45 Comments - downstater - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 11:55 am: This would be huge for us here in the Metro East. And, after another 20-30 years, they might even break even on MidAmerica airport! - Team Sleep - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 11:58 am: I just referenced Senator Durbin in another post and said some nice words about him, so…please, Senator Durbin, throw all of your political weight/capital behind this. Scott is a crown jewel. Using an ice cream analogy, the NGA is the extra flavor, whip cream and cherry on top of the Scott sundae. - RNUG - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 11:58 am: Would be a really big deal. I hope they pull it off. - 360 Degree TurnAround - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 11:59 am: That is good news! - cdog - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:06 pm: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. That. is beyond cool! (What an interesting concept — that $1.6billion spending of public monies can cause such excitement about economic growth in an certain geographic area. Who da thunk? And Bruce supports this? I sure hope it has it’s own funding/revenue source. /s) - Anon221 - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:09 pm: Please, please, please no negative talk about the shape of Illinois, Rauner. Go all in positive, don’t soapbox! - Almost the Weekend - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:10 pm: I wonder if Rauner drops his g’s in this meeting. In all seriousness be nice to see Durbin take the lead on this issue. He is from the area and knows its positives and negatives. Also, he did a great job in 2014 keeping Walgreens here too. I’m not opposed to state subsidies for an area downstate that has been depleted by free trade agreements. - RNUG - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:16 pm: - cdog - They have the money … - Bill White - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:20 pm: This would definitely help the ratio of dollars flowing to the US Treasury from Illinois compared to the dollars flowing back to Illinois from the US Treasury. When we discuss the poor fiscal health of Illinois, this point is too often overlooked, IMHO. - 47th Ward - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:21 pm: Don’t tell the Governor, but those 15,000 construction jobs will be paid prevailing wage. - illini97 - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:22 pm: This has been the biggest economic development story downstate for more than a year. Put aside any infighting and knock this one out of the park. St Louis’ counter-proposal is far, far shakier than the one in Illinois. But it’s also backed by a team approach from Missouri’s legislators and leaders. - illini97 - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:25 pm: 47th. The construction will be prevailing wage, and the long term jobs will go to many civilians and service members who’d prefer to live in Illinois over Missouri. Support offices from defense firms like Northrop Grumman (already an office near Scott AFB) and Lockheed Martin would pop up/expand. Who knows, maybe some employees would like to get their MBA or Masters at nearby SIU-Edwardsville. Assuming it is still there, of course. - Honeybear - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:32 pm: I so hope there won’t be any DCEO or Gov. office people at that meeting. Schultz is one of those people who can’t keep his mouth shut about how bad Illinois is. The Metro East needs this in the worst way. I mean the worst way. I’m glad the Feds are putting this together. - Arizona Bob - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:33 pm: @47th =Don’t tell the Governor, but those 15,000 construction jobs will be paid prevailing wage.= Probably more than that, 47th. It’s almost certain that there’ll be a project labor agreement on that project that will pay above prevailing wage. Foolish patronage like that is how you add $9 trillion to the national debt in 7 years…. BTW, where is this department now and why are they moving it? it’ll cost a fortune to relocate those 3100 workers. Or is this a completely new Federal boondoggle? Anyone know what “geospatial intelligence” is, and why we need to create this new facility now? - VanillaMan - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:35 pm: Keep Rauner off the stage. He will do nothing but remind everyone how messed up Illinois is. - State Engineer - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:41 pm: As an aside this agency is currently in STL. So not likely to get all new jobs many will be commuters. That are either already in IL or coming form MO to IL. Either way it’d be nice for IL to get it. - 47th Ward - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:41 pm: Like I said Bob, don’t tell the Governor or he’ll have a conniption fit. It would suck to have some good-paying jobs in Illinois. That’s the last Rauner needs. - cdog - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:43 pm: I am 100% in on this type of public