State buys building for new GMC

The state has purchased a warehouse in east Anchorage to house its repository of geologic samples from prior exploration efforts in the oil and gas, and mining sectors.

The Department of Administration recently bought the Debarr Sam’s Club warehouse at 3651 Penland Parkway for $16.125 million to house its new Geological Materials Center.

The building will require $5 million in renovations before it can accommodate the massive collection of samples, but the state said the cost remains well below its $45 million estimate for building a new facility, and will speed up the schedule considerably.

The plan is to begin moving the samples next spring and open the doors next summer.

“This will provide significantly improved access to Alaska’s rich repository of mineral and material knowledge and archive it in a modern research facility. The GMC will be an investment magnet that will help to increase activity in the minerals and oil and gas sector. It will catalyze new research, foster job growth, and increase state revenue through responsible development of the State’s vast resource endowment,” Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Dan Sullivan said in a prepared statement.

The 100,550 square feet of climate-controlled storage at the warehouse can accommodate decades of growth, and includes a loading facility and viewing rooms, the department said. The Geological Materials Center is currently housed in 30,000 square feet of separated buildings in Eagle River. The facility is expected to reach capacity in three years and a majority of the collection is at risk of degrading for lack of climate control.

The state will use a $15 million grant in the current capital budget to buy the building.

Under the deal, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has contributed $2.5 million “to support educational opportunities for students and universities visiting to research material samples.”

—Eric Lidji