GSA: White House Press Area a ‘Firetrap’

The Washington Times has word this morning that talks are underway for a major renovation of the White House press area, whose “subpar” working conditions we discussed at length last week.

We had mentioned the possibility of renovation, but the Wash Times has much more detail. Renovation work could begin as early as the summer, probably when the President heads to his Crawford ranch for August, and might include installing “robotic cameras and wiring each seat with individual microphones.” Reporters would have to work from the Old Executive Office Building next door during the construction.

Evidently the renewed effort to fix up the press area was inspired by an General Services Administration inspection that found the workspace a “firetrap” with all of its crowded clutter, wires, and equipment: “I don’t know who from the GSA said it, but that was the quote: “The place is a firetrap,’” said Steve Scully of C-SPAN, who serves on the board of the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA). “It’s overcrowded and unsafe and needs to be moved up to standards.”

(Wait! Press? Standards? Wasn’t the whole recent debate over how reporters don’t have standards anymore? Or is that bloggers?)

While the Wash Times says that plans are still in the works, Fishbowl has now confirmed that Scott McClellan’s office is in final negotiations with a construction firm and designer to redesign the space in only seven days.

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