BIG CYPRESS, FLA. — Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Gulf Building Corp. has completed construction on the 50,000-square-foot Public Safety Complex in Big Cypress. The $16 million property is located on Josie Billie Highway and will house fire and police personnel and a U.S. Post Office. The building features a bay for emergency vehicles, dormitories, kitchens, break rooms, a gym and training rooms. Gulf Building constructed the property to withstand Category 5 winds.
ST. LOUIS — The Center for Emerging Technologies (CET) has plans to construct a 60,000-square-foot laboratory building on a site adjacent to its existing two-building campus in St. Louis. Monsanto Co. has donated $1 million to help fund the $28 million project. Monsanto’s commitment is part of $3 million in private contributions needed for Phase I of the building, with an additional $6 million in contributions needed to complete the innovation center. Upon completion, the facility will feature 60 percent wet labs, with space for transitional research and a pilot plant. CET supports life science and other advanced technology companies with a range of research and development labs and support services. St. Louis-based Cannon Design is the architect for the project. The estimated date of completion was not disclosed.
PALM BAY, FLA. — Bradenton, Fla.-based W.G. Mills is constructing the 321,666-square-foot Heritage High School for Brevard Public Schools. The $64.7 million property, located at 2351 Malabar Rd. in Palm Bay, is slated for delivery in August. The school encompasses three two-story buildings, a gymnasium, a courtyard and an 869-seat auditorium. Features include a closed-circuit television studio and digital projectors and DVD/VCR players in each classroom. Orlando, Fla.-based SchenkelShultz Architecture designed the building.
DODGE CITY, KAN. — Global Entertainment Corp. has signed an agreement to develop a $41.5 million multi-purpose events center in Dodge City. International Coliseums Co. (ICC) — a subsidiary of Global Entertainment Corp. — will serve as project manager for design and construction of the new facility. The Dodge City and Ford County commissions have approved the agreement. The events center will be situated adjacent to a state of Kansas authorized destination gaming casino that is currently underway. The development, which is scheduled to open in 2010, will include approximately 4,300 seats with designated VIP seating, as well as luxury suites. The master-planning group for the project includes ICC, Dodge City, Ford County and the casino development team.
FORT RILEY, KAN. — The Weitz Company, as general contractor, has completed two projects totaling $32 million in Fort Riley. The company has completed a 132,000-square-foot Army Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) Post Exchange. Developed on a 9-acre site, the $24 million Post Exchange was designed by Springfield, Mo.-based Marshall Waters Woody Architecture for use by Fort Riley soldiers, their families and military retirees. The facility, which will celebrate its grand opening on February 13th, will sell clothing and electronics, and will house services including a pharmacy, a barbershop and a spa. A food court with five restaurants and a Starbucks Coffee was also completed as part of the project, and will be available to Department of Defense civilians. AAFES Real Estate Division in Dallas administered the contract for the project. Additionally, as part of a joint venture design-build agreement with Denver-based MaxFour Engineers & Architects, The Weitz Company has completed the Combat Aviation Brigade Whiteside Dining Facility. The 18,000-square-foot building has achieved LEED Silver certification. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers administered the $8 million project. Situated on a 5-acre site, the facility houses 500 soldiers for three meals a day.
GARDEN CITY, GA. — Officials in Garden City are working with private developers on the 40-acre Town Center, an 800,000-square-foot mixed-use development located on Dean Forest Road in Garden City. The development will feature a new 33,000-square-foot city hall, which will deliver in August; the 10,500-square-foot Georgia Public Safety Training Center Regional Police Academy, set to open in late 2010; and the relocated city visitors’ center, the Dotson House, which will re-open in late 2009. Additional proposed buildings include a West Chatham library branch and a 20,000-square-foot Fire Administration Building. The project also includes a planned beautification of Dean Forest Road.
HACKENSACK, N.J. — Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.-based DMR Architects has broken ground for the first phase of the new Bergen County Command Center in Hackensack. The two-story, 30,000-square-foot building will house Bergen County’s 911 Communications Center and the Office of Emergency Management and Emergency Operation Center. The center will have space for 34 operators. The offices had previously been located in separate buildings, with each town in Bergen County operating its own 911-call center. Completion is expected in early 2010.
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — The St. Louis division of Walton Construction will break ground on the $25.3 million Parris Island Barracks Complex this month. Completion is slated for November 2010. The facility will house all Marine recruits east of the Mississippi. Features of the project, which is to be constructed to Silver LEED specifications, include a three-story barracks, a headquarters training complex and a mechanical plant. VOA Associates and the New Orleans division of Walton Construction will help with the development.
CINCINNATI — The Village of Fairfax Police Department substation has been completed within Regency Center Corp.’s Red Bank Village shopping center located in Cincinnati. Regency Centers donated an outparcel and the construction for the 1,400-square-foot facility. The substation, which will open on January 29th, will supplement the main police station situated approximately 3 miles from the shopping center. Funding for construction was provided by Tax Increment Financing, in conjunction with the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority and the Village of Fairfax. The 176,160-square-foot Red Bank Village retail center will be anchored by a 151,765-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter, which is scheduled to open in November. Additionally, a 75,000-square-foot office component has been completed at the project. The two two-story office buildings were developed by Miller-Valentine Group.
EXETER, N.H. — Bedford, N.H.-based Eckman Construction has completed the $7.3 million renovation of Seacoast School of Technology in Exeter. Located on Linden Street, the school serves the seven area high schools and provides 12 programs of study. Renovations included a new building for the Automotive Service Technology program that contains two classrooms and a 12-bat auto repair facility, a new main entrance, a new space for the on-site teaching pre-school, a new air conditioning system, and upgrades to the building’s mechanical and electrical systems. The project was designed by Lebanon, N.H.-based Banwell Architects.