Flagstaff Development News

[kaneui]

Flagstaff continues to go green by installing two wind turbines to generate power at the new business incubator on McMillan Mesa:



Two Southwest Windpower Skystream 3.7 wind turbines were installed Wednesday
at the edge of the parking lot at the city incubator at Buffalo Park.
(photo: Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun)


Powered up on McMillan Mesa
By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
July 03, 2008

The city of Flagstaff is installing its first wind turbines at the new business incubator. The latest tenant for Flagstaff's business incubator project is relatively quiet and solitary, but somewhat hard to miss -- it stands more than 30 feet tall.

The city has purchased two Skystream wind generators from Southwest Windpower for the Northern Arizona Science, Technology & Clean Energy Center atop McMillan Mesa at a total cost of $12,500 for two. The 33-foot-tall wind turbines were installed Wednesday. The city paid for the wind generators out of the incubator's $3.6 million capital budget.

City officials are hoping to reduce the cost of the locally built generators by nearly two-thirds with rebates designed to spur the use of renewable energy. "We are looking into a rebate from APS," said Becky Daggett, the city's Business Retention and Expansion Manager. "We are estimating that rebate could be worth $4,500 per generating unit."

Part of the cost will also be recouped on the power generated from the twin generators. The Skystream generates between 30 percent and 80 percent of the power required by a typical home, but it is unclear how much the generators will offset the incubator's power bills. Daggett was reluctant to offer an estimate, noting it would depend on energy usage by the tenants of the 10,000-square-foot building and how much energy the Skystreams will generate. The average household in America consumes 888 kilowatt hours per month, according to the Department of Energy, while a Skystream is estimated to generate, on average, 800 kwh per month. No estimate exists for the power consumption at the incubator.

But despite the increasing demand for alternative energy, it is unlikely wind turbines will start sprouting up in Flagstaff neighborhoods. Currently, the incubator is one of only a few places in town with the 33-foot tall wind turbines as the city's 30-foot height limit for structures in residential zones makes them impractical. Andy Kruse, one of Southwest Windpower's co-founders, said he is working to lobby the city council to increase height limits. "You need to get them above the trees to work properly," he said. Coconino County allows for the residential turbines, but only on 1-acre or larger lots in unincorporated areas.

INNOVATION ON DISPLAY

City leaders hail the pairing of the world's largest manufacturer of small wind turbines -- Southwest Windpower -- with NASTCEC. "The City of Flagstaff is proud to partner with one of Flagstaff's premiere companies to power the Science, Technology & Clean Energy Center," said Flagstaff City Manager Kevin Burke. "Their innovation will now be a part of helping other entrepreneurs to create and grow their own companies."

One of the city's better-known entrepreneurs, a co-founder of Southwest Windpower, agrees. "Technology and the entrepreneurial spirit are the foundation of our company," said Southwest Windpower President David Calley, noting that he started the company in a garage 21 years ago. "It is very exciting to see the realization of our vision right here in our community."

Tucked away from Cedar Avenue, the generators are in a spot designed to blend in with the incubator and not mar the view of the Peaks. The generators will go in a parking lot where two light stands were expected to go but were nixed out of concerns the parking lot would be too bright. "They are in the back of a parking lot, out of view," Daggett said.

The windmills may be even harder to see in the near future, as the city ramps up to build the Flagstaff Science & Technology Park next year. The Park could include a two-story building that would effectively hide the generators but not prevent them from generating power. "It is an option," Daggett said of the second story. The incubator is scheduled to open this fall.

[kaneui]

Another McMillan Mesa project, a $20M Catholic Church campus, has broken ground and is scheduled for completion in 2010. (The new campus will replace Saint Pius X Church in east Flagstaff and St. Mary's school downtown, both of which will be sold.)




Bishop Olmsted and Father Mowrer, with an assist from Ed Van Beek of Vastco construction,
dig with gold shovels to start the roadway project, which will lead up the mesa to the church site.
(photo: Betsey Bruner/Arizona Daily Sun)




(renderings: Beringer Ciaccio Dennell Mabrey)


New Catholic church ready to take root
By BETSEY BRUNER
Arizona Daily Sun
July 16, 2008

It was a minor miracle when monsoon clouds parted early Monday evening, allowing low rays of sunlight to fall on about 300 people as they walked gingerly uphill though brick-red mud, rocks and pools of water. Members of the San Francisco de Asis Catholic Parish, they were climbing McMillan Mesa to attend the groundbreaking ceremony at the site of their future church and school.

After four years of dreaming and hard work, construction will begin in August, starting with a long roadway that will forge straight up the hill from East Route 66 to pink-flagged sticks marking outlines for buildings. "They say that good things come to those who wait, and this has been a very long wait," said Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, who made a special trip from Phoenix to officiate at the groundbreaking. "Sacrifice is the basis of love and sacrifice is what has happened in this parish for a long time." As the sun went behind tall pine trees, parish voices singing the "Prayer of Saint Francis" blended with the strident whistle from a passing train below.

AMAZING SPLENDOR

Bishop Olmsted was joined by Father Patrick Mowrer, pastor of the local parish. "Up there is the mesa, and that's where our church will be, and this is the road going up," explained Mowrer, to his assembled flock. Father Pat, as he is affectionately called, came to the Flagstaff parish in July 2004 from a post in Phoenix. He will probably see the building project through to completion.

Parishioners brought shovels and buckets and were invited to dig up cactus and native wildflowers in the path of the proposed roadbed. "The plants within the boundaries of the roadway are available anytime," added Father Pat, before he led a large group of people on a walk up the mesa. "The ground is soft and the air is fresh." Mike Vonesh, a 13-year parishioner, brought his 18-month-old son, John, and his daughter, Hannah, 13, to the ceremony. They were gathering cactus on the mesa. "We're thrilled," he said. "This is the first time we've had the opportunity to come here, and we are amazed with the splendor. As the bishop said, this has really been a long time coming, and we're really excited by the church that will be built up here."

AMBITIOUS PROJECT

Beginning with an ice cream social in November 2004, Flagstaff's Roman Catholic parish launched its $5 million campaign to raise money for a new consolidated campus atop McMillan Mesa. The campaign will be completed by 2010, according to a parish press release. The final cost of the project might top $20 million, and will include a church, school, hall/gym and parish offices. The church site is high up the hill, north of the juncture of Enterprise Road and Route 66. Plans call for the new roadway to join Enterprise Road to Ponderosa Parkway.

Organizers hope the planned sale of Saint Pius X Church at Fourth Street and Cedar Avenue will help fund the new building project. Plans also call for selling the St. Mary's School campus in downtown Flagstaff, a property valued at between $4 million and $5 million. Two other churches in the parish, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Our Lady of Guadalupe, both on the National Historic Register, will remain part of the parish and be used for daily Masses, weddings and funerals, as well as for scheduled Sunday Masses.

COMING TOGETHER

Members of the local Knights of Columbus, Father Douglas J. Nohava Council 1229, stood at attention in their plumed hats as Olmsted, Mowrer and Ed Van Beek, president of Vastco, Inc., the local heavy construction company that will build the road up the hill, used gold shovels to dig into the soft earth. Invited by Mowrer just last Thursday, Olmsted arrived in town Sunday night, in time to give Mass at the Newman Center. Monday, he took a two-hour hike, after celebrating morning Mass at Nativity downtown. "It's a great day," Olmsted said about the celebration. "We are giving thanks for the unity of the community. This is God's building. This community of San Francisco de Asis is God's plan."

