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Tag: General Services Administration

  • ‘Undemocratic behavior’: Nonprofit calls for review on demolition plans on St. Elizabeth West campus – WTOP News

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    A nonprofit is pushing back on an emergency proposal to demolish buildings on the St. Elizabeths campus, on the site of the Department of Homeland Security HQ in Southeast D.C.

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    DHS’ plan to demolish parts of St Elizabeths Hospital is under attack

    A nonprofit is pushing back on an emergency proposal to demolish historic buildings on the site of the Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Southeast D.C.

    In mid-December, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued an emergency declaration to demolish 17 vacant buildings on the St. Elizabeths West Campus, which houses the agency’s headquarters. In a memo sent to the General Services Administration, Noem called the proposal necessary to “prevent the loss of life and property.”

    Robert Kirkbride, spokesperson and founder for PreservationWorks, told WTOP the nonprofit objects to Noem’s declaration to the GSA, saying the buildings are part of a national historic landmark. St. Elizabeths Hospital opened in 1855 and was the first federally operated psychiatric hospital in the U.S.

    “These are structures that are part of American heritage,” Kirkbride said, who added that they were built “according to the humanitarian ideals of beauty as therapy.”

    Following the law

    The campus was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990. Kirkbride said the buildings and the surrounding landscape fall under that designation.

    Any changes must follow the process outlined in the National Historic Preservation Act. According to the GSA’s website, during projects that may affect landmarks, a federal agency must notify the appropriate parties, identify properties that may be affected by the project, assess the effects of the changes, and look for alternatives to mitigate impacts on historical resources.

    The Washington Post reported the GSA notified D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office on Dec. 23, with Noem’s memo and a Dec. 19 safety assessment report.

    A building in disrepair is seen on the campus of what used to be St. Elizabeths Hospital in Southeast D.C.
    (Courtesy General Services Administration)

    Courtesy General Services Administration

    building
    A building on the old St. Elizabeths campus in Southeast D.C.
    (Courtesy PreservationWorks)

    Courtesy PreservationWorks

    interior of old building
    The interior of a building on the old St. Elizabeths campus in Southeast D.C.
    (Courtesy General Services Administration)

    Courtesy General Services Administration

    rotting wood rafters in old building
    The interior of a building on the old St. Elizabeths campus in Southeast D.C.
    (Courtesy General Services Administration)

    Courtesy General Services Administration

    A building on the old St. Elizabeths campus in Southeast D.C.
    (Courtesy PreservationWorks)

    Courtesy PreservationWorks

    However, DHS failed to demonstrate full compliance with the law, Kirkbride said, arguing that it did not allow a full public review. The emergency declaration came before the Christmas holiday, leaving less time to review it before the end of the year.

    The public was not allowed to consider adaptive reuse plans for the buildings or to question any ecological issues in the demolition plans, he said. This includes making sure not to damage the site’s trees.

    “There was virtually no window for any public review or commentary on these proposals, which, of course, is strategic,” Kirkbride said. “We demand that there is meaningful public engagement in the process of this review in order to evaluate alternatives.”

    In a statement to WTOP, GSA Associate Administrator for Strategic Communications Marianne Copenhaver said the agency is following “all applicable laws and regulations” regarding the property at the St. Elizabeths campus.

    Security risk concerns

    In a security and safety risks assessment, DHS described the structures as “old, vacant, dilapidated buildings” located in the middle of the campus and along the perimeter. The assessment added that their presence can be exploited by “an insider to stage a sniper attack.”

    In a statement to WTOP, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said Noem’s emergency proposal is about safety. She added that the agency’s security and safety assessments found the buildings on the property pose security and emergency response risks.

    “Several of these structures cannot be safely accessed or cleared by law enforcement or first responders, creating security blind spots adjacent to senior leadership and critical operations,” McLaughlin said. “Demolition is the only permanent corrective action that eliminates these.”

    However, Kirkbride said it is concerning that the agency is raising security concerns, as the campus is a walled site.

    “It’s a bit of a silly ploy, and also self-damning,” Kirkbride said.

    With all the renewed attention surrounding the site’s future, Kirkbride said officials should pause the emergency declaration until the National Historic Preservation Act is properly followed and both sides work together to determine what’s best for the site.

    He called DHS’s emergency declaration a “repeated motif” seen with the Trump administration’s construction of a new ballroom at the White House. He said he hopes the same does not happen at St. Elizabeths.

    “The use of emergency is now simply a new wrinkle that they’re using, that they’re going to use repeatedly, unless we put the brakes on undemocratic behavior, illegal behavior,” Kirkbride said.

