VOORHEES, N.J. — The Township of Voorhees has signed an agreement with Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT) that will relocate the Voorhees Town Hall to PREIT's Voorhees Town Center project. The township will own the 24,300-square-foot space, which will open next spring on the second level of the mall. PREIT is in the middle of an $83 million redevelopment of Voorhees Towen Center that is repositioning it as a mixed-use destination center. In addition to the mall, the project contains an office building and 425 luxury apartments and condominiums.
BRIDGETON, MO. — The Junior College District of St. Louis, dba St. Louis Community College, has acquired the Marcasco Building, which is located at 3221 McKelvey Road in Bridgeton. Situated on approximately 9 acres, the 149,553-square-foot property sold for $5.5 million. The college plans to invest $3.6 million in renovations to the building, including a first phase upgrade of 27,000 square feet. The instructional space will include dedicated-purpose labs, eight to 10 classrooms, conference/meeting/seminar breakout rooms, a multipurpose room, computer training labs and a Prometric/Ceriport testing center. The college's phased move-in is scheduled to begin in spring 2011. Stephen Gwinnup of Coldwell Banker Commercial CRA represented the buyer; Cassidy Turley represented the sellers, Crusader LLC and Regions Bank, in the transaction.
RED OAK — Cadence McShane Construction Co. has completed the $66.5 million, 340,00-square-foot Red Oak High School, located at State Highway 342 and FM 2377 in Red Oak. The three-story high school features 120 instructional spaces, a large performing arts center, a full-service cafeteria, a digitally equipped library, an arts studio, dance and theater areas and comprehensive science laboratories. Also included is an athletics wing containing a large competition gymnasium, two additional sports gymnasiums, weight and practice rooms, and coaching and administrative offices.
BLOOMINGDALE, ILL. — Leopardo is constructing a new headquarters facility for the Scottish Rite Cathedral Association's Valley of Chicago. Located at the corner of Lake Street and Medinah Road in Bloomingdale, the two-story, 61,000-square-foot property will feature a museum, a library, a traditional hall, kitchen facilities, a dining room for 290 people, a bar and game room, a grand hall, administrative offices and a 270-seat theater. Leopardo is serving as general contractor and construction manager; Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates is serving as architect; and Core Project Management Group is providing representation for the owner. The project, The Scottish Rite – Valley of Chicago, will be completed by year's end of 2011.
INDIANAPOLIS — The $130 million expansion has opened at Community Hospital South in Indianapolis. The project includes a new five-story, 194,000-square-foot patient tower that boosts hospital capacity to 150 all-private rooms and six new surgical suites that accommodate multiple disciplines. The project also included a 100,000-square-foot renovation of existing spaces, including patient rooms, kitchen areas, central sterile, pre- and post-op units, daybed units and PACU. RTKL provided planning and design services for the project.
FORNEY — The Regional Transportation Council has voted unanimously to allocate $9 million of a $78 million Kaufman County transportation package for the construction of the new Forney Parkway. These funds, together with the approval of the City of Forney and owners of the adjacent property Meadow Ridge Farms, complete the public funding portion of the public/private partnership. The Forney Parkway will be a multi-lane thoroughfare connecting FM 548 on the north to FM 1641 on the south. The 2.2-mile road will feature an above-grade, eight-lane interchange spanning S.H. 80 and the adjacent Union Pacific rail line.
QUANTICO, VA. — Marriottsville, Md.-based Harkins Builders has been selected to design and construct a $41.56 million student quarters and student dining facility at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico. The multi-story dining facility will provide a dining area and a media center for students attending The Basic School. Additionally, the project includes a student officer quarters facility and a multi-story building to support billeting for 250 Marine officers. Completion is scheduled for August 2012. Project members include Harkins Builders; Chicago-based VOA Architects; Reston, Va.-based Stanmyre + Noel; Rockville, Md.-based Burgess + Niple; Chicago-based Nayyar & Nayyar; and Baltimore, Md.-based Siegel, Rutherford, Bradstock & Ridgeway.
CHICAGO — Instituto del Progreso Latino has selected McShane Construction Co. to construct Instituto Health Science Career Academy, which will be located on a 1-acre site at 2520 S. Western Ave. in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. Designed to achieve LEED Silver certification, the three-story, 100,890-square-foot high school will offer students comprehensive science curriculum. The project includes the demolition of a free-standing building and the partial demolition of a existing 77,280-square-foot former warehouse and manufacturing facility. The completed project will incorporate part of the existing building with 23,610 square feet of new construction. The school will offer nine science labs, individual classrooms, group learning environments, a library, a cafeteria, office space and common areas. Sustainable features include natural day lighting and ventilation, low VOC materials, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, ENERGY STAR appliances, low-E glass and low-flow plumbing finishes. Ghafari Associates is providing architectural services for the project, which is scheduled for completion in August 2011. The Resurrection Project, a community-based nonprofit organization, is providing representation for the owner.
KINSTON, N.C. — Darland Construction Co. has partnered with Omaha, Neb.-based Woodmen of the World to plan and construct a $7.6 million multi-use community center in Kinston. The facility will offer recreation, fitness and meeting space. The 57,000-square-foot facility will be comprised of three components: a 10,000-square-foot office building, a gymnasium with an elevated track, and a third facility to house the locker rooms, pool support and a social hall with a catering kitchen. Additionally, the center will have an outdoor pool. Construction is currently underway with completion scheduled for summer 2011. Avant Architects is providing architectural services for the project.
MCKINNEY – The Texas Transportation Commission has approved a $120,000 grant to Collin County Regional Airport in McKinney to update its airport layout plan. The current plan, developed during a master plan study in 2004, includes a new runway that is currently under construction and expected to be complete in 2012. Completion of the runway will mark the conclusion of the current airport layout plan and a $71 million capital program. It will also mark the beginning of a new plan designed to outline and guide airport expansion through the next decade. The Texas Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation will fund $108,000 and the McKinney Airport Development Corp. will fund a matching share of $12,000 or 10 percent of the total grant, which is also the estimated project cost.