About 14 years ago, the four original Catholic communities in the Flagstaff area were combined into one large community, San Francisco de Asis, which includes 2,000 families. The Flagstaff parish is one of 92 parishes in the Diocese of Phoenix, led by Olmsted since December 2003. "It was very difficult when the parishes had to ... come together as one parish," remembered Barbara Toberg, who has been a Catholic in Flagstaff for more than 40 years. "We're just so proud to be Catholics, so happy. Look at this: Everyone has come together as one." Toberg put some little yellow and orange wildflowers in a pot, to be replanted at her home.

[kaneui]

Although its operating budget has been cut by $7.5M, NAU has been allocated $170M for its building projects at the Flagstaff campus, including a new $80M Health Professions building:


NAU gets $170M for buildings
By LAURA CLYMER
Arizona Daily Sun
July 25, 2008

NAU officials got more than they hoped for Thursday when the Arizona Board of Regents approved $170 million in building projects in the next three years for the Mountain Campus. NAU plans to spend $90 million of the allocation on two new buildings, including a new Health Professions Building, and $80 million on deferred maintenance projects. The new capital spending at NAU is part of a $1 billion university "stimulus" package passed by the Legislature and aimed at reviving Arizona's lagging construction industry.

On Thursday, the Arizona Board of Regents approved $470 million toward a new downtown Phoenix medical school and biomedical research campus and $20 million for ASU's School of Construction. The remaining $530 million was split evenly among NAU, UA and ASU, rather than allocated according to campus enrollment.

The new Health Professions Building, slated for North Campus, will provide existing and new programs with state-of-the-art facilities and learning environments. The $80 million price tag will tap $60 million from the stimulus package funds and $20 million in Technology and Research Initiative Funds, another legislative appropriation. University officials hope to start construction in late 2009, with completion in early to mid-2011.

The other new construction will be to expand the university's wellness facility to include new classrooms at a cost of $30 million. Again, construction is set to start in the summer of 2009 with project completion by summer 2011.

The list of projects targeted for building renewal and deferred maintenance are:

$20 million for fire/life/safety and ADA mitigation at J. Walkup Skydome, North Union and Ardrey Auditorium

$35 million for classroom renovation of the old Inn at NAU ($6 million), Social and Behavioral Sciences ($15 million), Liberal Arts ($4 million), and Performing and Fine Arts ($10 million)

$25 million for utilities and campus infrastructure improvements

[kaneui]

The city is looking for a prospective tenant with investment capital to rehab a historic warehouse in a prime downtown location:



Becky Daggett, business retention and expansion manager with the City of Flagstaff, stands
with Jacki Mieler, business attraction manager from the City in the Copeland Lumber building.
The city hopes to lease the building to revitalize the abandoned warehouse.
(photo: Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun)


Southside Flagstaff eyesore due $1M renovation
The old Copeland Lumberyard warehouse on South San Francisco is being eyed by several prospective tenants.

By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
July 27, 2008

The long-abandoned lumber warehouse just south of the tracks on San Francisco Street just blends in with the neighborhood. The only signs of life are the handbills for local bars that quickly fade under the hot sun. But the city of Flagstaff has plans for the vacated Copeland Lumberyard. Officials are hoping to find a new tenant to inject much-needed renovation capital into the 11,000 square-foot dilapidated warehouse in exchange for a 50-year lease of one of the city's premier locations.

But city officials have made it clear there are several hurdles in store for the property's next tenant: Three of the four structures on the lot cannot be torn down because federal grants to the city are tied to their historic preservation Further, portions of the buildings would need to be restored and a parking area just north of the structures would eventually be torn up as part of the Rio de Flag flood control project. The city also believes that asbestos was used in the construction of some portions of the buildings, requiring costly remediation to remove the cancer-causing material from the prime downtown location.

Community Investment Director Michael Kerski said that despite the estimated $1 million needed to remodel the buildings, the investment will pay for itself over time. The key, Kerski said, is its location. "It is a great location and highly visible," Kerski said. "When giving directions, you can just say you're across from the tracks."

BREWERIES SHOW INTEREST

The warehouse's location close to a rail spur was indeed a selling point to several prospective tenants who toured the main building Thursday. Owners of Mogollon Brewery and Beaver Street Brewery are looking for sites to expand their beer-making businesses. Both saw being located next to the railroad as a way to offset distribution costs in the year of $4-a-gallon gas.

Dave Williamson of Mogollon Brewery, whose brewery is a few blocks away north of the tracks, said the old lumberyard could serve as a way to boost production as well as keep his business in Flagstaff. Williamson has stated in the past he was considering moving his brewery out to Bellemont. "We are pretty limited as to what we can do production-wise at our current facility. This (new location) would allow us to grow," he said. He agreed with Kerski's assessment of why the Copeland property would be worth the expensive investment in both time and money. "We are about half a block away from the real tourist traffic," Williamson said. "It is right in the middle of downtown."

Evan Hanseth of Beaver Street Brewery also saw the opportunity to expand. He said the Copeland building would allow him to increase capacity of his brewery to the point that he could begin distributing his beer to other cities.

MORE INTERESTED PARTIES

But beer-making wasn't the only idea in the room Thursday morning. Jonathan Day, who owns a small Indian Arts store, said he had a plan to put several retail shops on the property. He refused to elaborate on his plans, saying he wants to keep his project a secret for now. Day sees the property as at the epicenter of downtown Flagstaff and believes the building is one of many south of the tracks that needs to be revitalized. "The north part of downtown is pretty much full, so the place to grow is in the south" he said. "There are a lot of great buildings here, along Phoenix Avenue and Beaver Street, that aren't being used to their full potential." Also touring the location was downtown landlord Maury Herman.

Some downtown business owners see the old lumber warehouse as the perfect spot to build a downtown parking garage. The city already the owns the land, removing the prospect of expensive land acquisition near downtown Flagstaff. But the city's historic preservation officer, Karl Eberhard, said the city could jeopardize countless federal grants if it tore down a building it had vowed to protect. The oldest lumberyard building dates back to the 1890s and is the last remaining building from Flagstaff's lumber era. As an example, Eberhard said the city received $52 million from the federal government for the Rio de Flag flood control project on the condition that the historic warehouse and several other Southside buildings be preserved.

CAMEO ROLE IN FILM

The city expects the Army Corp of Engineers to take 18 to 24 months to put in an underground channel just south of the rail lines. The project would occupy most of the old lumberyard area dedicated to parking, but would not disturb any of the buildings.. One of the buildings also has a cameo role in the opening credits of the 1969 film classic, "Easy Rider." Part of the city's plans would require the restoration of that building to its historic roots, as seen in the movie.

Because of the property historic status, the future tenant could qualify for a 20 percent tax credit for rehabilitating the buildings. The city hopes to select a winning bidder by September, with the expectation of entering into a final lease agreement by the end of October. The city's call for bids does not set a price floor for the first few years of the lease as compensation for the Rio de Flag construction that would tear up the building's parking area. After work on the flood control channel is completed, the city's request for proposals calls for the tenant to pay market lease rate for the property. The RFP suggests that the city wants to see the lumberyard rehabilitated within a 16-month period following the signing of the lease.

