GEF1 state office building. (PHOTO: Jackie Johnson)
A state office building will reopen to the public, after it spent most of the summer closed because of damage from a fire. The state Department of Administration says the GEF1 building, located just off the Capitol Square in downtown Madison, will have normal public business hours again starting on the Tuesday after Labor Day.
The building, which houses the Departments of Workforce Development and Children and Families, has been closed since May 16. A fire on the fourth floor of the building caused extensive damage, due largely to smoke and soot. The cost of repairing the damage is estimated at about $15 million. Insurance will cover all but about $3 million of the price tag.
Workers from both agencies spent most of the summer in other state office buildings. State officials say all but about 75 DWD employees, who occupy the area where the fire occurred, have already returned to the building. Repairs do continue in the area where the fire started and those staff members may have to wait a few more weeks to move back in.