Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner John Keys has announced a $4,573,000.00 contract award to Norquay Construction for the construction of a new headquarters building for Reclamation's Phoenix Area Office. The Phoenix Area Office oversees Reclamation's activities and projects in much of central Arizona, including providing federal oversight of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) and the Salt River Project.

Keys noted that the office had been leasing office space since it turned over its former headquarters building to the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, operators of the CAP, in 1996. "Having our own building, on land we already own, will result in an annual savings to taxpayers of $500,000.00 in operational costs for the Phoenix Area Office," he said.

Norquay Construction will construct a two-story, steel frame, exterior masonry, 30,000 square foot office building. The building will be located near the northwest corner of 61st Avenue and West Thunderbird Road, Glendale, Ariz.

The contract includes communications, computer networks, lighting, fire protection and physical security systems, and handicapped accessibility. As part of the construction, the contractor also will modify a portion of West Thunderbird Road to accommodate access to and from the new building. Construction is scheduled to begin this month, and Reclamation expects to begin moving employees into the new office in October 2005.

Norquay Construction is a small business located in Tempe, Arizona. In the past year, it has completed several projects in the local area including a new western area public safety building for the City of Glendale, Arizona.