Federal Building Contract Awarded

Federal Building
Contract Awarded

BY GLEN HARRIS'

ment's General Services Administratywi"^"^ mg the

will also
on the
Temple
o have pre-
"" begin is
:ake two
•cessary
egin. A

City Government Reporter

A $3,862,035 contract for construction
of a federal office building in downtown
Ann Arbor has been awarded to an Oak
Park building firm.

Congres Esch, R-Ann
Arbor, antu»uin;cd WeihKsday that the
Barton-Malow construction company has
' •"• ;ntract by the govern-

The four-sfa6ry building will be bcult in
the block bounded by Liberty, S. Fifth
Avenue and ife Fourth Avenue.

Details of the construction schedule
are sketchy, but Morris Dalitz, a Realtor
who put together the package of proper-
ties, said ground breaking will probably
be held in early fall. Actual construction
will take about two years, Dalitz said

In addition to putting up the new build-

ing, the Barton-Malow
demolish the existing h
site, inflndin^ thp M
which

served. Lin, u«i^ ui
not known, but Esdi
or three we<^ '
paperwork

firm

spokesperson for Barton-Malow said this
morning that firm has not yet been offi-
cially notified it has been awarded the
"contract.

The new federal building will remain
on the public tax roles for 20 years be-
fore the government takes ownership.
During those two decades it will be own-
ed by either the contractor or investors
who will lease it to the go' tit.

Construction of the bui. ,d origi- .1
nally been scheduled to begin in early f
1974, but delays in acquiring all the ]
siwssary property and relocating ppr- ^
^ic'ii^ living on the site caused the delay.

The building will be used to consoli-
date in one location federal off10" ^cili-
ties now scattered thro: ity.
This will include the oio rosi uifice ;

.building operation at Main and Catherine
Streets, which will be closed. Ann Arbor
has asked the postal department to give
that structure to the city, possibly for
use as a court building.

A central federal office building has
been sought by city officials for mor^
than 20 years, but the path wasn't
cleared until Congress appropriated mo-
ney for it in 1972. The building itself was
authorized in 1968.

Although most city officials welcome
the project as a boost to the downtown
area, efforts to alter the parking
arrangem< to include some com-
mercial use ui Ihc first floor were unsuc-
cessful.

Rep. Esch rioted that "While there
have been several environmental con-
cerns expressed about the details of the
office building site, I'am especially
pleased that the last obstacle towards its
construction is past. I am confident that
in the years to come' the federal building
will be the major link and impetus to-
ward a balanced development of the
downtown and State Street areas."