    WTOP reached out to the mayor’s office and D.C.’s Office of Planning for comment.

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    Jose Umana

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  • Elon Musk’s Grok is cleared for federal government use

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    Despite Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s very public spats and seemingly still ongoing feud, the White House has remained committed to the former’s AI ambitions. And today, the General Services Administration (GSA) that it has reached an agreement with xAI that will allow it to buy Musk’s Grok AI models for $0.42 per organization.

    As part of the Trump administration’s OneGov procurement initiative, the deal with xAI will allow federal agencies access to the Grok 4 and Grok 4 Fast advanced reasoning models. The 18-month contract is the longest OneGov AI procurement agreement to date. xAI its Grok for Government strategy earlier in the summer, which signalled its intention to provide the government with a suite of AI products, including custom models for national security, science and healthcare purposes.

    As well as opening its models for government use, xAI is also providing dedicated engineers to speed up the implementation of its AI tools for participating agencies, and will offer an “upgrade path” for expanded features and higher rate limits. Such access is a crucial part of Trump’s , designed to position the US as the global leader in AI. And his administration doesn’t appear to have been put off by Grok’s bizarre behavior in recent months, such as its with far-right conspiracy theories regarding “white genocide” in South Africa, or its towards antisemitism.

    xAI is the latest in a line of AI companies to strike deals with the GSA. Back in August, began offering its Claude AI model to three branches of the US government for $1, following Gemini and xAI’s arch rival OpenAI joining a list of approved vendors.

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    Matt Tate

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  • Federal remodel flop: Sewage leak latest problem in late, over-budget courthouse contraction

    Federal remodel flop: Sewage leak latest problem in late, over-budget courthouse contraction

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    CHICAGO — In the downtown Chicago courthouse where a governor, mobsters and other miscreants have stood trial, a simple renovation project on the building’s 24th floor has taken on a legend of its own.

    “This was literally about knocking down walls and rebuilding them to spec,” said former chief deputy U.S. Marshal Jason Wojdylo. “The fact it’s taken six years to do this speaks volumes about the mismanagement of GSA officials.”

    Wojdylo ran the U.S. Marshal’s Chicago office in 2018 when Congress allocated $15 millions to renovate a floor used to hold inmates on days they’re in court at the Dirksen Federal Building.  The project called for a new lock-up facility as well as workspace. Since then, the cost of the project has reached $21.3 million and still isn’t finished. 

    Prisoners were held in the new cells earlier this year until pipes ruptured sending water and sewage into court facilities on the floor below.  

    “The Court has expressed concerns about the workmanship and is frustrated and disappointed by the length of time it has taken the GSA’s contractors to complete this work,” said Thomas Bruton, Clerk of Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 

    The current U.S. Marshal in Chicago, LaDon Reynolds, tells WGN Investigates the space is currently only fifty percent occupied.

    Judges are so fed-up they’ve urged the General Services Administration, which acts as the landlord of federal property, to consider seeking damages from the contractor.  A third-party inspector’s report documented several deficiencies in the work, Bruton said. 

    “The Court now awaits a plan of correction to address these significant concerns—for a project that in our estimation should have been properly completed years ago,” he said.

    The GSA has blamed everything from Covid-19 to supply chain issues for the delays.

    The federal contractor, Frederick Quinn Corporation of suburban Addison, said some cost escalations were triggered by change orders authorized by the government. 

    FQC President Jack Hayes provided this statement in response to an inquiry from WGN Investigates:

    “FQC was contracted by GSA for the Dirksen 24th Floor project in December 2019 for preconstruction and construction services. Work was authorized to begin on a limited basis in 2020, following being shut down and impacted due to COVID. All Owner Change Requests are processed as directed by the GSA and are related to added scope of work and differing existing conditions.  These changes came with appropriate and approved contract modifications and extensions to the initial contract schedule. The first completed phase of the project was inspected by the GSA’s consulting engineers and consultants, accepted and occupied by the Government, on time in the fall of 2023, per the approved schedule. The accepted area includes the completed plumbing work now subject to a third party plumbing inspection. Any items found to be non-compliant will be covered and addressed as a warranty item.”

    A spokesperson for the General Services Administration said a new completion date for the renovation work has not been established.  

    The U.S. Marshal in Chicago said: “We look forward to occupying a fully code-compliant, accessible, and upgraded space built to the contracted specifications.”

    Wojdylo said he’s frustrated by the lack of accountability for delays and cost increases, six years after the project was first envisioned. 

    “It’s because it’s not their money,” he said. “It’s taxpayer dollars.”

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    Ben Bradley

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