Shreveport City Council members will discuss a measure to urge the state of Louisiana to relocate the state office building from Fairfield and Jordan to a location somewhere in downtown Shreveport.

This is a resolution showing support for such a move. This measure cites the need for major renovations and repairs at the current building. Bids for a large percentage of that work came in at nearly twice the estimated cost of $2.7 million dollars. Those bids were rejected. But the state has ok'd a contract to put a new roof on the existing building.

State leaders tell KEEL News there has been some interest from third parties about buying the current building and putting a new roof on it will help facilitate a possible sale. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne tells us they have to decide if they want to continue to pump money into the aging building or relocate to another location in downtown Shreveport.

The resolution before the City Council says:

Relocation of the State office building to downtown Shreveport is a great redevelopment opportunity to consolidate State offices in downtown which would result in an investment in a downtown building, more employees officed in the historic city center, and close proximity to City and Parish offices, as well as court houses.

The measure presented by Councilwoman LeVette Fuller also says:

Relocation of the State office building to downtown Shreveport would strengthen the employee base, encourage development of ancillary business to accommodate State workers, and increase pedestrian traffic in downtown Shreveport; and WHEREAS, investment in downtown Shreveport of the type seen in downtown Baton Rouge and other state urban areas would greatly assist in business and community efforts to reinvigorate and energize Shreveport’s downtown as a place where business in conducted incentivizing additional non-state projects.

The Fuller resolution also says time is of the essence due to the availability of State funding and the condition of the State building on Fairfield Avenue.

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