Leeds Touts Green Transformation of Ammo Plant
GSA’s green building modernization and construction projects, along with other Recovery Act initiatives, have helped save or create millions of jobs across the country, Stephen R. Leeds, Senior Counselor to the GSA Administrator, said during remarks at a dedication ceremony for the Goodfellow Federal Complex in St. Louis.
“Green jobs like these will be the foundation of our future economic success,” Leeds said. “We are wasting no time in moving aggressively forward on the green and environmental front.”
Leeds highlighted the remarkable achievement in turning the Goodfellow Federal Complex, a former munitions factory, into a light-drenched, energy efficient workplace for America’s public servants. Building 110 of the complex, which includes new Social Security Administration offices, represents the “best of the Recovery Act and the best of GSA’s design process,” Leeds said.
The complex incorporates the latest in innovative green design, including seamless integration of daylight, highly efficient HVAC and lighting systems, solar-heated water, and advanced utility metering technology. These features will save taxpayer dollars and grow green jobs throughout the local design, engineering, and construction industry, he said.
Over the past year GSA has quadrupled the number of active American Recovery and Reinvestment Act construction projects, fostering job growth that invests in America’s future by building the vital infrastructure of our nation, he said. GSA has invested $4.4 billion in building modernization and construction projects, which have already put more than 500 companies to work, more than double the number of a year ago, he added.
Although too many Americans still feel anxiety about unemployment, there are signs of hope, he said.
“Here in the St. Louis area, nearly $1 billion has helped hundreds of workers including the nearly 500 workers hired to work on the Goodfellow Complex, and hundreds more will make Building 110 their workplace,” Leeds said.
