First Look: Forest Service New Angeles National Forest HQ

The United States Forest Service held an open house and dedication ceremony for its new $14 million Angeles National Forest headquarters at 701 Santa Anita Ave. in Arcadia on Tuesday.

The campus boasts an environmentally-friendly 24,000-square-foot supervisor’s office, which houses more than 80 employees.

The building was paid for with American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds.

"Since Los Angeles had the most number of people unemployed, there was an emphasis on getting jobs to L.A.," Forest Service Engineer Sonja Bergdahl said.

The Forest Service's Angeles Forest operations received a total of about $20 million from the ARRA for 10 construction projects, including the new headquarters. Trail reconstruction and water system upgrades were among the other ARRA-funded projects.

Here are some fun facts about the new headquarters:

• Its water retention pond can hold about 60,000 gallons of water.
• The sun provides roughly 25 percent of the building's energy needs.
• Electricity use will go down about 17 percent a month because of the building's energy-efficient features.
• The Forest Service will save 44 percent on its power bill.