[Duranguense17]

flagstaff is nice but i prefer prescott valley

[kaneui]

The city's new $16.6M Aquaplex near the 4th Street overpass will offer discounts to both low-income residents and city employees:




The Flagstaff Aquaplex is almost complete with water in the pool and construction crews
working on finishing touches in preparation for the August 30 opening.
(photo: Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun)



Flagstaff Aquaplex sets Aug. 30 opening
Nonresidents will pay slightly higher fees, with discounts for low- income city residents

By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
July 30, 2008

In a month, local residents will have another option to swim, climb rocks and exercise even when it is snowing outside this winter. The city of Flagstaff Aquaplex is set to open on Aug. 30, offering a variety of activities for residents and visitors alike, with daily admission fees between $3 and $5 per person. Amenities include a two-story climbing wall, state-of-the-art cardio and fitness equipment and an indoor running track. The aquatic portion of center includes a lap pool, a lazy river, splash area for small children and two year-round water slides that exit and re-enter the building.

Jane Binder, the city's recreation manager, doesn't believe the city's new recreation center will be competing with local health clubs, despite the long list of amenities offered by the city facility. "We will have a different clientele. The health clubs here in town offer more amenities than we will," said Binder. She said that the Aquaplex does not have tennis and racquetball courts like the ones found at Flagstaff Athletic Center. Although the construction of the $16.6 million Aquaplex will be paid for through property taxes, a majority of the operations and maintenance costs will be paid with revenue generated by admission fees. In 2004, voters approved separate bonds for an aquatic center and recreation center, which were eventually combined to pay for the Aquaplex.

The city will offer a variety of ways to pay of admission, ranging from a daily pass to three-month, six-month and yearly passes with unlimited admission. The prices vary, with nonresidents paying slightly higher fees to use pool facilities, gym and other amenities than residents.

The city has also set up a scholarship fund to enable low- income residents to use the Aquaplex, selling passes at a subsidized price based on income. To qualify for the program, a family of four would have to make less than $21,200 a year and be city residents for at least three months. Applicants will be asked to provide proof of financial information, such as enrollment in one of the state's assistance programs or payroll information. All information will be kept confidential. The maximum a family could qualify for in a year would be a discount of $250, nearly the equivalent of a six-month family pass. The city also will offer a business pass program that allows employees the opportunity to buy annual passes at a discounted rate. The discount is worth approximately 10 percent.

[kaneui]

With a second airline now providing direct flights to Los Angeles, the airport will spend $1M to expand its holding area:


Flagstaff airport seeking to expand
Construction would add room for more passengers

By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
July 31, 2008

The city of Flagstaff is close to accepting a $1.2 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to expand the secure hold area at Flagstaff Pulliam Airport. Roughly $1 million of the grant would go toward building a 2,900 square-foot addition to the existing airport's secure hold area.

The expansion of the holding area would essentially allow the city to pre-board Horizon Air and Mesa Air passengers simultaneously. Currently, the two airlines have to stagger pre-boarding to compensate for the current size of the holding area.

A portion of the grant, approximately $258,394, will be used for final funding for the $18.9 million runway extension project. Loven Contracting, Inc., which has already completed the design phase of the contract, is likely to be awarded the construction contract for the improvements, according to city documents. Construction is scheduled to begin in August and be completed this December. The city council will decide whether to accept the federal grant during next week's Tuesday night meeting.

[kaneui]

A new residence hall at NAU includes classrooms, key-card access, a faculty-in-residence and numerous "green" features:



Besides cable TV and web access, here's another feature at Aspen Crossing—and all NAU's single-student residence halls—that you didn't have in your dorm room. Laundry view: from a computer desktop, students can view the status of all laundry machines in their building. They can also receive computer alerts or cell phone text messages when their laundry is ready. (photo: Tom Alexander)



A view from one of several public areas in NAU's new Aspen Crossing residence hall.
(photo: Tom Alexander)


Cool, 'green' Aspen Crossing opens to freshmen
Inside NAU
August 13, 2008

Incoming freshmen will have a chance to live in the newest—and greenest—residence hall available when Aspen Crossing opens its doors. "It filled to capacity long before we were able to walk through the building," said Cynthia Anderson, senior associate director of Residence Life. Aspen Crossing will house about 360 students in 181 suite-style rooms, meaning two rooms—four residents—share each bathroom. This year the hall will be limited to freshmen who are part of an academic living community, such as in business, biomedical professions or physics and astronomy. Members of the Arizona Board of Regents will stage a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, Aug. 14, to officially open the hall. Students will begin moving in Aug. 21.

The residence hall has the amenities that students expect in modern university living quarters, such as wireless Internet access, two large kitchens per floor, large common areas, game and exercise rooms and a large outdoor grassy square with barbecue grills. However, several academic and environmental amenities set Aspen Crossing apart from other residence halls, Anderson said. Aspen Crossing will feature two classrooms where courses linked to the residents' learning communities will be taught. In the evening, the classrooms will be used for tutoring and hall-sponsored programs.

Although classrooms can also be found in Cowden and Tinsley halls, Aspen Crossing will have an apartment for NAU's first faculty-in-residence, Niranjan Venkatraman, assistant professor of electrical engineering. Venkartram will be actively involved in supporting the learning communities associated with the College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences and working with staff to create an environment that supports and extends student learning, Anderson explained. "If students don't make a purposeful connection with their university in a relatively short time, it can prove difficult for their personal education," Anderson said. "The learning communities and faculty-in-residence concept will help our students bond with one another and with NAU."

Apsen Crossing was constructed to standards set forth by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. Although NAU is not seeking LEED certification, some of the "green" features include thermal glass throughout the building; low-energy heating with limited individual thermostats; motion-sensitive public area lighting; low-voltage lighting with electronic ballasts throughout the building; extensive use of natural lighting; low-flow toilets and showers; energy-efficient appliances on the floors; and landscaping that includes drought-tolerant plants to be watered using reclaimed water.

"Many colleges and universities are constructing new residential facilities with attention to sustainability and support of student learning inside and out of the formal classroom," Anderson said. "Because NAU has long been a leader in environmental research and education, it only makes sense to carry that tradition into the living areas." Aspen Crossing also is the first NAU hall to have key-card access to individual rooms, adding to the safety and security of residence.

[kaneui]

A three-year, $170M slate of capital improvement projects at NAU will include a new 120k sq. ft. Health Professions Building, renovations to the Walkup Skydome and a rebuilt Lumberjack Stadium:


NAU braces for building disruptions
Construction over the next three years will touch every corner of the Mountain Campus

By LAURA CLYMER
Arizona Daily Sun
September 05, 2008

Northern Arizona University will embark on an ambitious, $170 million building renovation and construction program starting in January. Once completed, the program will change the look of NAU's Mountain Campus and help it accommodate the student enrollment growth it has seen over the last three years and position it for future growth in programs such as health professions. But with the all the planned construction come growing pains -- more cramped parking, students and faculty displaced by classroom and office renovations, and a number of community events that will have to find other venues temporarily.

At a campuswide forum Thursday afternoon, NAU President John Haeger delivered a "state of the university" speech, touching on the university's enrollment growth, its plans for increasing the number of bachelor degrees awarded, how to meet a $7.5 million budget cut for the fiscal year and the building program, which will be paid for in large part by Arizona Lottery money.

