater St. Louis Region"
http://trajectorymagazine.com/building- ... zDTPclOPI8
http://trajectorymagazine.com/building- ... zDTPclOPI8
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http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_n ... user-share
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hosting a Next NGA West construction training fair from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, August 27, at St. Stanislaus Heritage Center, 1413 N. 20th St. in St. Louis. Registration is not required. The construction training fair is an opportunity for the community to learn about the construction trades, apprenticeships and careers available related to the Next NGA West construction project.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hosting a Next NGA West construction training fair from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, August 27, at St. Stanislaus Heritage Center, 1413 N. 20th St. in St. Louis. Registration is not required. The construction training fair is an opportunity for the community to learn about the construction trades, apprenticeships and careers available related to the Next NGA West construction project.
All these geospatial tech firms adding jobs in STL has me thinking: Is the NGA itself actually expanding here? Will they be hiring more employees and/or expanding the scope of their mission, or is it simply a move to new improved facilities?
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NGA itself may not grow a lot but it relies a lot of outside contractors. My company is opening a city office on the 17th with 40+ and probably doubling by the time nga opens on locust at Jefferson. Some of our people are imbedded at the nga office
The PD's write up for today's groundbreaking:
https://www.stltoday.com/business/local ... op-story-2
https://www.stltoday.com/business/local ... op-story-2
The $712 million construction project, led by a joint venture that includes Ladue-based McCarthy Holdings and Washington-based HITT Contracting, means the 97-acre site will be busy with construction workers through 2023. Some 1,100 construction workers are expected to be on site at the height of construction.
Another $1 billion of equipment dedicated to the NGA's mission of mapping and analyzing imagery for the military and intelligence communities will be installed in the new headquarters before the agency's move-in in 2025.