National Archives Opens New Pacific Region Records Center Facility
Press Release · Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Washington, DC

Laguna Niguel, CA. . . The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will officially dedicate its new Pacific Region Federal Records Center in Riverside County, CA on March 29, 2005 at 11:00 a.m. The event will feature a dedication ceremony, including remarks by NARA officials and local political leaders, and will be followed by a reception. This event is open to the press.

The new, state-of-the-art facility will replace NARA's records center in Laguna Niguel, CA. The efficient design of the new building, combined with its location in Riverside County, will significantly reduce operating costs for this region, while improving records center services. "The facility will provide ample space for paper records as well as for future electronic records projects," said Shirley J. Burton, NARA's Pacific Regional Administrator. "This will enable the National Archives to rise to the challenges of electronic media storage for our Federal customers."

The 183,000 square-foot facility can accommodate approximately 850,000 cubic feet of Federal records. It will employ over 30 National Archives staff members and will process a projected 750,000 reference requests per year. The new center will store and service records from over 100 Federal agencies and courts located in the Pacific Region (Arizona, southern California, and Clark County, Nevada). Significant holdings include Federal records created by regional U.S. District/Bankruptcy Courts, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Navy.

Federal records serve to document government transactions and protect the rights of individuals and must be stored in appropriate space to ensure that they remain available for their schedule life. The Riverside facility will fully comply with the provisions of 36 CFR 1228, Subpart K, the regulation that sets facility standards to ensure protection of Federal records from threats such as fire, theft, pests, water damage, and natural disasters.

The new Records Center will bring new jobs into the area and will generate approximately $2 million for the local economy each year. National Archives officials also hope that the Riverside complex will be a focal point for other business developments and a possible harbinger of increased Federal interest in the area.

THE PRESS IS INVITED TO COVER THE CEREMONY. The site is located at 23123 Cajalco Road, Perris, CA 92570-7298. A press station will be located adjacent to the stage; press should be set up by 10:45 A.M., as the ceremony begins promptly at 11:00 A.M.

Directions from San Diego: Take CA-163 north toward Escondido. Merge onto I-15 north. Take I-215 north toward Riverside/San Bernadino. Exit Romona Expressway toward Cajalco Expressway. Turn left onto Romona Expressway (which becomes Cajalco Expressway). Turn left on Harvill Avenue and right on Cajalco Road to end of street.

Directions from Los Angeles: Take US-101 south. Take CA-60 east toward Pomona. Take I-215 south toward San Diego. Exit Cajalco Expressway toward Romona Expressway. Turn right onto Cajalco Expressway, left on Harvill Avenue, and right on Cajalco Road to end of street.

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For additional PRESS information, please contact Shirley J. Burton at 650-219-3330 or Bruce MacVicar at 951-956-2011.

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