According to the summary, in order to accommodate workers who
formerly resided and worked in New Orleans, and relocated to
Baton Rouge, GSA is leasing temporary office space in that
general area. “According to GSA regional specialists, it has
been a difficult task to find suitable office space for all
of its federal tenants, and that the administration has been
forced to use leasing and relocation priorities,” it said.
The summary said GSA first leased all available office space
in Baton Rouge, which was urgently needed by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency. Leased office space in Baton
Rouge has been obtained by GSA for the Social Security
Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and
the Drug Enforcement Administration. GSA recently signed a
lease in the Baton Rouge area to house Internal Revenue
Service employees formerly located in New Orleans. GSA
officials are now leasing available office space in Lafayette,
La., Shreveport, La., and Jackson, Miss., to accommodate
other federal tenants.
It said that GSA is attempting to complete inspections of
administration leased facilities as soon as possible to
determine the extent of structural damage. If GSA specialists
decide that the leased properties are not fully habitable,
the agency will notify landlords that it will terminate its
existing leases within 15 days after notification. In many
instances, it has been difficult for the agency to locate
landlords who have relocated elsewhere. GSA will also
determine the extent of damage to buildings it owns, and
will notify tenants if they will have to continue with rent
payments, the summary said.
