Construction workers continue renovations of the Army Corps of Engineers building on Monday, July 15, 2014, in Huntington.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A $46.7 million renovation to the Huntington Federal Building on the corner of 5th Avenue and 8th Street, which houses the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District and its 500 employees, is scheduled to be complete by November, officials said.
Huntington Mayor Steve Williams announced the long-term project was coming to an end at a City Council meeting Monday.
Gina Gilliam, regional public affairs manager for the U.S. General Services Administration, which actually owns the building and leases it to the Corps, confirmed that “substantial completion” should be reached by November.
The most notable, external changes that Huntington residents will notice, aside from the new building facade, include restoring 5th Avenue to four lanes of traffic, and 8th Street to two lanes going south.
Construction on the seven-story building began in 2011, under the deadline of necessary upgrades to comply with security measures for federal buildings, along with other changes.
One phase of the project made the building energy-efficient, including installation of a high-performance heating and air system, replacement of all windows and the facade, and installation of rooftop solar panels to generate renewable electricity. That portion of the project was paid for by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The other portion involved post-Sept. 11 security upgrades mandated by the Department of Defense, which provided the money for that work.
The cost of the projects has grown from original announcements, which put the overall price tag at about $32 million…