STATEMENT BY CONGRESSMAN WM. LACY CLAY (D) MISSOURI REGARDING THE FINAL RECORD OF DECISION TO BUILD THE NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY’S NEW $1.75 BILLION WESTERN HEADQUARTERS IN NORTH ST. LOUIS
NOTE: The following, in its entirety, is a first-person statement from Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri
“History has come full circle in North St. Louis. A great federal failure will now be replaced by a transformative federal success.
The final record of decision selecting North St. Louis as the site for the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency’s new western headquarters is a $1.75 billion victory…the largest single federal investment in the history of the City of St. Louis.
Armed with the unanimous, bipartisan support of the Missouri congressional delegation…I have pursued this remarkable victory at the federal level for more than three years.
But this wonderful news also represents something more profound than just a huge infusion of federal dollars.
It is proof positive that when this community truly stands together…
Democrats & Republicans: city & county; clergy; business; labor; universities and cultural institutions…St. Louis still knows how to win.
I want to thank NGA Director Robert Cardillo for his diligent review of the facts and for making this wise decision that will advance NGA's vital national security mission and also provide the best possible environment for the exceptional employees who serve there.
He recognized what we already knew…
St. Louis is a special place where the best and brightest people want to work on the hardest problems of today and shape an unlimited future of promise and progress.
Not just for this community…but for our country too.
I want to again thank the entire Missouri congressional delegation;
Governor Nixon;
Mayor Slay;
County Executive Stenger;
The Missouri state legislature;
The St. Louis County Council, and the St. Louis Board of Aldermen for their tremendous, bipartisan support.
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After decades of disinvestment and depopulation, and after the national disgrace of Pruitt-Igoe, the NGA has made a powerful, positive choice that will once again place North St. Louis at the center of jobs;
Innovation;
Technology;
Economic development;
And defending freedom.
Let me end by quoting Director Cardillo’s own words on his decision…
“The future of our agency and our profession rests on our present talent and that of the next generations we can recruit onto our team.”
“I am confident that we will build a facility in St. Louis that will be a remarkable home for us to master our craft and engage with our partners in a flexible, technologically advanced environment that is enticing to current and future generations.”
I could not have said it better myself…North St. Louis is ready for NGA!”
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