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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, October 12, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) joined national, state and local leaders to dedicate the new Shared Use Facility at the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) White Oak campus in Silver Spring today.
“It is an honor to take part in the dedication of this extraordinary new facility, the FDA Central Shared Use Facility,” said Hoyer today. “It is hard to believe that today’s ceremony is the product of 16 years of hard work. Maryland’s congressional delegation, led by Sen. Paul Sarbanes, came together to secure the almost $450 million to make consolidation a reality. When Congress completes appropriations for 2007, an additional $175 million will likely be appropriated to carry out the final phase of consolidation. Completion of these buildings will allow FDA to move out of its current Rockville offices before the expiration of its lease in 2010.
“It has been a long road to today’s event,” added Hoyer. “But the process has been worth every penny, both for the FDA and the people of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. This project is providing the FDA the required modern facilities to best perform its mission. The White Oak consolidation will ensure that FDA has state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities that will enable FDA to better respond to the nation’s drug review, approval and supply needs.
“The new facility is designed to provide an environment that encourages efficiency, creativity and superior performance. This will help attract and retain top quality scientists by enabling them to do top-quality work as part of an effective team. This is even more critical as we face new challenges in ensuring that FDA regulated products are scientifically proven to be safe and effective,” concluded Hoyer.
The four-story Shared Use Facility will serve as the central “hub” of the overall White Oak campus, connecting the main entry in the historic Building One to the campus commons through a central atrium, and providing shared services to the entire campus. In honor of the FDA’s 100th anniversary, the facility will be called the “Centennial Building.”
The Share Use Facility is a multi-use service building that will house the FDA library, central conference and training center, IT unit, cafeteria/kitchen, security office, fitness center, health unit, credit union, and the interim office for FDA's National Treasury Employees Union Chapter. The facility design emphasizes sustainability, incorporating elements such as a planted “green” roof, natural ventilation, and solar shading devices.
Construction of this facility began in the November 2004.
Participants in the ribbon cutting included Michael Leavitt, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, David Bibb, Deputy General Services Administration Administrator, Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, Acting FDA Commissioner, Senator Paul Sarbanes, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Representative Al Wynn, State Senator Ida Reuben, Annie Everett, Acting GSA Regional Administrator, National Capital Region, and Benjamin Wu, Assistant Secretary, Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development-Capitol Region.
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