Council Blasts Feds for Refusal to Hand Over McIntyre Building

City Councilors took turns Tuesday night expressing their frustration with the federal government's refusal to turn over the McIntyre Building to the city, despite having promised to do so for nearly a decade.

Councilor Brad Lown said the city feels "mistreated and betrayed" by the federal government.

"I'm sorry if I sound frustrated, but I really am," Lown said. "Congress mandated that this take place. The City of Portsmouth really loses out on this."

Councilor Stefany Shaheen echoed those sentiments, saying the federal government is essentially "pulling the rug out" from under Portsmouth.

"This is beyond frustration," Shaheen said. "I don't think this is going to go away. We are going to fight to ensure that this happens."

According to legislation that dates back 10 years, the federal government was supposed to give the Daniel Street building to the city once a new federal building was built at Pease. But after the land for the new site was purchased, the government decided that it no longer needed a new facility. That leaves the city in a tough spot, as it was counting on the building as a possible solution to its downtown parking problems.

At Tuesday's work session, Robert Zarnetske, regional administrator for U.S. General Services Administration, offered to work with the city to try to address the parking situation without the city taking possession of the McIntyre Building.

"We can do parking," Zarnetske said. "We can figure out how to work with the community to make sure the building blends into the neighborhood. We want it to be a nice neighborhood. We do not want to be the cause of consternation. From our point of view, at this point we are stuck where we are. We are not going to be able to build a feasible building at Pease. Either we're leaving Portsmouth entirely or finding lease properties or remaining where we are. The most cost-effective approach is remaining where we are.

"I fully appreciate how frustrating this is for folks on the ground in Portsmouth," he added. "This is not where we want to be, but we're here."

But Shaheen and the other councilors didn't seem interested in that sort of a partial approach. Not after the city had been assured for a decade that it would be taking ownership of the building.

Shaheen called the 2-acre property "one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in the state," and said the council doesn't want to resign itself to just "picking up a few parking spots.

"As a community we have spent the last decade preparing for the inevitable transition of this building back to the city," she said. "The fact of the matter is the law was very clear, plans have been made."

Because of the snow, Zarnetske and other federal officials were only able to participate in Tuesday's work session via phone. So the next step will be for City Manager John Bohenko to set up an in-person meeting to discuss the issue further.