ST. LOUIS • A bistate tug-of-war developed on Tuesday between Missouri and Illinois politicians after the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency announced six possible St. Louis-area sites to replace its existing complex south of downtown.
The winner will get the construction of a high-tech spy agency complex and about 3,000 jobs to fill it.
The six possible locations span the metro region:
• Fenton (the site of the old Chrysler plant along Interstate 44)
• Mehlville (at the Met Life facility on Tesson Ferry Road, between Interstate 270 and Highway 141)
• Northpark (north St. Louis County near Interstate 70 and Hanley Road)
• North St. Louis (the site of the old Pruitt-Igoe housing complex near Cass and Jefferson avenues)
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• Weldon Spring (St. Charles County along Interstate 64)
• St. Clair County (site adjacent to Scott Air Force Base along Interstate 64)
The prospect of relocating near the air base was quickly championed on Tuesday by Illinois’ Washington delegation, whose members issued a barrage of cheerful press releases shortly after noon. The delegation is making a strong push to lure the agency — something that would bring jobs and increased protection for Scott from future base closure considerations.
On Tuesday, the delegation, including Rep. Bill Enyart, D-Belleville, and U.S. Sens. Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin, stressed the Illinois site’s access to Interstate 64 and MetroLink, in addition to having wide open spaces and easy access to Scott.
“The aging National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency facility in St. Louis can no longer meet the demands of the agency’s critical and technologically advanced operations,†Durbin, D-Ill., said. “Today’s announcement confirms the NGA’s commitment to keeping this facility in the region. As one of our nation’s leading defense installations, Scott Air Force Base would be a natural choice to house the work of this critically important agency.â€
Durbin could bring considerable sway to the agency’s decision. He is the Senate majority whip and the chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees funding for the military and intelligence arms.
But both of Missouri’s senators, Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt, are members of the influential U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Forces.
On Tuesday, Blunt was asked whether it mattered if the agency relocated to Illinois.
“Yes, it does,†Blunt replied.
Blunt said most of the current workforce already lives in Missouri and that it would be a “significant economic impact†to lose that state and local tax base.
In a later written statement, Blunt said: “There’s a reason why five of the six new locations being considered by NGA are in our state. Keeping the new facility in Missouri would help with the transition of the agency’s critically important operations, while providing opportunities for the government to create a positive economic impact.â€
The Post-Dispatch in June that the top-secret government intelligence agency was scouting new locations both in the city of St. Louis and elsewhere in the region to replace its facility near the Anheuser-Busch brewery. The agency’s second location in Arnold isn’t a part of the move.
The agency provided crucial satellite mapping and other support in the mission in which Osama bin Laden was killed.
The St. Louis facility employs about 3,000 people, according to the agency. It is at the site of the old St. Louis Arsenal, which is one of the oldest continually operating military installations in the country.
“A series of planning studies, including an economic analysis, determined that it will be less costly, quicker and less disruptive to build a new facility than to modernize current facilities,†the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency said in a statement on Tuesday. “Many of the structures at the current site date to the mid-1800s and would require extensive work to be compatible with current and evolving technology and address ongoing maintenance issues.â€
The decision won’t be made until 2016. Construction won’t be complete until 2021 or 2022, according to the agency.
St. Louis city officials are working to keep the facility within municipal boundaries. They have been preparing the site of the old Pruitt-Igoe housing complex at Cass and Jefferson avenues as an alternative.
“The federal government created Pruitt-Igoe,†said Jeff Rainford, Mayor Francis Slay’s chief of staff. “This would be an elegant way for them to solve it.â€
The massive Pruitt-Igoe housing complex from the 1950s was demolished in the 1970s as a symbol of the federal government’s failed postwar public housing initiatives.
The city could be bolstered by President Barack Obama’s “livable communities†initiative, which aims to foster dense urban areas, reduce sprawl and pollution, and keep jobs near areas served by mass transit. Still, earlier this year, the Veterans Affairs department announced it would shutter its regional office in downtown St. Louis and move 800 jobs to Overland in St. Louis County.
Now the Army Corps of Engineers will coordinate with the six owners of the sites and begin environmental studies. That process is expected to take 18 to 24 months.