Haeger described the building program as a "public works project" and made the argument that in a down economy, massive programs like this will help the struggling construction companies, which could bid on the work. "We hope under the competitive bid process that most of this will go to Arizona contractors," said Haeger, noting, however, the university must still abide by procurement laws.

In all, NAU has about $170 million to spend over 3 1/2 years. Some of the projects will interfere with community events, such as local high school graduations and the performance venue for the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, in addition to displacing NAU events. And Haeger minced no words when he said the construction projects will disturb the campus parking situation. University planners are already weighing several options to ease the parking squeeze, including off-campus parking with shuttle service, bus passes for faculty and staff, and even the construction of an additional parking garage on North Campus.

DEMAND FOR BACHELOR DEGREES
To meet a growing, in-state demand for workers with bachelor degrees, the state university system needs to double its output, Haeger said. Currently, Arizona produces about 18,000 undergraduate- degreed students a year. By 2020, university officials and state leaders such as Gov. Janet Napolitano want that number to be 36,000. America's rank in producing bachelor degrees has fallen over the last 20 years, Haeger said. So, too, has its ranking in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. "Our economic prosperity in this country depends on improving education," he said. "We need a massive investment in education dollars."

NAU has also refocused its student recruitment efforts for minority, out-of-state and international students and seen growth in all three groups in the last three years. Haeger cited the 23 percent growth in international students this fall over fall 2007, from 190 to 234 students. "If we're going to educate students to live in a global society, the campus has to look and feel like a global society," Haeger said.

Haeger made the case that the building and construction projects will position NAU to accommodate student growth.



CAPITAL PROJECT TIMELINE

NAU President John Haeger released a tentative timeline for the planned eight projects. Here's a list of the project and scope, start and finish dates and potential impacts:

-- Walkup Skydome renovation; health and safety improvements to include new railings, seats, bathroom accommodations, expanded office space and handicap accessibility; January 2009 to July 2009; Dome closed in April 2009.

-- Liberal Art building renovation; classroom renovations for first and second floors; January 2009 to August 2009; Building closed in January 2009.

-- Inn at NAU renovation; conversion of former Hotel Restaurant Management classroom lab into regular classrooms; January 2009; parking likely affected.

-- Utility infrastructure; upgrade boiler plant, sewer lines and tunnels; March 2009 to August 2010.

-- North Union Infrastructure; replace roof and upgrade utilities; spring 2009; Prochnow Auditorium closed for summer of 2009.

-- Ardrey Auditorium/Performing Arts building; health and safety improvements to include new seating and rigging and some classroom renovation; May 2009 to December 2009; Ardrey closd in May 2009.

-- Wellness Center additon; two floors of classrooms added to student-financed expansion of recreation center; July 2009 to July 2011; parking affected.

-- Health Professions Building; largest of the construction projects will be a new, 120,000 square-foot Health Professions Building, which will provide expanded programming for students in the health-related disciplines; start time to be determined with completion by December 2011; the new building will be located on the open field south of the Wall Aquatic Center.

In a separately funded project, Lumberjack Stadium will be torn down and rebuilt with fewer seats and improved office and lockerroom facilities. The project is to start in July 2009 and will mean the that track will be out of commission from July through August. The women's soccer team will be able to play its game there during the project.

Source: Northern Arizona University public affairs office

[kaneui]

WalMart is determined to get a Supercenter built in Flagstaff--after more than two years of negotiations and redesigns, the company's latest plan is for a store of only 114,000 sq. ft., down from the originally proposed 212,000 sq. ft.:



(render: Arizona Daily Sun)



Supercenter revs up permit process
After two years, Wal-Mart might have a building permit within eight weeks for its scaled-back store on Huntington Drive.

By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
September 15, 2008

Recently submitted plans to the city for the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter are a signal the retailer has gotten serious about building the one-story, 114,018 square-foot store next year. A city staffer familiar with the project has suggested that the review could be finished in as little as eight weeks. This means that if all goes to plan, the Supercenter could start construction early next year.

For more than two years, the nation's largest retailer has traded comments and designs with city staffers. But the latest submission is asking for a full formal review of the plans by the city's development review board, the final and only authority needed to approve a building permit for the Supercenter. Because the project complies with the underlying zoning of the 15.6-acre site Wal-Mart owns on Huntington Drive next to the Outback Steakhouse, it does not need the approval of the city's planning and zoning commission or the city council.

Discussions between Wal-Mart and the city fell apart last fall when a traffic impact analysis suggested the store could produce as many as 13,000 extra trips a day at nearby intersections and two- lane roads. Included in the submitted plans is a new traffic impact analysis under review by city planners. The current plans call for a smaller store that has been pushed to the easternmost edge of the property. A proposed two-story parking garage has been eliminated, with plans identifying fewer than 500 parking spaces.

Original plans submitted to the city called for a two-story, 212,000-square-foot building, which was later cut to 178,000. The latest proposal is slightly larger than Flagstaff's current Wal-Mart store, which is 105,000 square feet. The new Supercenter will offer a fully-stocked supermarket, while the Wal-Mart in west Flagstaff sells primarily discount retail goods. The retail giant is expected to keep its "green" features for the store, including skylights and the use of local building materials.


Flagstaff Wal-Mart Supercenter chronology

-- July 2006: 212,000 square feet

-- Sept. 2006: 212,000 square feet, but with new, environmentally friendly features

-- July 2007: 178,000 square feet

-- June 2008: 114,000 square feet

Size of west Flagstaff Wal-Mart:

--105,000 square feet

[kaneui]

Southwest Contractor's November report on northern Arizona development confirms that although the construction slowdown mirrors the general economy, there are still some large projects moving forward, including Flagstaff's Aspen Place at the Sawmill and several new structures at NAU:




The $120 million Aspen Place at the Sawmill features a distinctly local personality with quaint,
awning-shaded sidewalks leading to buildings comprised of local stone, brick and weathered steel.
(Image courtesy DAVIS)


Slowdown Among the Pines

Northern Arizona Activity Report
Construction activity has slowed dramatically in the past year, but some projects are still underway, including Aspen Place at the Sawmill, several NAU projects and a new gas pipeline.

By Michèle Van Haecke
Southwest Contractor
November, 2008

Northern Arizona’s once-active volcanoes could serve as models for the economic state of the local construction industry. Solid markets have melted away. Financial backing has dissolved in vapor and ash. While no one knows how long this formerly explosive market will remain dormant, experts agree it won’t stir soon. “It took a while to get into this situation,” says Ronald Gunderson, a Northern Arizona University economics professor for more than 30 years and a frequent adviser to regional community and economic leaders. “To correct it will take time as well.” Fundamental shifts in the credit market and supply and demand are necessary for recovery, and there’s no quick fix, he adds.

According to the Arizona Department of Commerce, the state’s construction industry lost 37,200 jobs (16.4%) between August 2007 and August 2008, the largest such decrease in a decade. The unemployment rate is up in northern communities where construction is big. Around Flagstaff and Prescott it’s above 5%; Mohave County 7.4%; Navajo County 9.5%; and Apache County 11.4%. “It’s a reversal of what we’ve seen in all these areas,” Gunderson says. “Our primary leg to stand on has been knocked out.”

