$3 Billion Navajo Power Plant Awarded

Located in northwestern New Mexico, the 1,500 mW plant will be built by Fluor Corp.

Fluor to Design, Build Desert Rock Power Plant

Fluor Corporation was awarded a contract by the Desert Rock Energy Company LLC to provide initial comprehensive program management services for the design and construction of a 1,500 mW power plant consisting of two coal-fired power generation units located in northwest New Mexico. Desert Rock Project is a joint development effort of the Navajo Nation’s Diné Power Authority and Sithe Global Power, LLC of Houston, Texas. The value of the preliminary services will be booked in Fluor’s third quarter. The full contract award is expected in mid-to-late 2008 once the air permit and financing are secured.

The $3 billion project will provide more than $50 million annually to the Navajo Nation, while providing thousands of construction jobs and more than 400 permanent jobs for Navajo workers. It also creates for the Nation an opportunity to acquire an ownership stake in the project.

The Desert Rock project is a 1,500 MW super-critical, low-sulfur, coal-fired power plant that includes Best Available Control Technology to minimize plant emissions, improve plant efficiency and reduce water consumption. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, when built, Desert Rock will have the lowest emissions of any coal-fired power plant in the U.S., including a 15-to-20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. The project will also be hybrid-air-cooled reducing water use by 80%. In addition, Desert Rock has committed to financially support additional emission reduction programs at regional energy projects and to reduce mercury emissions by a minimum of 80% in accordance with a memorandum of understanding signed with the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency.

Desert Rock will be constructed in a remote location near the coal fuel source. Both units 1 and unit 2 at Desert Rock are expected to reach substantial completion in late 2012 and early 2013, respectively. Upon completion, Desert Rock will generate enough energy to power approximately one million homes.

The preliminary engineering and procurement efforts are already underway in Fluor’s Greenville, South Carolina project execution office. Fluor estimates that the Desert Rock Energy Project will create, at its peak, approximately 2,800 construction jobs for the region.

Terracon Selected to Rail Runner Extension Project Design-Build Team

Terracon Consultants Inc. has been selected by Kansas City, Mo.-based HNTB Corporation as part of the design-build team for Phase II of the commuter service extension project. Terracon will provide geotechnical engineering and quality control services for the project which will include an additional 18 mi of new track, climbing approximately 1,200 ft from the base of La Bajada Hill into Santa Fe. HNTB is providing design services for the project. According to the New Mexico Department of Transportation, construction of the new rail began in September and is on a fast-track schedule for completion in November 2008.

Total construction costs are estimated at $400 million. Geotechnical testing will require drilling through geological features containing shale, sandstone, conglomerate, granite and basalt flows. Terracon will also perform laboratory testing of collected soil samples.

Ware Malcomb to Construct Venture Commerce Center - Eagle Ranch

Ware Malcomb’s Phoenix office has begun construction for Venture Corporation’s new Venture Commerce Center - Eagle Ranch project located at 9660-9680 Eagle Ranch Road in Albuquerque.

Ware Malcomb is providing architectural design services for these five speculative office/flex buildings. Two of the buildings are 15,242-sq-ft and the remaining three buildings are each 13,796-sq-ft; totaling approximately 71,872-sq-ft on a 5.08 acre site. Each building is a partial two-story; the front office portion is two-stories and the remaining flex space is single story. The buildings are subdivided into 30 individual business properties for future sale. The spaces are designed to accommodate a wide variety of business types.

Construction on Venture Commerce Center - Eagle Ranch is anticipated to be completed in January 2008. Enterprise Builders of Albuquerque is serving as the general contractor on the project. 

UNM Bonds Focus on Improving Campus Environment

UNM Regents are reviewing an institutional bond issue that will bring millions of dollars in improvements to the UNM campus. The bond issue involves a variety of projects that will help modernize the campus undergraduate classroom environment, improve and expand spaces for the arts, and make the best use of space as some programs move into new quarters.

About $12 million is targeted specifically for classroom modernization, including Mitchell Hall. Those improvements will renew infrastructure deficiencies, improve interior finishes and install modern information technology equipment. There are also funds set aside in this bond issue for Phase 2 of a College of Education Facility and Phase 2 of an addition to the Biology Building.

There will be new areas for the arts. As the Fine Arts Library moves to the top floor of the new Architecture and Planning Building this fall, the bonds will fund a renovation of the space the library is vacating in the Center for the Arts. That space will be remodeled and improved to house the Jonson Gallery. Likewise, the space vacated by the architecture classes as they move from their old buildings south of Central into their new building will be remodeled to house the Tamarind Institute and the Film and Digital Media program.

The bond issue will fund renovation as new programs are moved into spaces being vacated. For example, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy will move into the space now occupied by the Jonson Gallery.

