CityCenter Components Delayed, Cancelled

The Harmon Hotel & Spa opening is postponed, and The Harmon Condominium component is being cancelled at CityCenter.

CityCenter Cancels Harmon Condos

Defective construction resulting in costly repairs has caused cash-strapped MGM Mirage Inc. to slash condo plans at its $9.2-billion CityCenter development on the Las Vegas Strip, says CityCenter President and CEO Robert “Bobby” Baldwin.

The original rendering of the Harmon Hotel and Condominium at CityCenter, Las Vegas, Nev.

On Jan. 7, the casino giant said it is cutting the Harmon Hotel & Spa in half by eliminating 200 high-end residences, of which 44% have been sold. The oval-shaped, cast-in-place concrete tower is designed by London-based Foster + Partners. Halcrow Yolles Structural Engineers is the structural engineer and Perini Building Co. is the general contractor.

In July, Clark County building inspectors said Perini, which is self-performing CityCenter’s concrete work, had moved reinforcing rebar floor links that transfer horizontal loading to the shear walls without approval from the project’s structural engineer or county building officials. Work was stopped until repairs were made. Century Steel Inc., Las Vegas, is the rebar subcontractor. “Congestion” was to blame for the decision, says a project source who requested anonymity. “Too much rebar knotted together prevented the proper amount of concrete coverage,” the source says. “It’s a common dilemma.”

But Clark County officials disagree. “We do not see this very often,” says Ron Lynn, Clark County’s building official. “They installed it wrong. That’s the bottom line.”

Perini and Halcrow declined to comment on repair details.

Under the scaled-back plan, the building will now be 24 stories tall instead of 49. The Harmon will still feature 400 hotel rooms, but it will open in late 2010 instead of December 2009, when the rest of CityCenter is scheduled to finish.

“By canceling the Harmon condominium component, we will be able to avoid the need for substantial redesign of the Harmon resulting from contractor construction errors,” MGM Mirage’s Baldwin says in a statement. The change is expected to save $600 million, plus another $200 million in deferred costs for completing interiors.

The cancelation leaves the project with 2,450 residences, of which 60% have been reserved.

In a statement, Perini Chairman and CEO Craig Shaw says, “Perini is near completion of all required remediation work on the Harmon Hotel. We continue to work on completing the project under the revised scope and schedule recently announced by MGM Mirage.”

A source who requested anonymity says Perini will pay for the retrofit work but will likely seek reimbursement from the designer and/or subcontractor.

Clark County, meanwhile, is investigating the project’s third-party, independent quality-control inspector, Converse Consultants, Monrovia, Calif., which it says filed multiple reports without noting the problem.

ROEL and Westar Complete Charity Remodel

ROEL Construction, in partnership with Westar Architects, has completed charity remodel work for the “I Have A Dream”® Foundation, Inc.-Las Vegas Dreamer Station Learning Center located at 2101 Texas Star Lane. The 3,600-sq-ft project consists of new paint and carpet for the library and lobby, paint for the computer room and new VCT flooring for the kitchen. Special features include IdeaPaints “Whiteboard paint”, new shelving for the library and a roller shade.

The foundation is a non-profit organization that sponsors 65 at-risk children to assist them with after-school programs and tuition towards their college education.

Subcontractors who donated their time and materials for this $8,000 project included Pete King Corp., Carpets N More, Harris & Ruth and Gerringer Carpet Service. Major suppliers included J&J/ Invision, Patcraft/Shaw Carpet, MDC Wall, Hunter Douglas Hospitality and Mixed Media.

Tenaya Way To Undergo Major Improvements

Tenaya Way Overpass and Bonanza Trail Project broke ground. The project includes construction of approximately one-half mile of street improvements to connect Tenaya Way from Westcliff Drive to Washington Avenue. An overpass bridge structure will be built over the Summerlin Parkway, along with retaining walls, barrier rails and median islands. Streetlights, traffic signals, curbs, gutters, sidewalks and a pedestrian underpass will be constructed. Sanitary sewer and storm drainage improvements are also part of the project.

In addition to the overpass, a 1,350-ft shared use pathway on the north side of Summerlin Parkway with fencing, lighting and signage will be constructed to connect Bill Briare Family Park to the Kellogg-Zaher Sports Complex. Known as the Bonanza Trail, this pathway will eventually connect the Summerlin trail system to downtown Las Vegas.

Work will take approximately 10 months to complete.

Funding for this $7.9 million project is provided by the city of Las Vegas, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and the Bureau of Land Management through the sale of public lands as authorized by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act.

Southwest Iron Works is the project contractor, while the city of Las Vegas Public Works Department is managing the project. The city’s planning and development department developed the Bonanza Trail concept and secured federal funds for its construction.

Crisci Builders Begins Construction on Two Projects

Crisci Builders began construction of a Colonial Bank branch at 4820 Blue Diamond Road.

Colonial Bank contracted Crisci Builders for the 3,900-sq-ft, one-story project located in Blue Diamond Ranch Center. The general contractor is completing ground-up, shell construction and interior build out for the project, following the national prototype of Colonial Banks built in Nevada. This is the eighth Colonial Bank that Crisci Builders is constructing.

Construction began in mid-October and the bank is scheduled to open in March. Houston-based RS&H Architects-Engineers-Planners Inc. is the architect of record for the $1.2 million project.

Crisci has also been contracted for the interior build out of Hospital Corporation of America, a Nashville, Tenn.-based healthcare services provider at 2360 Corporate Circle in Henderson.

American Nevada Co. contracted Crisci Builders for the 13,000-sq-ft interior build out which began in December and will be complete by March.

Parker Scaggiari is the project’s architect of record for the $900,000 project.

Martin-Harris Awarded Clark County Development Services

Martin-Harris Construction was recently awarded a public works project for the Clark County Development Services addition. The project will include a 2-story, 80,800-sq-ft office addition as well as tenant improvements to the existing building located at 4701 West Russell Road.

JVC Architects to Design St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church Expansion

JVC Architects is designing an addition to St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church at 8901 Del Webb Blvd.

The multiphase project will include the addition of a 5,920-sq-ft multi-purpose room and renovation of the existing facility to incorporate office space and additional meeting rooms. JVC designed the original 9,000-sq-ft building in 1996.

The general contractor has yet to be named. However the church is in the process of interviewing construction managers as an owner’s representative during the construction phase. Construction is scheduled to begin this month.

United Construction Begins Work on Nevada Air National Guard

United Construction Co. has begun work on the Nevada Air National Guard at the Reno International Airport. The $4 million facility located at 1776 National Guard Way is scheduled for completion May.

Construction of the building, totaling 14,802 sq ft, will include a vehicle maintenance facility, protection bays with vehicle lifts and lube equipment, and a detached outdoor facility for parking. The architect on the project is Hershenow + Klippenstein Architects.

To submit news items and press releases, please email to: scott_blair@mcgraw-hill.com