Security Staffing Burden

• Baseline: East Wing previously required ~6—12 agents per shift for office protection, screenings, and corridor posts.
• Ballroom effect: Event-scale occupancy (200—1000) pushes staffing to 40—120 agents per major event.
• Recurring load: Weekly or biweekly events create permanent overtime patterns.
• Cost range: $3.2M—$9.8M/year depending on frequency.

Ingress / Egress Control

Screening throughput

• Normal WH events: ~50—120 persons —> 2—3 magnetometer lanes.
• Ballroom requirements: 6—12 lanes, plus RF scanning.

Cost impact

• Equipment acquisition: $450k—$1.2M.
• Annual staffing for screeners: $1.1M—$3M.

Surveillance Infrastructure

• Loss of multi-level office structure = new blind spots.
• Requires:
• 40—70 additional cameras
• thermal/IR integration
• protected cable routing
• Estimated cost: $2.5M—$6.4M initial + $300—$900k annual maintenance.

Emergency Egress / Evacuation

• Ballroom void eliminates 2—3 historical egress routes.
• New protected exits must be cut and armored.
• Construction cost: $4M—$11M.
• Annual drills and readiness: $250k—$600k.

Structural Hardening Requirements

• Multi-story cavity degrades ballistic and blast resistance.
• reinforced columns
• laminated ballistic glass
• RF shielding in specific segments
• Costs: $7M—$18M.

Perimeter Adjustments

• Wider outer perimeter needed during events.
• Cost drivers:
• counter-sniper placements
• temporary street closures
• anti-vehicle barriers
• Estimated annual: $1M—$4.5M.

Secret Service Operational Load

• Increased rotations cause:
• chronic overtime
• added hiring targets (+20—40 agents)
• burnout risks —> recruitment wave
• Annual cost: $6M—$15M.

Vulnerability Mitigation

Ballroom introduces:
• vertical acoustic vulnerabilities
• drone ingress paths
• simplified long-range ballistic trajectories
Countermeasures:
• acoustic intrusion sensors
• counter-UAV batteries
• ballistic glazing
• Cost: $5M—$14M initial; $500k—$1.2M annual.

Ballroom Staffing Requirements

• Event managers, ushers, custodial, staging crew.
• Standing staff vs. event-only crew.
• Cost range: $1.8M—$4.6M/year.

Technical Operations

• Lighting, audio, projection, staging.
• Dedicated technicians vs. contracted crews.
• Equipment depreciation + replacement cycles.
• Cost range: $750k—$2.2M/year.

Utilities & Environmental Load

• HVAC load

  • Ballroom size produces a separate microclimate.
  • Continuous dehumidification + rapid cooling cycles.
  • Estimated annual HVAC: $1.3M—$3.1M.

• Electrical draw

  • Lighting rigs, stage power, guest services.
  • Annual: $600k—$1.4M.

• Water & sanitation

  • High-capacity restrooms + service sinks.
  • Annual: $250k—$600k.

Maintenance & Repairs

• Floor refinishing, curtain/carpeting replacement.
• Wear from high foot traffic.
• Annual: $900k—$2.3M.

Event Hospitality & Service

• Catering staging areas, storage, linens, serviceware.
• Consumable restock.
• Annual: $1.1M—$3.8M.

Scheduling & Administrative Oversight

• Full-time schedulers, permit coordination, protocol staff.
• Annual: $550k—$1.4M.

Reconstruction of Office Floors

• The original East Wing contained 2—3 layers of office/support rooms now removed.
• Rebuilding must include:
  • load‑bearing reconstruction
  • modern fire compliance
  • ADA compliance
  • new partition systems
  • restored secure corridors
• Cost range: $42M — $110M.

Restoration of Support Facilities

• Includes rooms lost to demolition:
  • logistics rooms
  • storage
  • communications closets
  • maintenance corridors
  • small secure meeting spaces
  • protocol prep rooms
  • East Wing staff offices
• Rebuilding cost range: $9M — $27M.

