The expanded front of the Forest Service office and waiting room, newly opened to the public.
The new cubicle offices on the second floor of the renovated buildings. There are 56 offices in total.
A focus room office added in the new remodel. It provides workers with a private, quiet place to take meetings and calls.
After a 1.5-year, $12 million renovation, Forest Service staff returned on May 14 to the Federal Building located on the south end of downtown Petersburg.
During the project, staff were temporarily relocated to a facility out the road, about 2.3 miles, at Scow Bay.
The remodel makes their building more visitor-friendly, and the new location is more walkable and accessible to residents and visitors.
"Kids come through before they go to school, they can come in after school before their parents take them home, so that's really great," District Ranger Carey Case said.
The entirety of the interior of the building was redone.
"It was stripped down to bare concrete pretty much all around," said Richard Burke, an engineer who worked on the project.
Office Spaces
The renovations create an environment in which the noise of public visits could occur while also providing a working environment for the 56 office stations. "People like it quiet, and we have kids here every day," Burke said.
There are also four focus rooms for private meetings.
"The way it used to be was if you would have a meeting in here, basically everybody on the lower floor would be in the meeting with you," Case said.
The building now has 42 cubicle office spaces, five private offices, six conference rooms, and nine touch-down stations. Seasonal workers, such as botanists, use the touch-down stations.
Heating System
Formerly, the heating system of the building was oil-fired and was located upstairs. Heating of the building is now done with electric heat pumps on the first floor, more efficient and environmentally friendly. The former heating system was also failing.
The Forest Service recently purchased the building from the company GCA. Case said owning their building allowed them to "consolidate" their carbon footprint.
Entrance
Upon entering the building, visitors are immediately greeted by a glass display case filled with skulls of local animals, forest art, and other nature-related items.
"We knew we wanted to have the skulls out, because people were always really interested in that," Case said.
The lobby is also now extended and separated from the offices. It provides visitors with books, tables, and more that were not available before.
"I personally really like the entrance," Case said. "I feel like it feels more like a Forest Service office than it used to, so that's a big improvement for folks that are coming in looking for information, or just curious about what the Forest Service has to offer. So I think that's a big plus."
Building Exterior
The exterior walls are soon to be powerwashed – a much needed refresh of the exterior. Other final touch-ups soon to come include: a sign outside the front of the building and hedges around the outside heating system.
There was one place that everyone agreed would go untouched: the small hill to the east of the building, which is regularly used by children in the winter as a sledding hill.
"That was the unanimous point of agreement for all employees, is that we didn't want to expand parking or anything so that we can maintain that sledding hill," Case said.
Additional aspects with the remodel were improved fire safety, gear storage, and a lactation room to accommodate breastfeeding mothers.
"If we have moms who have children, they can store milk, pump, and do those sorts of things at work," Case said.
Case encouraged community members to come by and see the renovations. "If you are interested in seeing the interior of the building, please stop by anytime, and we'll walk you around," she said at the latest Borough Assembly Meeting.
Reader Comments(0)