As elsewhere, residential construction has been hard hit. U.S. Census Bureau data shows single-family permits in the five northern counties fell from 10,032 in 2005 to 6,987 in 2006 to 3,902 in 2007, a 44% drop. By August 2008, permits for Flagstaff, Prescott and Lake Havasu City-Kingman totaled 938. Permit figures don’t show planned building that never started, such as 3,500 homes in Flagstaff’s Villagio Montana community scuttled by the developer in 2007 or a Young’s Farm project deadlocked in Dewey-Humboldt.

While some commercial activity continues, local development officials report trouble here, too. A Sam’s Club and two hotels will be completed this fall in Prescott Valley, but a Super Wal-Mart has been postponed two years. Other commercial and municipal projects in town are awaiting funding. Money trouble has stalled or scrapped at least 10 approved projects around Payson, and in Prescott several are gathering dust. “I’ve never seen anything anywhere near this severe or this prolonged,” says Arizona Contractors Association vice president Larry Adams, a Prescott native who’s owned commercial and residential Pueblo Construction in Bullhead City for 43 years. Adams says the industry is “on life support” and cautions against banking on commercial jobs. “Commercial always follows residential,” he says. There are exceptions, including a pipeline extension, work at Northern Arizona University and several local municipality projects.


Energy on the Move
An additional 500 million cu ft of natural gas per day will soon be flowing to metro Phoenix and parts south. The Transwestern Pipeline Co. Phoenix Expansion project will bury 258 mi of 36- and 42-in. pipe from its San Juan mainline in Ash Fork to Pinal County. The Houston-based company’s $850 million project will include 105,000 tons of steel pipe and provide a second gas source to distributors, currently served by El Paso Natural Gas Co. The project has been planned since 2005, says Don Hawkins, Transwestern senior vice president of operations and engineering. It gained authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in November 2007 and began construction in January. The route primarily parallels the El Paso line.

Contractors were selected years ago because expertise and availability are vital, Hawkins says. “A pipeline crew has a lot of different people who are experts at what they do,” he says. Universal Ensco and Gregory & Cook, both based in Houston, are doing most of the expansion’s work. In full swing, the project includes 20 to 25 crews of engineers, welders, inspectors and other specialists numbering about 1,000. “The team we have out there is one of the best,” says Ronnie Wise, Gregory & Cook vice president, who has built cross-country pipelines across the West and constructed his first in Arizona in 1984. “To watch a pipeline project with 25 crews all working [in succession] is really something to see.”

Transwestern’s pipe is made in Italy, shipped to Houston and sent by rail to “pipeyard” staging areas. The route is cleared and graded, then 40- to 80-ft sections of pipe are “strung” alongside. Trenches are excavated following topography and allowing at least 3 ft of cover. The pipe is bent and joined, a meticulously engineered process. For the first time, Transwestern is using mechanized welding, hydraulically bending and welding the steel from within. Then the pipe is coated with fusion-bonded epoxy and lowered into place. Crews are usually able to lay between 1.5 and 2 mi of pipe a day, Wise says.

The crew zipped through most of Yavapai County, but populated, rocky areas around Black Canyon City often slowed progress. In addition to archeological sites, subdivisions and rock, the area’s numerous washes required bending pipe in advance, burying it extra deep and adding erosion control measures. But the washes were nothing like crossing the Verde River north of Chino Valley, Wise says. Crossing the narrow canyon required coating the pipe with special concrete and using a bridge to lower it into place. Coordination included contractors, public agencies and contract fisheries biologists on hand to temporarily remove the river’s endangered native roundtail chubs. Wise had 48 hours to complete the crossing before the fish came home. Special reclamation crews arrive about 15 days after each section is done to restore the area. Hawkins says the project, originally scheduled for November completion, is now expected to be in service sometime in December.


Gaining SPEED
Construction at NAU has bucked the trend and has actually been on the rise. In 2005 the university completed an engineering building expansion and the $24 million W.A. Franke College of Business. In 2007, it added the $26 million Applied Research and Development Facility, second in Arizona to go LEED platinum. The same year, it partnered with the city of Flagstaff to build the High Country Conference Center, a $22 million convention space and hotel. Other projects include housing, infrastructure, athletic fields and parking.

NAU’s capital development trend is set to continue. Its $170 million share of Arizona Stimulus Plan for Economic and Educational Development funding will go to eight projects including an $80 million Health Professions Building, which will aim for LEED silver and include classrooms, offices and clinic spaces. The university was negotiating with a prospective architect and contractor in October. The balance of funds will be used to add floors to a 250,000-sq-ft Health and Wellness Center expansion; renovate the Liberal Arts Building and The Inn at NAU; and upgrade the Skydome, Ardrey Performing Arts Center, North Student Union and infrastructure. The projects couldn’t have come at a better time, says Tim Kinney, who has managed several NAU projects through Flagstaff-based Kinney Construction Services. “It will probably maintain 200 to 300 jobs in Flagstaff alone,” he says.


Extending the NAU Reach
Kinney’s company is construction manager at risk for the university’s Distance Learning Center project, a $12.5 million School of Communications expansion that consolidates programs scattered among three locations. It includes a 24,500-sq-ft addition and 13,500-sq-ft renovation that will house videoconference classrooms, TV production facilities, conference rooms, offices and a connective multistory atrium. It also remodels the existing two-story TV Services space and adds a 1,500-sq-ft television studio.

Project architect Burns Wald-Hopkins Shambach Architects, the Tucson firm that designed the applied research facility, designed the project to LEED silver specifications. Schematic design began with orientation of the addition, pivoted at its connection with the existing building for a true-south elevation. A three-story, wedge-shaped atrium connects the structures, maximizes daylight and serves as a striking entry. An adjacent exterior will be covered with local sandstone and a SolarWall, a prefabricated, perforated metal trombe wall that captures solar energy to boost heating in winter and shading in summer.

Other green features include an active chilled beam HVAC system, two living walls, water reclamation for toilets, lighting controlled for daylighting and occupancy, and water-efficient, regionally appropriate landscaping. The parking lot will be relocated and converted to open space and pathways redesigned. To meet a fall 2009 occupancy target, the project was fast-tracked through university approval and design. In August, Kinney crammed his crew onto the tight brownfield site to begin excavation. As usual in the Flagstaff area, soil presented immediate challenges, as did overexcavation and drilling for caissons. His crews relocated a busy road and underground utilities.


The Start of Something Big
The City of Flagstaff is so confident a $120 million downtown mixed-use urban-infill project will spur redevelopment, it’s put $20 million toward construction. A city improvement district is helping build Aspen Place at the Sawmill, a pedestrian-friendly center including 155,000 sq ft of retail space and a residential component. Developed by Scottsdale-based The Aspen Group and designed by Tempe-based DAVIS, the project sits on a 38-acre former sawmill site at the intersection of Butler Avenue and Lone Tree Road.

The bond ordinance came in spring 2007 when clean-up cost estimates threatened to kill the project. “There are not many 40-acre sites in Flagstaff and we saw the incredible potential the size of the site and location offered,” says Aspen Group founder and CEO Donald Meyers. “The city realized the value of the improvement.” The project has plenty of benefits, says James Duval, the city’s project manager for construction. It turns a vacant lot into tax base, removes an eyesore and creates an appealing destination, he says.