The projected amount of the bond issue is $110 million. Some of the revenue to pay debt service for the bond issue will come from the projects themselves. Some of the revenue will come from partnerships with private developers the university hopes to work with to develop university owned land near the main campus.

Over the next few years, UNM hopes to develop land fronting Lomas Blvd. between University Blvd. and I-25, and land at the western edge of the south campus near UNM Arena. UNM president David J. Schmidly says the university is also interested in talking with developers about building new student housing on or near the main campus. The university is preparing to charter a UNM owned 501(c)3 corporation, to be called Lobo Development Corporation, that will actually handle the development projects.

Yuzoz Ltd. Chooses Sierra County for Mission Control Center

The Sierra County Economic Development Organization, working in partnership with the New Mexico Economic Development Department, announced that Yuzoz, Ltd., a space-themed entertainment company, will locate its mission control center in Sierra County.

Yuzoz is headquartered in England’s digital community of Brighton, and has developed the world’s first outer space random number generator, the Yuzoz Space Generator-I.

The development of Spaceport America, which is attracting world-class commercial-space companies, is one reason why they chose this location. Yuzoz’s immediate goal is to work with local Sierra County officials to find a location for its operation, and begin work on the design of the center. The Yuzoz Mission Control Center will receive the raw data from all sorts of scientific satellites, from all across the solar system, on an ongoing basis. It will also serve as the research and development center for developing proprietary hardware for space data. Yuzoz is expected to have its mission control center operational in Sierra County by the first quarter of 2008.

Angel Fire Resort Add New Terrain and Renovations

Angel Fire Resort continues to upgrade the mountain and surrounding facilities, including a multi-million dollar hotel renovation and expanded glade skiing terrain.

Angel Fire Resort’s 120-room slope-side hotel will undergo an 18 month remodel beginning this fall with a new fitness center, upscale common areas and four "showcase" hotel rooms providing a preview look at the finished product. The finished remodel will include a comprehensive facelift for both the exterior and interior of the hotel, 100% guest room remodels, refurbished parking areas and group meeting facilities with the latest in technology upgrades.

The Angel Fire Resort Hotel remodel will be designed by Living Designs Group. They are also the architects of the Angel Fire Resort Country Club facility currently under construction. Interiors will be designed by Zimmer Associates of Santa Fe, N.M.

Angel Fire Resort will vary its terrain with the addition of a new ten-acre glade skiing area. The new addition will be situated on the backside of the mountain. This will be the third glade ski area addition in the past three seasons.

Mariposa Opens New Park and Unveils Memorial Sculpture

Mariposa has announced the completion and official opening of its five-acre recreational park at the Mariposa East Commons town center.

A sunken field marks the middle of the park and is surrounded by an amphitheatre, a children’s play area, a central plaza,  a promenade, a contemplative garden, a picnic area and a basketball court. All are linked by a concrete walkway that provides a walking circuit around the park.

The field is designed to conserve water by catching natural precipitation and is irrigated by treated wastewater. The amphitheater, which is built into a hillside, will serve as a venue for small concerts, lectures and performances. It can be used in the evening through electronic connections and path lighting.

The children’s play area has been created to provide multiple levels of play and incorporates shaded locations for observation. Progressive, cutting-edge play equipment has been chosen to provide modern, safe recreational fun for children.

The park’s central plaza is framed by two large shade structures and has a water pop-jet fountain. The contemplative garden is surrounded by a wall and small trees to create a sense of enclosure and comfort. It is also the home of the large steel sculpture in honor of Lauda Medara.

Construction is ongoing on Phase I of Mariposa East, which includes single-family homes, small parks and 10 mi of trails ideal for walking, jogging and cycling. More than half of Mariposa will be natural open space, including the 2,200-acre Mariposa Preserve. The community will also include the Mariposa Community Center, which will offer exercise and public spaces as well as an outdoor swimming pool for residents.

Wildlife Gets Safer Passage in Tijeras Canyon

Deer and other wildlife now can commute more safely between habitats in the Sandia and Manzano mountains east of Albuquerque with the activation of electric fencing and highway mats designed to provide the animals safe passage over and below Interstate 40 and N.M. 333.

Turning on the power was among the final steps in the development of a $750,000 system to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions along five miles through Tijeras Canyon. The electrical system is a vital component of the project, which also includes 8-ft wildlife-proof fencing, passages under existing overpasses, warning signs and solar-powered motion-detecting cameras that turn on highway caution lights.

The 7-ft-high Electrobraid fencing is designed to deliver a mild shock to animals that touch it, discouraging them from passing through. The fences consist of several horizontal strands of black rope-like material that is about a half-inch in diameter. The fence can deliver a 6,000- to 7,000-volt, 4 milliamp shock for 3/10,000th of a second -- enough to sting, but not seriously harm a human. The fence will be monitored by satellite 24 hours a day by the Electrobraid Fence Company in New Brunswick, Canada.