investment, especially that it is STEM! I am 100% in on wise public investment in infrastructure and improving the lives of Americans! (RNUG, I was trying to be snarky. I am sure it is “funded.” But citing the rules we had to follow yesterday, The World According to GOP/Rauner, I was joking that there should have been dedicated revenue for it and not the typical deficit/leveraged spending that governments do. [Makes you wonder if Rauner was President, would he grind the whole nation to a halt like he has Illinois? Quadruple the $19T until prevailing wage/unions were busted?] /rant) Good Job Durbin and Kirk! - illini97 - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:46 pm: Arizona, the offices they occupy now are in South St Louis, near the InBev brewery. The offices are too small and decrepit. After analysis, it is more cost effective to build new than refurbish buildings dating back to roughly the Civil War. NGA provides mapping data and surveillance data to the nation’s defense and intelligence agencies and has done so since World War II, though it has had several names through the years. A budget hawk will be happy to hear that St Clair county is giving the proposed land to the NGA, free of charge. Placing the agency adjacent to Scott Air Force Base is logistically smart as the Air Force’s Transportation Command is a huge customer of the NGA’s and is headquartered at Scott. Further, placing an intelligence agency next to a major military installation offers the greatest physical and cyber protection. - illini97 - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:50 pm: Further, my neighbor currently works there, commuting to St Louis daily. Bringing NGA to this side of the river means he no longer pays Missouri income tax. Nor will he pay St Louis City’s 1% earnings tax. This is all around a good thing. Illinois benefits. The DoD and NGA benefit. The employees benefit from a more spacious, safer location. The region benefits as these highly skilled and trained workers come here. Some of this investment in know-how then escapes the NGA and goes to work for science and tech firms throughout the Metro East. I’m pretty high on making this happen. - Arizona Bob - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:52 pm: Thanks illini97. That was very informative. My only question would be that with such high vacancy rates in office space in Metro East and the St Louis area, that there wasn’t an abandoned office complex or industrial facility that could be converted for this use. - illini97 - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:55 pm: You guys have heard of Google Earth? That was in large part a product of the NGA. - Dingo - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:55 pm: Arizona- p.l.a. will not pay above prevailing wage. You sound like Rauner - Joe M - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:57 pm: All of this talk about airports. Won’t the employees still have to fly in and out of St. Louis’ Lambert Field for most of their travel? Or do civilians get to ride on Air Force jets? Or can MidAmerica Airport have the ability and infrastructure to take on much larger commercial traffic? - Gordon Willis - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:59 pm: Good golly…will they next use South Suburban Airport for presser’s too? - LostNFound - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 12:59 pm: At last, something Bruce can take credit for. He can stand next to the other leaders and look like he’s doin’ sonethin’ . Bein’ one of the guys. - Me Too - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 1:00 pm: AZ, I’d guess it has something to do with analyzing satellite imagery, but that’s just my shoddy public education talking. - illini97 - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 1:01 pm: Joe, Some of the employees are service members, assigned to support the agency. Mid America airport, a commercial airport operating in the Metro East is adjacent to the proposed site. - AC - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 1:29 pm: ==please no negative talk about the shape of Illinois, Rauner== The only thing Rauner hasn’t said is terrible about Illinois is its geographic shape, but if he were to complain the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency seems like the appropriate agency to complain to. /s - Blue dog dem - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 1:41 pm: Old Blue Dog will make a Novena after lent for MidAm, but ever the conspiracy theorist, I worry which state Hillary is more worried about carrying. - Joe M - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 1:53 pm: ==Mid America airport, a commercial airport operating in the Metro East is adjacent to the proposed site.