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EPA Regional Administrator Informs Staff of Decision by General Services Administration to Award Building Lease

Release Date: 04/04/2011
Contact Information: Rich Hood, 913-551-7906, hood.rich@epa.gov


Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., April 4, 2011) - The U.S. General Services Administration today signed a lease with Lexington LAC Lenexa L.P., an affiliate of Lexington Realty Trust, to house the EPA Region 7 Headquarters. Over the next year, GSA will work with EPA to transition offices from their current location at 901 N. 5^th Street in Kansas City, Kan., to 11201 Renner Boulevard in Lenexa, Kan., site of the former Applebee's World Headquarters.

EPA Region 7 currently employs approximately 579 full-time employees, not including contractors. Nearly all of those employees – with the exception of approximately 50 staff who work at the EPA Region 7 Science and Technology Center – will be moving to the new location.

In announcing GSA’s leasing decision to the Region 7 staff this afternoon, EPA Regional Administrator Karl Brooks provided the following message:

“Dear Region 7 Colleagues,

“I have learned today from GSA that they have awarded a lease to house our EPA Regional Headquarters in a facility located at 11201 Renner Boulevard in Lenexa, KS. This is the former home of the Applebee’s World Headquarters. Please understand that while Bill, Luetta, and I do not yet have many details regarding moving schedules from GSA, I will communicate to you as I receive them.

“This relocation probably triggers mixed emotions for many of you (me included). We have made Kansas City, Kansas, our home for over 25 years and the prospect of leaving the "home" we know and love now looms before us.

“Moving forward, Region 7 will soon form representative teams to tackle our move and space planning in a collaborative way taking into account a wide range of employee feedback. Moving will not be new for us – we've successfully pulled together to move our regional headquarters three times before. We have always been successful in executing all phases of our mission, and I am confident that we will pull together as a team and tackle all challenges associated with this move.

“In the next few days we will have an all-hands meeting to help answer questions and explain next-steps.

Karl”