<p><br />The U.S. General Services Administration has awarded a development contract to Barry Real Estate Companies, Inc. of Atlanta to complete a build-to-suit lease for the National Archives and Records Administration at 1829 Dunn Road.<br /><br />Skanska USA Building of Atlanta will partner with Tarlton Corporation of St. Louis to construct the 474,690 square-foot facility. HKS, Inc. of Dallas is the lead architectural firm.<br /><br />The National Archives will relocate from their current offices at 9700 Page Avenue to the new lease in 2010. Other federal agencies will also use space in the new building. About 650 federal workers will be moving to the new facility.<br /><br />Through GSA, the government has entered into a 20-year lease valued at $19.50 per rentable square foot.<br /><br />"I am delighted that the experience and expertise of Missouri workers will remain at hand to serve our public,&rdquo; said Senator Christopher S. &ldquo;Kit&rdquo; Bond (R-Mo.). &ldquo;It has been a long review and I applaud a hard-earned result."<br /><br />1829 Dunn Road is located in northeast St. Louis County, adjacent to Interstate 270 and Highway 367. The three-story office and record storage facility will be visible from Interstate 270.<br /><br />Record storage areas will meet the new 2009 facility standards for fire safety, heating, ventilation and air conditioning. In addition, the building will be LEED Certified and meet the Intergovernmental Security Standards for build-to-suit facilities. Bus service is planned for easy public access, as well as 700 on-site parking spaces for workers and visitors.<br /><br />&ldquo;We are grateful that NARA will stay in St. Louis County and the approximate 600 jobs will remain intact,&rdquo; said St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley.&nbsp; &ldquo;Senator Kit Bond and Congressman Lacy Clay worked hard to keep the relocation here, and I thank them for their leadership and support of St. Louis County.&rdquo;<br /><br />&ldquo;It is our mission to retain and attract quality jobs to St. Louis County. We appreciate the great partnership efforts among the GSA and public officials in working with us to keep this important project in the county. The new facility will retain all jobs and provide updated office space and a state-of-the-art environment for storing and preserving irreplaceable records,&rdquo; said St. Louis County Economic Council President&nbsp; CEO Denny Coleman.<br /><br />Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) of twentieth century military service veterans will be stored at the new facility. The National Archives receives one million requests annually for information or copies of the files. Requestors seek to verify service, apply for benefits, obtain medals, research medical conditions and conduct genealogical research.<br /><br />&ldquo;We are excited that this location will allow us to remain within the St. Louis community where we already have strong ties,&rdquo; said Ron Hindman, Director of the National Personnel Records Center. &ldquo;It will provide us an outstanding storage facility for our records, and great working environment for our workforce.&rdquo;</p>