Work started June 2007 but was soon interrupted by monsoon rains. Crews removed stumps as far down as 6 ft, encountered rock shelves and doubled estimated earthwork. Excavation dragged into autumn, then winter shut everything down. Waiting on the sidelines was project contractor Ryan Co. of Phoenix. The start date was a moving target, the weather a tyrant and, once begun, construction was a collaborative endeavor that required meticulous attention, says Casey Cartier, Ryan Co. construction division manager.

Buildings feature pitched roofs and local stone, brick and weathered steel with awning-shaded storefronts. A central common area includes an outdoor amphitheater and event space. “The village feel of the project is very site specific,” says Joe Murray, principal with DAVIS. “You couldn’t transplant it anywhere else.” It will include about 40 retail and restaurant spaces anchored by a 23,000-sq-ft New Frontiers Natural Marketplace, a grocery store that opened in May. By October the first phase was 70% leased and phase two was under way.

“Despite the current downturn in the market it made sense to move forward, and our retail tenants wanted to move forward as well,” Meyers says. “It is in the best interest of the long-term development of the project to continue to build the retail/commercial sector and have the residential follow.” The project’s 321 residential units were planned prior to the housing collapse. To adapt, Aspen Group added a phase and postponed residential construction to 2010, though “we will be watching the market closely to do what makes the most sense,” Meyers says.

[kaneui]

October 27 aerials of the 38-acre Aspen Place at the Sawmill development, showing new retail buildings going up, as well as more infrastructure for the future housing phase:







FYI: the big lawn areas seen in the upper RH corner are where the Arizona Cardinals hold most of their summer training camp practices.

(photos: Aspen Place at the Sawmill)

[kaneui]

The city may have found a tenant to rehab and occupy the historic Copeland Lumber building on S. San Francisco St.:



(rendering: Barclay-Smith Architects)



the long-vacant Copeland Lumber building
(photo: Arizona Daily Sun)



Brewery ready to expand
Beaver Street Brewery is set to build a second restaurant and microbrewery at an old lumberyard just south of the tracks in downtown Flagstaff

By JOE FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
December 16, 2008

The owners of Beaver Street Brewery in Flagstaff have plans to convert a vacant lumber warehouse just south of the tracks into a second downtown restaurant and microbrewery. The plans hinge on approval of the Flagstaff City Council, which is being asked to consider a complicated 50-year lease of the city-owned land that would start at just a dollar a year. In exchange, the owners of Beaver Street could pour as much as $2 million worth of improvements into the historic J.D. Halstead Lumber Company building at South San Francisco and Phoenix. The existing restaurant does roughly $4 million of business each year, according to a city staff report.

The new location would allow Beaver Street to begin bottling its beer for local, and eventually, statewide distribution. It would also create 70 new jobs that average $12 an hour. Evan Hanseth of Beaver Street Brewery said he has reached production capacity at his current 9,000 square-foot location on Beaver Street. "The brewery there has been pretty maxed out this summer and we don't have any room for expansion," Hanseth said. "One of the reasons we are going to do this is to be able to make more beer and supply the existing restaurant." An increase in volume would help Hanseth deliver cans of Railhead Red and other award-winning, seasonal beers he produces to local grocery and liquor stores. Beaver Street only distributes its beer now in 64-ounce glass bottles known as growlers and sells it only at the restaurant. "Initially, it would be locally and then statewide eventually," Hanseth said.

CANS, NOT BOTTLES

He said plans currently call for distributing in cans rather than glass bottles. "The trend in the industry is using cans, it is more environmentally friendly," he said. Fans of the existing Beaver Street location have nothing to fear, Hanseth said, because the new plans will not affect current operations. "We are not going to close the restaurant we have, this is going to be a whole new venue. " Hanseth said. "It will be a whole different cuisine ... we will cater to the college crowd. In some respects, we are going to compete with ourselves."

If approved by the council, Hanseth said the new restaurant would open sometime after the new brewery is up and running, projected for December 2009. The lease would require the brewery, the sole bidder on the city contract, to preserve existing historic buildings. Community Investment Director Michael Kerski said he has seen plans that call for Beaver Street to spend an estimated $2 million to remodel the existing buildings.

TIERED RENTAL CONTRACT

The draft agreement with the city, if approved, would have a tiered rental contract, with Beaver Street paying $1 a year until the new brewery opens. The rent would increase to $1,500 a month until the city closes off the adjacent parking lot to make improvements to the Rio de Flag flood control project. As the city demolishes the parking lot to build an underground culvert, Beaver Street would not have to pay any rent. When the project is finished, the city would rebuild the 40-space parking lot and charge Beaver Street $3,000 a month, with annual two percent increases. The lease is for 50 years, with two optional 10-year extensions. The property will then revert to city at the end of the lease.

SOME WANT PARKING GARAGE

Some downtown business owners see the old lumber warehouse as the perfect spot to build a downtown parking garage. The city already the owns the land, removing the prospect of expensive land acquisition near downtown Flagstaff. But the city's historic preservation officer, Karl Eberhard, said the city could jeopardize countless federal grants if it tore down a historic building it had vowed to protect. The oldest lumberyard building on the site dates back to the 1890s and is the last remaining building from Flagstaff's lumber era.

As an example, Eberhard said the city is hoping to receive millions from the federal government for the Rio de Flag flood control project on the condition that the historic warehouse and several other Southside buildings be preserved. The Army Corps of Engineers has already allocated $18.6 million to the flood control project. Hanseth said in a letter to the city that he would work with the state Historic Preservation office and other regulatory agencies to keep the building and site on the historical register.


By the numbers:

Beaver Street Brewery

90-100 Current employees

70 Additional employees at second site

$4 million Current sales

$2 million Reported cost of renovations to the lumberyard

9,000 Size in square feet of current property

8,500 Size in square feet of second property

[kaneui]

Downtown's historic Orpheum Theater could soon be vacant as the current tenants' plan to purchase the building have fallen through:



(photo: Derek Cashman)



Orpheum future down to $300K
That's the gap that separates owner Rodger Fontanini's asking price and the appraised value his tenants are offering

By J. FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
December 21, 2008

No one likes the idea that the company that produces concerts, films and other events at the historic Orpheum Theater in Flagstaff will be moving out next April. Not the owner of the building, not the production company, not other downtown businesses and certainly not the fans who have grown to love the concerts performed at the Orpheum over the last six years. But with the production company unwilling to sign a new lease and the owner of the building wanting to sell the building for nearly $300,000 more than the company is willing to pay, the reality is that the Orpheum will be different next May.

Here's how the numbers shake out:

Purchase price of building in 2002: $376,000.

Improvements by tenants: $500,000

Current asking price by owner: $1.12 million.

Latest offer by tenants at appraised value: $830,000.


PREMIER CONCERT VENUE

The three men who run The Orpheum Presents production company, Chris Scully, Art Babbott and Turney Postlewait, said they have poured roughly $500,000 into improvements at the 91-year-old former downtown movie house. Those improvements transformed the venue into a premier Flagstaff location for Flagstaff for indoor concerts.

