General Services Administration (GSA) Commissioner Robert Peck was in Jackson last week to note the economic boost two major federal building projects are having on the city’s economy.
During a news conference at the McCoy Federal Building, the site of one of the projects, Peck announced that 48 new jobs have been created as a result of the Federal Building renovations. The GSA $87 million investment in the federal building is funded by funds via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.
Peck said by the time the building is done, there will be several hundred people employed over the next two years. “This building is 40 years old, a lot of the systems we’re replacing were already overdue for replacements,” he said.
Taryn Terry is one of those new employees benefiting from the economic impact of the GSA McCoy Federal Building project. She is employed by Skanska USA, the major contractor for the work. She serves as office manager.
Terry’s husband experienced a ruptured disc and had to have major surgery around the same time she was having their third child 11 months ago. “I needed work,” she said. “Through this modernization project, I am now able to contribute to putting food on the table for our three small children. I am so grateful for this job,” she stressed.
Mayor Harvey Jr., expressed his appreciation for the opportunities the projects are affording Jackson.
“Not only is GSA spending $87 million on this building but they’re also spending another $120 million a few blocks from here on the new federal courthouse,” Johnson said. “That’s more than $200 million. It’s a very significant amount of money to be spent. It will create a lot of jobs and that money will roll over from the construction industry into the community in the metro area as employees spend money. We’re very pleased to see this kind of stimulus here in the Jackson area.”
Johnson also recognized the presence of Hinds County Supervisor George Smith. Smith told reporters after the conference that county officials also welcome the economic boost generated by the GSA projects.
Nationwide, the GSA is spending $5.5 billion in ARRA funds to renovate and build federal structures.
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