Build-Out Begins on Shadow Lane Biomedical Facility

Las Vegas is delaying a planned $890 million convention center upgrade amid falling visitor numbers and reduced gaming receipts. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority projects a 21.8% drop in room tax revenue for fiscal 2009; the agency responded in early March by postponing construction plans until mid-2010. It will cost the LVCVA up to $5 million annually to service the project’s existing debt. About $140 million has been committed to the project thus far, of which 68.5% is being financed. Construction was scheduled to finish in 2011. In February 2006, MWH Global Inc., Broomfield, Colo., with HTNB, Kansas City, Mo., was awarded a four-year, $45 million contract as construction manager.

The project had called for a new day-lit front lobby, facade and interior upgrades and technology enhancements. It would have also added meeting rooms, a police substation, a transportation center and 100,000 sq ft of general session space, increasing the convention center’s total size by 15.8% from 3.2 million sq ft to 3.8 million sq ft. Las Vegas hosts 44 of the nation’s top 200 conventions and trade shows. But rising costs upped the project’s price-tag by 17.2% in 2007.

“It has been something we have been evaluating,” says LVCVA spokesman Vince Alberta. “With the recession, we think it is fiscally responsible and prudent not to incur additional debt at this time.”  

—By Tony Illia

CORE Breaks Ground on CSN Health Sciences Addition

CORE Construction-Nevada broke ground on the College of Southern Nevada’s newest addition to its health sciences building, the Ralph and Betty Engelstad School of Health Sciences.

College of Southern Nevada Ralph and Betty Engelstad School of Health Sciences groundbreaking, Las Vegas, Nev.

The 10,000-sq-ft addition will house the college’s Cardiorespiratory Sciences Program at 6375 W. Charleston Blvd. The new facility will match the existing building in style and quality. The construction-manager-at-risk project is scheduled for June 12, 2010 completion. SH Architecture is the architect of record for the $3.99 million project.

CSN received an $8.2 million gift from the Engelstad Family Foundation in September, allowing the college resources to create a quality respiratory and cardio training facility.

Insituform Wins $13 Million Contract in Clark County  

Insituform Technologies Inc. was awarded $13 million in sewer pipe rehabilitation work for Nevada’s Clark County Water Reclamation District. The project will rehabilitate approximately 14,000 ft of 36- to 60-in. large diameter sewer pipe. Work is expected to begin within thirty days and should be completed by March 2010.

Insituform, a pre-qualified contractor with the Clark County Water Reclamation District, will use its Insituform® cured-in-place-pipe technology for this project, an affordable solution to rehabilitate sanitary sewers, storm sewers and force mains that can reduce infiltration, restore structural integrity and increase flow capacity.

Crisci Builders Constructs Par 3’s Maintenance & Material Recovery Facility

Crisci Builders has begun construction on Phase I of Par 3 Landscape and Maintenance’s new facility at 4610 N. Wynn Road.

Naples Wynn, LLC contracted Crisci Builders for the two-phase project. Phase I consists of a 28,603-sq-ft industrial project. The general contractor is completing ground-up, shell construction for the landscape maintenance services firm. Approximately 16,900 sq ft of the industrial building will be allotted to the material recovery facility and 11,703 sq ft for the maintenance portion. Phase II consists of a new two-story, 12,000-sq-ft office building.

 Phase I scheduled for completion in May 2009, while Phase II is scheduled to be completed in winter 2009. Jam Design Studios is the architect of record. Crisci Builders’ Frank Barrera is serving as project manager and Larry Flashner as superintendent of the $2.8 million project.

Nevada Receives $24.3 Million to Rehab Foreclosed Homes

The State of Nevada will receive $24.3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help revitalize neighborhoods impacted by foreclosure.

The one-time grant is through HUD’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The program is a component of the Housing and Recovery Act of 2008, passed by Congress last July. NSP is intended to stabilize neighborhoods blighted by foreclosures and to halt the decline of home values.

Nevada’s NSP grant will be overseen by the State Housing Division. The funds will be used by state and local governments to purchase, rehabilitate and resell or rent foreclosed and abandoned properties to households with incomes below 120% of local area median income.

To maximize the use of the NSP funds, the Governor convened a task force comprised of representatives from cities and counties, the financial community, private organizations and state government to develop a plan for the distribution of the funds, discuss capacity issues and identify eligible activities for the use of NSP monies.

Decatur Blvd. Storm Drainage Improvement Project Begins

Work on a $2.8 million flood control improvement gets underway on Decatur Boulevard from Elkhorn Road to Whispering Sands Drive later this month.

Tab Contractors Inc. is the contractor for the project. The city of Las Vegas Department of Public Works is managing the construction. Funding is provided by the Clark County Regional Flood Control District. The project is slated for completion this summer.

Jaynes Commences Family Courts, Finishes Cox Communications

Jaynes Corp. has been awarded the Clark County Family Courts Building Remodel Phase 4 Project. The project involves the select demolition and renovation of 20,000 sq ft of the existing two-story facility, transforming the area into three new courtrooms plus offices, waiting areas and other support facilities. The parking areas will also receive a complete makeover including new asphalt paving, sidewalks, security cameras and additional covered parking. The demolition and construction work will be performed during nighttime hours in an effort to minimize the impact on events inside the building. The project is expected to take eight months to complete.

Jaynes also completed the new Las Vegas headquarters for Cox Communications. The 24-month project transformed the former VA Medical Center located at the corner of Vegas Drive & Martin Luther King Blvd into a new operations facility consolidating the majority of Cox’s Las Vegas operations into a centralized location. The two-story 186,000-sq-ft building is now home to the administration, service, technical support, and training and production departments. Efforts were made to recycle and reuse much of the existing building materials including doors and hardware, heating and air conditioning equipment, plumbing and electrical fixtures. The project also included the construction of several new parking lots adjacent to the facility for employee and service vehicle parking.

Panattoni Construction Begins ITS Logistics T.I.

Panattoni Construction Inc. began work on a tenant improvement and warehouse upgrade project for ITS Logistics. The 100,000-sq-ft build-out is located at 2777 USA Parkway in McCarran, Nevada and is owned by PCCP Reno Industrial, LLC.

Project details include 2,000 sq ft of tenant improvements consisting of framing, finishes, mechanical, electrical and plumbing. The warehouse area is being modified to store food grade products by adding rodent brushes at the dock levelers and shatterproof light guards on existing T5 lighting. The project was designed by Larry J. Macias Ltd. and is scheduled for completion this month.

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