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Fish and Wildlife Service Building East Tulsa Facility

Posted on: Tuesday, 3 January 2006, 09:00 CST

By SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer

Officials with the local office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will have more room when they move next spring from downtown to new buildings in east Tulsa.

Ken Frazier, assistant field supervisor at the agency, said the current building, which is about 8,000 square feet, is not big enough.

"As programs expanded, we needed more space," he said.

Construction on the new facility at 21st Street and 91st East Avenue began in August. The project includes a 14,000-square-foot office building and 9,900 square feet of storage and garage space.

Jerry Brabander, field supervisor, said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened an office in Tulsa in 1951 to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a water development system.

"We've gathered different programs along the way," Brabander said, including environmental contaminants, endangered species, migratory birds, and restoration and conservation of habitats.

The agency reviews 1,300 cases a year, including housing permits, flood projects, cell towers and utility lines.

"If it requires a federal license, we look at it," he said. "We look to see if it will affect endangered species or migratory birds."

Frazier said the search for new offices started about five years ago.

"We started by looking at existing space to see if it would fit our unique needs," he said. "(The General Services Administration) decided to build something."

The General Services Administration helps federal agencies acquire buildings, land, products and services.

Besides office space, the new facility will have a computer room, map room, laboratory space and storage for boats, equipment and sampling materials.

The agency employees 23 people, along with a law enforcement agent and a refuge manager with the Ozark Plateau Refuge, who also are housed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Brabander said the new location will be great for the agency.

"When we first moved into these offices, a lot of our federal partners were down here. Many have moved out," he said.

The new location will place the Fish and Wildlife Service closer to federal partners such as the Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Geological Survey, Brabander said.

Frazier said the site also has easy access to several highways and expressways.

"We cover the entire state of Oklahoma, so transportation is an issue," he said.

The new buildings will benefit not only the employees, but also other agencies that work with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"We'll have 50 parking spaces. Right now, we only have 15. That's not even enough for our employees," Brabander said. "With the new conference facility, we can host large meetings."

The 21st Street location also will help inform the public about the agency.

"A lot of people get us confused with the state fish and wildlife office," Frazier said. "We don't get a lot of walk-in traffic."

That may change with the new building, Brabander said.

"We'll have space in the entryway for displays and an information area," he said.

Source: Tulsa World

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