Fears about reliving the bombing may sink federal center project

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Plans for a new federal office complex may not be realized because of employees' fears about working in the downtown area again, a published report says. <br><br>None of the

Thursday, March 2nd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Plans for a new federal office complex may not be realized because of employees' fears about working in the downtown area again, a published report says.

None of the 10 intended tenant agencies for the proposed building has formally committed to relocating into the new office, said Matthew Madison, regional director for the General Services Administration.

Without the commitments, final construction designs can't be completed. If the agencies don't respond by April's end, the project could be delayed, Madison told The Daily Oklahoman for a copyright story in today's editions.

Congress appropriated $40 million for the project, which lawmakers intended to make a statement about terrorism not driving the federal government from downtown. Government leaders also believed the building would help the city recover from the explosion that resulted in 168 deaths, hundreds of injuries and significant property damage.

Originally, several buildings were to span a three-block area, but that was revised to include only one building, a park and parking. The new proposal would have covered a two-block area bordered by NW 6th and NW 8th streets and Harvey and Hudson avenues.

"If GSA were building a building today based on space and profitability, we would probably not be building this building" because of the difficulty in getting agreements with the tenant agencies, Madison said.

The GSA would normally work with the agencies' local or regional administrators on leasing decisions. But Madison said the bombing's visibility and the resolve of Congress and President Clinton to replace the bombed Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building make this situation unique.

"Our position with our tenant agencies for this building is that they will have to go up all the way to the top for a decision," he said. "We want the heads of their agencies to talk to the president about it, because that's who we feel has made the decision, along with Congress."

Federal agencies picked to move to the building are the recruiting arms of the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps; the Department of Veterans Affairs; the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the Food and Drug Administration; Health and Human Services; Housing and Urban Development; the Indian Health Service; the Small Business Administration and the Military Enlistment Processing Command center.

Madison said his office has informal commitments from smaller agencies but not the three biggest ones that would take the most space inside the building. When employees in the involved agencies were asked if they would like to move into a central office, many said they were opposed because of parking and security concerns, officials said.

Others who worked in the Murrah Building said they would not want to return to downtown because it would bring back memories. Sherry Hunt, interim coordinator of HUD in Oklahoma, said her employees are decidedly against moving from their current locationat Main and Walker. Oklahoma City Planner Garner Stoll said the project is important to improving the north downtown area.

"It is the key to that whole area and something we assumed would happen," Stoll said Wednesday.

Madison said the GSA is trying to ensure the project's completion, but says it makes no sense to spend $32 million for an empty building if no one wants to work there. "It would not be a good business decision, nor right for the American taxpayer," Madison said. "That's why I brought it to Mayor (Kirk) Humphreys -- he has the biggest interest in the viability of the project."