Image courtesy of NSF
National Science Foundation office in Alexandria, Va.
The relocation of the National Science Foundation (NSF) is on the agenda Wednesday, July 23 when the National Science Board (NSB) meets at the NSF headquarters in Alexandria. The NSB establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation and serves as advisor to Congress and the President.
During closed session Wednesday afternoon, the Board will discuss NSF relocation among other issues, according to a schedule of the meeting.
NSF staff, numbering about 1,800, were notified June 25 that the agency's office space, located at 2415 Eisenhower Ave., in Alexandria, will be taken over by the Housing and Urban Development staff. HUD is currently located at 7th Street in southwest Washington, D.C.
HUD Sec. Scott Turner has said the current HUD offices are "unsafe." “I would hope that no leader in government or otherwise would expect staff to work every day in an atmosphere where the air quality is questionable, leaks are nearly unstoppable and the HVAC is almost unworkable," he said at a press conference.
After the announcement, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner and Sen. Tim Kaine, along with Rep. Don Beyer, wrote to the General Services Administration asking for answers and reiterated the suitability of Alexandria as the headquarters for the NSF:
In 2017, the National Science Foundation moved its headquarters from Ballston, Virginia to its current location in Alexandria, Virginia. The Alexandria headquarters was designed with the specifications and technology necessary for NSF to promote American science and national security. Given HUD’s sudden announcement that it will be moving into the building, roughly 1,800 NSF employees – many of whom are Virginia residents – are now displaced with no information regarding the future of their work.
While Alexandria has welcomed HUD, in a press statement the City has also made it clear that they would like to continue to host the NSF:
"We welcome HUD, the first cabinet-level agency to locate in Alexandria, its 2,700 employees, and its vital mission to our community. And we are committed to making sure that the National Science Foundation, its workers, and its vital mission continue to make their home in Alexandria."
According to the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3043, potential changes being considered for the new HUD headquarters in Alexandria include an executive suite for the HUD secretary, construction of an executive dining room and a new gym.
“At a time when they claim to be cutting government waste, it is unbelievable that government funding is being redirected to build a palace-like office,” the union said.
