PLACER COUNTY, CALIF. — Placer County has approved a plan for a 600-acre regional university campus just west of Roseville, Calif. Envisioned for Philadelphia-based Drexel University, the site is located south of Pleasant Grove Creek between Brewer Road and the western boundary of Roseville. A total of 1,150 acres is being donated by the Angelo K. and Sofia Tsakopoulos family, William and Claudia Cummings, the Wayne Prim family and their partners. The university, which may serve up to 6,000 students, could pump $150 to $200 million annually into the local economy. Drexel has 5 years to accept the land donation and then several years after that to establish a campus on the property.
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — Construction is now underway for the second phase expansion of the Fine Arts Building at American River College in Sacramento. Designed by the Sacramento office of HGA Architects and Engineers, the expansion will double the size of the existing 27,000-square-foot facility with rehearsal rooms, a black box theater, a new recording suite, music practice rooms and an expanded lobby. The first phase included the addition of a fly tower, a new scene shop, a recording studio, faculty offices and practice rooms, as well as upgrading the mechanical and electrical systems. The complete renovation is estimated to cost $19 million. Completion is slated for January 2010.
EDWARDSVILLE, ILL. — The Morris Center book store on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville campus is undergoing $1.5 million in renovations. Granite City, Ill.-based Limbaugh Construction is the general contractor for the 10,000-square-foot project. St. Louis-based Mackey Mitchell is serving as the architect. The project, which began in October, is slated for completion by the end of January. Fenton, Mo.-based Kaiser Electric is providing lighting and power to the new casework, as well as installing a new fire alarm, public address system and HVAC system within the book store.
FORT MYERS, FLA. — Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. has finished construction of a 70,000-square-foot business school building on the Fort Myers campus of Florida Gulf Coast University. The four-story Lutgert College of Business features a 70-foot glass curtain wall entrance and a 20-foot stainless steel sculpture. Inside, the building is divided into 10 classrooms, a three-story atrium with a student lounge, study and computer rooms, offices and an executive training dining room.
MANHATTAN, KAN. — According to United States Senator Pat Roberts, The Department of Homeland Security has recommended Manhattan and Kansas State University to be the site of the new $450 million National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF). Kansas State University was in contention with six other locations for the proposed facility. The selection was made in the Department of Homeland Security’s Final Impact Statement. A final record of decision will be issued following a comment period, and is expected to follow the recommendation made in the statement. The 500,000-square-foot facility is expected to operate at the highest level of biosafety (BSL-4). The Kansas State University proposed site would be situated adjacent to the Biosecurity Research Institute, a $54 million research/education facility. The facility’s economic impact is estimated to reach $3.5 billion in its first 20 years of operation.
ANDOVER, MASS. — Newton, Mass.-based Diversified Project Management has completed renovations and an expansion to The Pike School, an independent pre-K through 9th grade school located at 34 Sunset Rock Rd. in Andover. Construction consisted of a 21,500-square-foot addition to the school, as well as a 7,300-square-foot renovation. Construction was focused on enhancing the school’s visual and performing arts programs.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — Summit Builders Construction Co. has broken ground for the development of Desert Foothills YMCA and Community Center, which will be located at the junction of Carefree Highway and 60th Street in Scottsdale. Situated on a 10.45-acre campus, the project consists of three components: the YMCA facility operated by the Valley of the Sun YMCA; a community center operated by Foothills Community Foundation; and a new Paradise Valley Community College facility, which will be operated by the Maricopa County Community College District. The 27,842-square-foot YMCA facility will feature a state-of-the-art fitness center, a Teen Center, racquetball courts, a gymnasium, an indoor rock-climbing wall and a covered 25-yard lap/play and fitness pool. The 20,513-square-foot community center and classroom building will feature a multi-purpose room, a caterer’s kitchen, a banquet room, a senior-living room, special function rooms, classrooms and administrative space. Completion is slated for third quarter 2009. Tempe, Ariz.-based Architekton is providing architectural services for the project.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — St. Louis-based KAI Design & Build is nearing completion of the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department’s new Southeast Community Center located in Kansas City. Work on the new Southeast Community Center in Swope Park began in November 2006, and the facility is scheduled to open this month. Amenities at the $10.5 million project include an 11,000-square-foot gym; a natatorium with activity pool, swim spa and therapy pool; a ceramics room; activity rooms for various age groups; multi-purpose meeting rooms; and a lounge with a fireplace. The building was designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. Environmentally friendly features of the property include ground source heat pumps, low-water-use faucets, and a rain garden to filter and recycle storm water runoff. Olathe, Kan.-based Titan Construction served as the general contractor for the project.
DALLAS — Dallas-based McCarthy Building Cos. has been selected to construct Dallas City Performance Hall, a 124,000-square-foot theater facility located in Dallas’ Arts District. The project will be built in multiple phases; the first phase will consist of 45,000 square feet of the facility. Upon completion, the performance hall will contain a 750-seat theater, two 200-seat flexible theaters, art galleries, a café, a bookstore, an enclosed garden, and educational and meeting spaces. It is applying for LEED-Silver certification, and upon reception of the designation, will be the first LEED-Silver performing arts facility in Texas. Completion is scheduled for 2010. The architect of record is Dallas-based Corgan Associates, and the design firm is Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
SANTEE, CALIF. — Minneapolis-based Ryan Companies has received approval from the city of Santee for the development of Liberty Charter High School. Located within RiverView at Santee, the 47,707-square-foot school is slated for completion for the 2009 school year. Designed by Pacific Cornerstone Architects Inc., the $13.6 million facility will feature natural stone and tile finishes, a food court, a media center and a gymnasium. Additionally, the project is designed to meet LEED certification standards and will feature Photovoltaic panels and wind turbines to generate electricity and SolaTubes for daylighting. The school is situated on a 2.98-acre riverfront lot at the intersection of Riverview Parkway and Magnolia Avenue.