PORT ANGELES — The Immigration and Customs Enforcement office that covers Clallam and Jefferson counties will move into a new home this fall, federal spokesman Ross Buffington said Thursday.
Now housed in the Richard B. Anderson Federal Building at 138 W. First St. in Port Angeles, ICE shares space with the Border Patrol, which also is expected to move later this year.
“We have completed a survey of the market to see what properties might be available,” said Buffington, a spokesman with the General Services Administration, which is coordinating the move.
“Now, we’re into the short list,” he said.
ICE is the main investigative arm for Homeland Security and the federal government’s second largest investigative agency, while the Border Patrol focuses on federal law enforcement.
Based on the survey, the GSA issued a “solicitation for offers” to ICE’s potential new landlords that are due by the end of January, Buffington said.
The solicitation was received by property owners who expressed interest in housing ICE by responding to information provided on the government website www.fbo.gov, Buffington said.
Buffington said GSA will finish reviewing potential sites by Jan. 31 and will select a site to lease for ICE by mid-June.
The agency is looking for 4,000 square feet and space with five parking slots.
By this fall
The ICE personnel will move into their new quarters by this fall, Buffington said.
The Border Patrol is expected to move later this year to what is now the Eagles Aerie 483 lodge at 110 S. Penn St. in Port Angeles.
Buffington would not say how many sites were being considered for the ICE office or where they are located.
He said ICE would likely relocate in downtown Port Angeles, where ICE is currently situated.
“Normally, we do have a delineated area, and normally, it’s in a downtown,” Buffington said.
“We look for the best deal for the government.”
The Border Patrol is expected to purchase the Eagles lodge and renovate the building in an $8 million project, while the Eagles would move to a new site.
Coldwell Banker Uptown Realty associate broker Pili Meyer, who represents the Eagles, said Wednesday the sale will close April 15.
The Army Corps of Engineers is coordinating the Border Patrol’s relocation.
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Senior staff writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
