With significant federal, state and local dignitaries present, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency with many partners celebrated the symbolic groundbreaking for beginning of construction on the 97-acre campus in North St. Louis November 26, 2019.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District serves as the construction lead through a special team located in St. Louis. The Kansas City District oversees all military construction in Missouri and Kansas. The contract for construction with McCarthy-HITT Construction is for over $700 million with follow-on scientific instrumentation set to cost almost $1 billion.
With an excited crowd of over 250 people, members of Congress, the St. Louis mayor and others along with the 54th Chief of Engineering and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite spoke to emphasize the benefits to the city, state and nation to construct the site in St. Louis, moving from the current South St. Louis site in about 2023.
We have five projects within the project set aside for small businesses and that puts aside money to go to local economy and to small businesses. We have a great team supporting a great mission to provide a new headquarters complex for NGA, said Semonite.
U.S. Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay, Missouri - 1st District stirred the crowd by recounting the challenges overcome to place the new site in St. Louis.
Vice Adm. Robert Sharp, seventh Director of NGA, extolled the benefits to the region and nation. His agency provides geo-intelligence to all military and federal security assets."We maintain detailed, foundational physical characterization of the Earth from seabed to space and provide products our forces require to navigate and operate safely every day, everywhere around the globe," wrote Sharp in his introduction to NGA Strategy 2025.
St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson thanked the crowd, NGA and all of the partners who assisted in keeping the headquarters in St. Louis. She expressed great confidence for increased construction employment prospects and the successful revitalization of North St. Louis.
"The Kansas City District has more than 40 outstanding professionals supporting construction on the project. The district is honored to serve the Heartland and work with our partners," said Col. Bill Hannan, commander of the Kansas City District.
The Kansas City District serves as the construction lead for four other mega-projects in addition to the new NGA headquarters complex: Kansas Cities Levees, Fort Leonard Wood Hospital, Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, and the John Cochran Division Veterans Administration Hospital renovation and build, also in St. Louis.
The Kansas City District is a team of dedicated professionals with a strong heritage and proven results who, in collaboration with our partners, proudly serve in the Heartland providing leadership, technical excellence, and innovative solutions to the nation's most complex problems.
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