== Sounds like a lot more flights will be needed though. I checked the current flights out of Mid America: SANFORD ORLANDO - THURSDAYS & SUNDAYS TAMPA BAY/ST. PETE - MONDAYS & FRIDAYS LAS VEGAS - MONDAYS & FRIDAYS FT. MYERS/PUNTA GORDA - THURSDAYS & SUNDAYS - RNUG - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 1:59 pm: == Anyone know what “geospatial intelligence” is, and why we need to create this new facility now? == Yes, I know what it is and why they want to expand. - Anon - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 2:09 pm: Need a “Like” button for that last line, Rich! - Demoralized - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 2:09 pm: ==My only question would be that with such high vacancy rates in office space in Metro East and the St Louis area, that there wasn’t an abandoned office complex or industrial facility that could be converted for this use.== I would imagine it would be cost prohibitive to try and convert an existing structure given the high tech and security needs of this agency. It’s probably easier and cheaper to build a facility from scratch. - ArchPundit - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 2:24 pm: —-Thanks illini97. That was very informative. My only question would be that with such high vacancy rates in office space in Metro East and the St Louis area, that there wasn’t an abandoned office complex or industrial facility that could be converted for this use. This is a highly specialized, highly secure facility. It’s hard to imagine adapting an existing structure that would work. - ArchPundit - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 2:27 pm: ====All of this talk about airports. Won’t the employees still have to fly in and out of St. Louis’ Lambert Field for most of their travel? Or do civilians get to ride on Air Force jets? Or can MidAmerica Airport have the ability and infrastructure to take on much larger commercial traffic? Most travel will be through Lambert. It’s possible it might help MidAmerica, but it doesn’t seem very likely. MidAmerica is big enough for almost any commercial traffic, it’s just hard to compete with an underutilized hub like Lambert. - ArchPundit - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 2:29 pm: I actually am pulling for North Saint Louis. Illinois could definitely use it, but North Saint Louis desperately needs this kind of development. I have reservations about the clown who assembled the property, but this kind of development really could kickstart some development there. - Earnest - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 2:32 pm: I don’t understand why Rauner is going to this. Doesn’t Mike Madigan run the state? /snark - illini97 - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 2:35 pm: Arch, as I’m sure you can tell, I’m strongly in favor of NGA coming to Illinois. The case for North Saint Louis centers on what is best for Saint Louis and ignores significant concerns with what is best for the NGA. The St Clair site focuses on what is best for DoD and NGA. - Arizona Bob - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 2:44 pm: @ Dingo =Arizona- p.l.a. will not pay above prevailing wage.= It may not, or it may. It is not unusual for a PLA to get higher pay or better benefits than union sale, which pretty much sets “prevailing wage”. I remember back when they were building the Alaska pipeline in the 1970’s, it was agreed that the pipefitters would be organized under the Houston local which had a horrendous reputation for employee theft of big, expensive materials and equipment. The consortium agreed to pay much higher than union scale with the understanding that the local would prevent substantial theft. It didn’t work. Theft and hijacking was monumental. A PLA is not unusual for large, governmental projects, and I have yet to see one where the unions didn’t get a sweeter pot than the usual rates. That’s why their written. We’ll see. - downstater - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 3:25 pm: The new proposed site in the Metro East is only 20 minutes from the existing site in St. Louis. The employees will still fly in an out of Lambert. Several years ago, some of the airlines wanted to run some flights out of MidAmerica, but Lambert threatened to pull their terminal space, so they backed off. - Anonymous - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 3:50 pm: illini97, I too am following this selection closely. The Illinois proposal is easily the best of the four being considered, but I don’t trust the current federal administration to do the right thing. I think they will choose the north St. Louis site, hoping to bolster the city and that down-trodden neighborhood. - ArchPundit - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 4:26 pm: —The St Clair site focuses on what is best for DoD and NGA. Probably. Don’t deny any of that. - No. 9 - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 4:30 pm: A little history, back when the Air Force Academy was built in Colorado Springs, it came down to 2 sites and Elsah Illinois where Principia College is located was the runner-up where the academy was going to be built. Elsah was the the leading site just before the final decision was made. - cannon649 - Thursday, Mar 3, 16 @ 9:48 pm: Federal money coming to Illinois -Maybe if we had a friend in Washington. I do not trust Kirk or Durbin. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.