Scully said the money to build a new stage, pour a new concrete floor and rewire parts of the building was spent with the understanding that the three men would eventually buy the historic downtown landmark from the current owner, Roger Fontanini. Fontanini purchased the Orpheum in 2002 for $376,000, according to county records. He then negotiated a lease with TOP and even worked alongside the partners as they renovated the building. Scully said he believed the eventual sale of the Orpheum to TOP was never in doubt as he had numerous discussions with Fontanini since the Orpheum reopened its doors on New Year's Eve in 2002. But the relationship between the parties began to fray this summer when TOP formally approached Fontanini about buying the Orpheum. Further improvements had been planned, but the men were leery about investing even more into a building that they did not own.


LONG-TERM VISION

At the time, rent was only about $7,000 a month, Scully said, but the improvements they were planning were going to cost tens of thousands of dollars. "We clearly felt that we needed to get ownership of the building for our long-term vision of the facility," said Scully. At the heart of the dispute was money. Fontanini said the parties had agreed on a price in June of roughly $1.12 million. Scully said they never signed that agreement, the sole purpose of which was to get a bank to formally appraise the value of the building. When the appraisal came back at $830,000, the men offered Fontanini that price. He refused to sell at the new price. Weeks later, Scully said he received a letter from Fontanini saying the negotiations were closed and they had to leave Orpheum when their lease expires at the end of April.


DRAGGED THEIR FEET

Fontanini said he has worked closely with TOP for years, recalling working alongside Babbott as they tore out the old boiler from the building when it was being remodeled in 2002. He said he believed the agreement he had with Scully, Babbott and Postlewait was a fair price. He said he even gave them a lease extension while the group secured financing. "I had made an agreement with them early in the year -- like in June -- to sell them the Orpheum building and then they dragged their feet with it," he said. "In the meantime their lease was up and I gave them an extension on the lease for six months and lowered the lease rate to give them time to put their financing together."

He said the offer made by TOP was insufficient, despite being based on an outside appraisal for which the men had paid. "I've never tried to hold them up or anything. The original agreement I've made with them, what we negotiated, is a really fair price in relation to what downtown buildings have recently sold for," Fontanini said. "The price of the building is about 60 percent of what they sold the National Bank building for." The National Bank building on Leroux was sold to a group of Flagstaff businessmen in 2007 for $1.67 million. "They came back to me with a price that was considerably less than what we agreed on," Fontanini said.


MORE THAN IT'S WORTH

Scully said an agreement was never in place and that the figure was merely a placeholder. He contends Fontanini had agreed to sell the building at whatever price it was appraised at. "The owners said they were willing to sell at appraisal," Scully said. "[We] obtained an appraisal at our expense and The Orpheum Presents offered 100 percent of full appraised value: $830,000." Scully said the $1.14 million Fontanini seeks is impractical, as no bank would be willing to underwrite a loan for that much more than a building is worth. "The owners wanted approximately $300,000 above the appraised value and this doesn't work as a business model," Scully said.


NEW PLANS AFOOT

Both groups have stated they have new plans after TOP ends its management of the Orpheum at the end of April. Fontanini plans on finding a new group to manage the downtown venue. "I am sorry that these guys have elected not to renew their lease, but I am working with a new group because it is my intention to keep the Orpheum and make sure that it is a viable downtown enterprise for performing arts and concerts," he said.

Scully said they will find a new home for TOP this summer, taking their equipment out of the Orpheum and the lucrative liquor license they own to another location, preferably in downtown Flagstaff. "We intend to keep bringing productions to Flagstaff at the Amphitheater and at the other locations. We are currently looking at other potential locations for our business," Scully said. "It has been a privilege working with a great staff and patrons and being such an integral part of a revitalized downtown," he said.

[kaneui]

As elsewhere, development activity in Flagstaff has slowed, although 2008 saw numerous large projects break ground or completed. Here's a recap of last year and what to expect in 2009:

2008 Highlights

March
The $42M High Country Conference Center and adjoining 160-room Drury Inn and Suites on the north end of the Northern Arizona University campus opened for business. The conference center is already pulling in higher-than-expected bookings, and is also becoming a magnet for many community events and gatherings.


(photos: High Country Conference Center, Drury Hotels)

May
The first phase of the 38-acre, $120M Aspen Place at the Sawmill mixed-use project opened: a 25k s.f. New Frontiers Natural Marketplace. Further infrastructure and construction work continued on Phase II, mostly for additional retail in this "Main Street"-style development.


(photos: www.seekingcenter.com)


July
Ground was broken for a new $20M Catholic campus atop McMillan Mesa, which will include a new church, school, and parish offices. July also saw the opening of the city's new $16M Aquaplex near the 4th Street overpass, providing more affordable recreation options for residents.


new Catholic campus
(render: Beringer Ciaccio Dennell Mabrey)


city Aquaplex
(render: City of Flagstaff)

August
With its new $19M runway expansion complete, Flagstaff's Pulliam Airport welcomed the addition of Horizon Airlines to provide non-stop flights between Flagstaff and Los Angeles. NAU also opened its new Aspen Crossings residence hall in August, providing on-campus housing for an additional 360 students.


Aspen Crossings residence hall
(photo: Tom Alexander)

However, 2008 was not without a few setbacks: construction was halted unexpectedly earlier in the year at the Pinnacle Pines housing development, and the Flagstaff Mall has delayed its Phase III expansion, unable to secure a long-term lease with Harkins Theaters for a new cinema multiplex. The economic slowdown has also delayed construction on an adjacent auto mall.


2009

Here's what looks promising in the year ahead:

Aspen Place at the Sawmill: the retail portion of Phase II is expected to finish, although the housing component is on hold until the market improves.


retail street: Aspen Place at the Sawmill
(render: DAVIS)

NAU: With the AZ Board of Regents approving over $170M last fall for new capital improvement projects, NAU expects to begin the following in 2009: break ground on a new $80M, 120k s.f. Health Professions Building, tear down and rebuild Lumberjack Stadium, and begin numerous other infrastructure and renovation projects.

Wal-Mart: After three years, Wal-Mart has secured the necessary approvals to build its first SuperCenter in Flagstaff (although at 114k s.f., it will be much smaller than the average SuperCenter, generally over 200k s.f.). Construction is expected to begin sometime in spring or early summer.


(render: Arizona Daily Sun)

Beaver St. Brewery expansion: The brewery could spend over $2M in 2009 refitting an historical former warehouse into a new 8,500 sf. restaurant and brewery on S. San Francisco St.--an encouraging adaptive re-use project.


(render: Barclay-Smith Associates)

[kaneui]

One of the early casualties of the legislature's severe budget cuts to the three state universities, with more to come:


NAU closes Olympic training facility
Arizona Daily Sun
January 20, 2009

Northern Arizona University is closing its Center for High Altitude Training as a result of the university’s budget reduction, according to an afternoon press release from the NAU Public Affairs Office. Two regular NAU staff members and two temporary employees will lose their positions as a result.

Since its opening in 1994, the center has hosted elite athletes from around the world—about 80 percent being foreign swim teams. Closing the Center for High Altitude Training will save the university up to $230,000 a year. “This is not an easy decision for the university leadership,” said Mason Gerety, vice president for University Advancement. “But in this time of crisis we have to make difficult choices that will be in the best interest of all of Northern Arizona University.”

