The Navy has hired contractors to design a plan to gut Building 197 at the Navy Yard.
A Navy contract, obtained Friday by News4 I-Team's Scott MacFarlane, details what Navy administrators have ordered as they work to re-open the headquarters building, in which Aaron Alexis shot and killed 12 people last month.
The contract, issued Sept. 30, will pay Colorado-based CH2M HILL construction company $6.4 million to create concept designs for Building 197’s repair.
The Navy’s request instructs CH2M HILL’s contractors they must create a design that “changes the feel, finish, appearance and layout” of Building 197, in order to create “ a different sense of place and mitigating the psychological and emotional impacts” of the shooting rampage.
A Navy spokeswoman told News4 I-Team military leaders did not request a design that would include the demolition of the building, which sits on the west-side of the Navy Yard campus.
A final design plan must be completed by Nov. 15, after which Navy leaders would seek approval for the renovations from the Washington, D.C. Historical Preservation Office, which has oversight of historic buildings in the District, a Navy official told MacFarlane.
