NGA WEST PROJECT MAKING PROGRESS DURING COVID-19 CRISIS

NORTHWESTERN DIVISION

BY JAMES LOWE, Kansas City District

Construction on the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s (NGA) new campus in north St. Louis “is progressing without delays despite the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Col. Bill Hannan, commander of the Kansas City District, which serves as the construction agent for the project.

The $700 million-plus project will provide a new western headquarters for NGA. Its mission is to provide timely, relevant, and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security. Anyone who sails a U.S. ship, flies a U.S. aircraft, makes national policy decisions, fights wars, locates targets, or responds to natural disasters, relies on the NGA; it enables all of these critical actions, and shapes decisions that affect the world through the indispensable discipline of geospatial intelligence.

The building is slated to be completed in 2023, with information technology installation in 2024 and a move-in date of 2025. Much of the construction work now is preparing the ground for building the foundation and is outdoors, which lends a natural social-distancing aspect.

“We are taking deliberate measures to keep our workforce safe and continue construction in a safe manner that has proven effective,” said Hannan.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) on-site project manager is Gene Morisani. He commended the safety measures taken by McCarthy Building Company and HITT Contracting, whose joint venture was awarded the design-build contract in March 2019. He noted their focus on providing protective equipment, hand-washing stations, emphasis on face coverings, the commitment of the contractors and subcontractors, and additional sanitation measures as keys to the site’s safety.

“We do most of our coordination meetings virtually, emphasize hand-washing, and make sure to use our protective equipment when people are nearer to each other,” said Morisani.

EMPHASIS ON MINORITY HIRING GOALS

From the project’s award, the McCarthy-HITT team, as designbuild contractor, adopted the city of St. Louis Executive Order 28, which exceeds standard requirements and underscores USACE’s commitment to ensure opportunities for local minority- and womenowned businesses and workers.

The NGA campus’ construction goals are to include 25% minority-owned and 5% woman-owned businesses for subcontractor participation; and 15% minority and greater than 5% female for the individual workforce participation.

To achieve these goals, McCarthy-HITT developed and implemented a project-specific inclusion plan that provides a customized, structured framework and continuously monitors progress. In addition, a local minority-owned hiring consulting firm has been retained. Joint efforts to date have included multiple outreach events, job fairs, and ongoing collaboration with community and workforce development organizations. Additional events are currently being planned.

Hannan said that attracting a qualified workforce for the construction of the facility is imperative for the project. “That’s how they are successful,” he said.

Hannan encouraged local citizens to participate in construction job fairs. The Kansas City District, with its partners, have hosted four construction job fairs in St. Louis to attract some of that workforce, and there will be plans for more. “As you continue to see those fairs, come on out, see what’s available,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for you in our region.

“We are looking forward to a successful project for the St. Louis region and are committed to doing everything possible to keep the community informed and involved in all opportunities.”