Electrical & Data Infrastructure Rebuild

• Ballroom construction likely deleted historical wiring routes.
• Full re-lay of:
  • electrical trunks
  • data fiber paths
  • emergency circuits
  • grounding and shielding paths
• Cost range: $11M — $31M.

HVAC Reintegration

• Ballroom requires a dedicated system incompatible with standard office HVAC.
• To restore office functionality:
  • new ducts
  • new air handlers
  • structural routing rebuild
  • humidity‑zone separation
• Restoration cost: $6M — $18M.

Plumbing & Water Systems

• Support floors removed = loss of vertical plumbing chases.
• Rebuilding requires:
  • new vertical risers
  • restroom reconstruction
  • service‑sink rooms
• Cost range: $4M — $12M.

Fire Safety & Egress Reconstruction

• Old stairwells and protected egress routes have been eliminated.
• To restore:
  • new fire‑rated stairs
  • new fire doors
  • suppression system extensions
  • updated compliance inspections
• Cost range: $8M — $22M.

Reintegration With Existing Structure

• Restoring the East Wing requires structural stitching to:
• West Wing connectors
• PEOC‑adjacent structures
• basement-level secure corridors
• This includes:
• vibration isolation
• secure‑grade concrete
• ballistic reinforcement where required
• Cost range: $15M — $40M.

Final Architectural Restoration & Fit-Out

• Carpentry, flooring, fixtures, cabinetry, finishes.
• Historical match for protected areas.
• Cost range: $5M — $17M.

Accelerated Structural Fatigue

• Ballroom construction introduced:
  • concentrated load points,
  • large-span ceilings,
  • new support trusses,
  • and forced HVAC/electrical reroutes.
• Over time, this causes:
  • higher inspection frequency,
  • faster fatigue in load-bearing members.

• Estimated lifecycle cost (20-year horizon):
  $18M — $44M

Long-Term HVAC & Environmental Burden

• A ballroom microclimate is energy-inefficient by design.
• Effects over time:
  • increased load on chillers,
  • humidity stabilization cycles,
  • off-hours conditioning to prevent condensation damage,
  • early replacement of high-capacity air handlers.

• 20-year lifecycle: $32M — $78M

Security Re-Auditing and Re-Hardening Cycles

• Every 4—8 years (new administration), the Secret Service performs:
  • facility-wide threat reassessments,
  • vulnerability tests,
  • PEOC-adjacent integration checks,
  • counter-UAV and counter-surveillance upgrades.
• The ballroom void increases:
  • number of vulnerabilities,
  • number of sensors needed,
  • complexity of surveillance blind-spot management.
• $21M — $55M

Maintenance Debt Accumulation

• The ballroom’s open-space design requires:
  • high-maintenance finishes,
  • frequent reflooring,
  • acoustic panel replacement,
  • curtain/carpeting cycles,
  • audio-visual infrastructure upgrades,
  • staging wear mitigation.
• Annual maintenance debt compounds across decades.
• $28M — $62M

Structural Obsolescence Penalty

• Because the ballroom:
  • removed workspace floors,
  • altered federal layout logic,
  • and introduced nonstandard architecture,
• >&ellip;future modernization cycles must work around it.
• This increases:
  • cost of retrofits,
  • downtime for renovations,
  • contractor bids (complexity premium),
  • risk of unexpected structural failures during upgrades.

• 20-year penalty: $12M — $36M

Federal Workflow Inefficiency (Capacity Loss)

• The multi-story office loss forces:
  • redistribution of staff,
  • reliance on off-site offices,
  • increased transit time,
  • reduced interdepartmental cohesion,
  • inefficiencies that cascade into operational delays.

• Projected 20-year value loss in efficiency: $16M — $41M

Event-Driven Depreciation Effects

• Frequent ballroom use accelerates:
  • AV depreciation,
  • seating/furniture cycles,
  • lighting replacement,
  • flooring deterioration,
  • cleaning and sanitation load.
• $14M — $37M