U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employees in the Antilles Area Office worked and supported the people of Puerto Rico for 38 years in the building space located at 400 Fernandez Juncos. When a recent investigation concluded the facility was in need of a major overhaul, Jacksonville District leadership began working diligently to find a suitable location to move the office.
Jason Harrah led a project delivery team for the relocation effort and received tremendous support from logistics management’s Stacey Nolan and Ramon Collazo, multiple staff chiefs and personnel.
After a large scale coordinated effort, employees finally settled into their new office space in mid- September. The new temporary facility is located at the Angel Ramos Foundation-Annex Building, 383 FD Roosevelt Ave., San Juan, PR, 00917, and will be occupied for up to five years.
“Outstanding is the only way to describe the Antilles Field Office move to the new office space. The planning effort, as well as the actual move by employees, was excellent,” said Greg Schulz, chief of construction for the Antilles office.
The District considered a number of factors in selecting the new location, including ease of access to major interstate highways, ease of customer access to the facility, security, parking, and the layout of the building.
“Our staff works incredibly hard every single day to deliver quality projects and programs to the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S Virgin Islands,” Harrah said. “This move will give our employees the ability to continue these efforts in a modern and efficient working environment.”
The new location features a reception area to welcome visitors, mail room, executive offices, managerial spaces, new cubicles, team rooms and a large conference room.
According to employees the new office space is adequate, but they will miss the iconic old building they called home for several decades.