Employees at GEF-1 building return to work Monday

GEF-1 employees return after May fire damaged multiple floors of downtown building

MADISON, Wis. — Department of Administration officials announced Monday that departments in the GEF-1 building have been allowed to return to the building after a fire caused major damage in May.

DOA facilities management crews said the remediation and repair efforts in the GEF-1 building are on track, which has allowed employees from the Department of Workforce Development and Department of Children and Families to move back into the building, according to a release.

This is the first time employees have been allowed back into the GEF-1 building on East Washington Avenue since May 16, when a fire on the fourth floor caused damage to multiple floors.

Teams from the DOA, DWD and DCF will be using a phased approach to move employees back into the building, according to the release.

All DCF employees will be back into the building by the end of August, officials said. Most of the DWD employees will also be back in the building by the end of the month, but some areas of the fourth floor will not be available in August as repair work continues.

The building did not open to the public Monday, allowing employees to get settled back into the building, officials said.

The DOA estimated in July that the fire caused $15 million in damage.

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