We have just learned that another outstanding Facilities Employee is leaving.

No doubt due to the fiasco created by the past couple of CDC Senior Management teams, need for power, desire to leave a legacy of opulent rather than functional buildings, and need to be seen in the spotlight by trying to control the Billion Dollar Facilities Master Plan Funding. Instead of trusting the talented Facilities Managers, Architects, Engineers and Tradesmen already on staff, they reorganized to by-pass managers and staff of the Existing ESO office, followed by DCMO, FPMO and FEO offices, creating the Facilities Planning and Management office, and wasting an SES position. None of the FPMO directors have had any legitimate BSL-3/4 or Chemical Laboratory experience.

Since the first such director buzzed in, in 2000, there has been nothing but turmoil in the Facilities Offices. Employees who sought to provide the most functional buildings at the best cost to the government have been muzzled, threatened and bypassed. When Facilities Managers refused to issue contracts, they were by-passed by going directly to lower level employees. These employees were promised promotions and training for working around their bosses.

Money has been squandered on $500+ European Guest chairs when American made chairs on GSA schedule or from UNICOR could have been purchased for under $150/each. The expensive chairs are already falling apart.

Contracts for Furniture design and purchase have been given to General Contractors, to circumvent federal purchasing requirements, increasing costs over 30%.

Building costs have over run budgets because of the CDC OD's desire for a monument and visitor center/museum. Why do we have 20 different carpets when 5 or less would have been the norm?

Of, course we have a CDC director who had Facilities Employees repaint her bathroom in building 16, numerous times in order to get the right shade of pink. The same person is so concerned with wasting government employees time and money repainting a bathroom only she and the cleaning person will see.

It is so sad that the outstanding staff assembled in the late 80's and early 90's is rapidly fleeing the incompetence and outright arrogance of the string of FPMO directors since 2000. Of course the biggest Fiasco is reorganizing the Facilities Wage Grade Staff "to save their jobs," when it is clear that they are being set up for failure and contracting out. Speaking of Contracting out isn't it the most amazing thing that all the maintenance contracts seem to be going to Four Seasons. We see the almost invisible line of separation between Four Seasons Management and FEO managers. What about all the "Hogs" and road trips these days.

Let us not forget, that no one remembered to budget for the cleaning and maintenance of the new buildings. When were the bathrooms last cleaned in the new buildings?

Where did all the money for those $12,000/per person office/workstations in the new building come from? Was the opulent furniture funded by the R&I budget. Thought that was for Repair and Improvement of the existing buildings and facilities.

How many more employees will leave? Sadly Facilities have already lost: George, Maureen, Linda, Pam, Georgia, Craig, Sam, Wayne, Eugene, plus far too many more of the fine Architects, Engineers and Tradesmen to retirements, the private sector, other CDC offices and other Federal Agencies.

Thanks for creating this blog. The above is a composite of information from numerous anonymous sources in the Facilities, Procurement and EEO offices. No doubt the search for these Anonymous sources (AKA Whistleblowers) will involve the creation of a special prosecutor, since this is the CDC way.