Last week, the state Legislature proposed spending reductions for the Arizona University System of $243 million for the remaining few months of the current fiscal year and $388 million for fiscal year 2010, which begins July 1. NAU’s share of the cut would be about $31.2 million for FY09 and almost $50 million for FY10. Since June 2008, Northern Arizona University has trimmed about $10.5 million in budget reductions. At the same time, NAU experienced the highest percentage enrollment growth—6.9 percent—in the Arizona University System. It has had 15 percent enrollment growth since 2005. The university has policies and practices in place for classified staff employees facing layoffs, which includes a 60-day notice. Service professional employees are subject to the conditions of professional service, which requires a 90-day notice for non-renewal. Additionally, Human Resources offers assistance in finding employment for employees facing layoff or non-renewal.

NAU will begin closing the center immediately but will honor commitments to a few teams that have scheduled visits through the end of the fiscal year. “The staff has done good work, and this is a tremendous loss,” said Gerety. “However, this is a time of unprecedented budget cuts and we have to look for savings throughout all areas of the university.” The center has never been self sufficient, Gerety said, and its duties are far removed from NAU’s core mission of providing exceptional undergraduate and graduate education as well as distance learning and research.

In 2004 the Center for High Altitude Training was designated a U.S. Olympic Training Site. “Losing the designation will be a loss to NAU and the community,” Gerety said. Representatives of the U.S. Olympic Committee and community leaders have been notified of the university’s decision.

[SRG]

Wow? Flagstaff, hmm.. interesting.

[kaneui]

A bit of positive news amidst a quiet development scene:


Three more NAU building projects OK'd
Arizona Daily Sun
February 26, 2009

The Legislature's Joint Committee on Capital Review has given Northern Arizona University the go-ahead to proceed with three additional building projects using so-called 'SPEED' money. The projects would be funded 80 percent by Arizona Lottery funds and 20 percent by NAU. The projects are part of the Stimulus Plan for Economic and Educational Development, or SPEED, and were approved by the Legislature and governor in June. SPEED is designed to provide funding for deferred maintenance projects, say university officials.

Members on Tuesday approved renovations for the Hotel and Restaurant Management building, the Liberal Arts building and the Skydome. However, a timeline on the latest construction is undetermined because of the university's current budget situation. The Liberal Arts Building project includes flooring, lighting, roof replacement, fire sprinkler system, and mechanical and electrical system upgrades in addition to classroom renovations. The HRM renovation will convert the old Inn at NAU hotel rooms and dining areas to classroom and lab space. The Skydome renovation would address fire, life safety deficiencies such as handrails, wheelchair spaces, fire suppression and seating in addition to electrical, mechanical and water issues. Previously approved projects include repairs to the North Union and improvements to the north campus infrastructure, which includes upgrades to the boiler plant and electrical service to many of the buildings on the north end of campus. These projects are currently in the design process.

ON THE WEB: www4.nau.edu/president/perspectives/speed.htm

[kaneui]

See post #146 for a model of this proposed monument for Buffalo Park:


Lights out on Starhenge?
Backers of the primitive observatory lack council support for a feasibility study, much less actual construction in Buffalo Park

By JOE FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
February 26, 2009


The prospects for building a football-field-sized primitive observatory on the eastern edge of Buffalo Park are grim. A 3-to-3 vote on just performing a feasibility study for the site, not actually building it, had councilmembers arguing for more than two hours Tuesday over the merits of the proposed Starhenge. In the end, the men behind Starhenge, local illustrator Steve Nelson and astronomer Chris Luginbuhl, failed to convince a majority of the council that Starhenge belonged on far eastern edge of the popular park. Both men said after the meeting that they would meet with the Starhenge steering committee on how to proceed without the $6,000 they wanted for the feasibility study. The committee has already raised $2,000 for the $8,000 study.

Mayor Sara Presler and councilmembers Joe Haughey and Scott Overton were opposed to spending $6,000 in Bed, Board and Beverage revenues set aside for public art for a feasibility study. Councilmembers Rick Swanson, Al White and Karla Brewster supported the study, but cautioned that their votes were not an endorsement of putting the monument in Buffalo Park. Councilmember Coral Evans was not in attendance on Tuesday night. Presler said she supported the project, but urged the backers to accept an offer from Lowell Observatory's trustee, William Putnam, to build it on Mars Hill. But Nelson dismissed the idea as it would require cutting down hundreds, maybe even thousands, of trees. Another suggestion was to move Starhenge to the Arboretum at Flagstaff, which sits on 200 acres of forest land and meadows. Nelson said the Arboretum would make a poor location, as it would be in a basin that offers poor visibility of the night sky. Another suggestion came from Brewster, who pushed to put the monument on the other side of Cedar Avenue overlooking Coconino High School.

Despite resistance from the council and community, Nelson and Luginbuhl held firm to their belief that Buffalo Park is the perfect spot for Starhenge. Key to their argument was the night sky itself, citing the lack of development, a grassland that would be easy to re-vegetate and a clear view of the horizon in almost every direction. They said the actual monument would cover only one-tenth of an acre in Buffalo Park's 215 acres. Public reaction at the council meeting to Starhenge was mixed. Nat White, a professional astronomer and former councilmember, believed there were less intrusive options to Starhenge. Cynthia White, president of Friends of Flagstaff's Future, said Starhenge's location could damage the peaceful environment of Buffalo Park. She said she supported the project, just not at Buffalo Park.

Others were far more supportive of Starhenge. The Dark Skies Coalition argued in favor of the study, as did an FUSD science teacher, who said she brought her students out to Buffalo Park to observe the planets and the stars with the naked eye. Even Overton's former kindergarten teacher came before the council, urging her former student (and the rest of the council) to support the proposed project. Nelson and Luginbuhl estimated Starhenge could cost as much as $4 million, although they said they would have a better understanding of the cost of the project after a feasibility study was performed. One factor in the high cost could be the large stone columns that would be used. Nelson believes the 16-to-20-foot high basalt columns would have to be shipped from California. Backers of Starhenge want to use grants and private donations to fund the construction of the primitive observatory.

[kaneui]

With some of the steepest home prices in the state, Flagstaff looks to add more affordable housing in a city that has few high-wage jobs:


Affordable housing plan meetings this week
By JOE FERGUSON
Arizona Daily Sun
March 24, 2009

Local developer AZNorth will hold several design meetings this week to discuss a new affordable housing subdivision it is planning near John Wesley Powell Boulevard. The project would adhere to Traditional Neighborhood Design guidelines, which promotes mixed-use, high-density, walkable neighborhoods. This would complement its neighbor, the planned Juniper Point development, which also proposes using a TND-style design. The development will be located on the north side of John Wesley Powell Boulevard, just east of the Pine Canyon golf club resort. AZNorth has hired Fisher Town Design, a design firm that specializes in TND-style neighborhoods.

The 27- acre parcel was purchased by AZNorth for $3.4 million with the understanding it would build 125 permanently affordable units for those making between 80 percent and 150 percent of the area media income. The parcel, donated to the city by Pine Canyon, is one of the largest in the city's land trust. The land beneath each affordable home would remain in city ownership, thus shaving an estimated $50,000 to $100,000 off the price of each home. AZNorth is expected to build and sell an additional 175 to 275 homes on the parcel at market prices, with the land deeded to the buyer. Construction of the development is expected to begin in 18 to 24 months, but Tom Brewster of AZNorth said that could change if the economy recovers sooner than expected.

Meetings will start tonight with an overview of the project from 5 to 7 p.m. Other meetings are scheduled on Wednesday from 3 to 6:30 p.m., Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.