Panhandle Development News - Page 2

ChuckScraperMiami#1 · January 26th, 2008, 04:37 AM

Florida Future

,
Our Tampa Bay Master and friend,
Panama City Beach is the # 1 destination again for Spring Breakers, This year , 2008, In less than 2 months the city is to be packed in with college Spring breakers

.
It's taller towers, wow Just completed 31 floor tower with the huge Hotel and resort under construction,
Wow !!!

IMO

, are to be regonized by other colleges around the country as Spring Break shows are put on National TV form Panama City Beach to the Nation.

FloridaFuture · January 26th, 2008, 03:29 PM

More money for the Pensacola Maritime Park Project.

Pensacola Maritime Park gets $2 million boost
State fund to match advertising magnate's families' $1 million donation

Jamie Page
jepage@pnj.com

The Lamar, Switzer and Reilly families are giving $1 million to name the ocean aquarium exhibit at the planned Community Maritime Park.

The C.W. Lamar Sr. Ocean Aquarium will be named in honor of Charles W. Lamar Sr., who founded his namesake advertising company in Pensacola in 1908. The three families are related — some by blood, some by marriage — and have all played a part in what is now Lamar Advertising Company. Lamar now has more than 150 offices in 44 U.S. states.

"We just love the water, and we wanted to do something significant to help Pensacola with its waterfront," said Charles W. Lamar III of Baton Rouge, La., a great-grandson of C.W. Lamar who has a home on Pensacola Beach. "This is a happy and a proud moment for our family."

The gift to the Vice Admiral John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center was announced Friday afternoon at a ceremony at Palafox Pier.

"As envisioned by Adm. Jack Fetterman ... the maritime museum will be a place of wonderment, engaging visitors of all ages in understanding how discoveries, events and commerce have shaped the development of Florida, and in fact, America," said John Cavanaugh, president of the University of West Florida and a major proponent of the park. "Anchoring the future Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park, the museum is expected to welcome approximately 300,000 visitors annually through its doors."

Fetterman and Cavanaugh were principal backers of the park project, along with Pensacola businessman Quint Studer.

The gift will be matched dollar for dollar by the State of Florida's Alec P. Courtelis fund for university facilities, translating into $2 million in support of the museum.

"We hope this helps kick off and finish the fundraising for the museum," said Bobby Switzer of Pensacola, vice president of operations for Lamar Advertising and grandson of C.W. Lamar Sr.

The ocean aquarium, a three-story, 135,000-gallon seawater tank, will serve as a representation of the bays along the coast of Florida. It will support educational programs in the marine sciences and underwater archaeology, and promote the need to preserve underwater resources. It will include a replica 16th-Century shipwreck where visitors can watch UWF nautical archaeology students lay grids over the wreck and record its dimensions.

"We are grateful for this extraordinary gift from a family with deep roots in Pensacola," Cavanaugh said. "In making one of the largest charitable gifts in UWF's history, this family will help change the face of Pensacola by ensuring that the vision for this maritime museum becomes a reality."

The families were honored for their gift at a ceremony with Pensacola Bay as the backdrop and the site of the proposed Community Maritime Park in the distance.

"Events like this make you think it really is going to happen," park consultant and supporter Mort O'Sullivan said.

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...801260313/1006

floridian-will · January 27th, 2008, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pres_of_2036

Sad thing, I never heard of Destin since now. The projects for the city look great though!

My great great great great...... grandparents acctually settled Destin. I dont know the whole story but I think one side of the family was called Destin and thats how the city got its name. Sorry I dont know the whole story, but thats the pride of my moms side

ChuckScraperMiami#1 · January 27th, 2008, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floridian-will

My great great great great...... grandparents acctually settled Destin. I dont know the whole story but I think one side of the family was called Destin and thats how the city got its name. Sorry I dont know the whole story, but thats the pride of my moms side

Floridian WILL

,
our WPB friend, living and going to college in Minnesota,
Destin now is growing just as fast as Panama City beach,
It's a hot condo selling market still hot, even tho many other parts of Florida is in a Condo Slup,
But Destin is beautiful with tower cranes everywhere just like Panama City Beach !!!

WILL, " smith " lol, jk,.
I can see you now coming down to Destin just to see your relatives on your Spring Break ,
You better be there for some Heat !!!!

floridian-will · January 28th, 2008, 06:36 AM

Yea, you can call me Will "Smith" He's one of my favorite Will's. I hear the beaches in Destin are beautiful. Though I hope they never become like Panama City, that place is filled with drunk, high, college kids. It could be a great beach, but some of what goes on there disgusts me. Watch "Beach Patrol, Panama City Beach" on court TV, its crazy. Then Watch "Beach Patrol Miami Beach," I love that one, Miami Beach looks beautiful in that show.

ChuckScraperMiami#1 · January 28th, 2008, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floridian-will

Yea, you can call me Will "Smith" He's one of my favorite Will's. I hear the beaches in Destin are beautiful. Though I hope they never become like Panama City, that place is filled with drunk, high, college kids. It could be a great beach, but some of what goes on there disgusts me. Watch "Beach Patrol, Panama City Beach" on court TV, its crazy. Then Watch "Beach Patrol Miami Beach," I love that one, Miami Beach looks beautiful in that show.

okay WILL Smith

,
lol, Floridian WILL, is so much better anyway, lol.
Stay with Destin,
Make sure you go there for Spring Break,
and yes, It's not as crowded and badly clogged with drunks and bottle throwers as Panama City beach, fl.,
and that show you mentioned
" Beach Patrol Miami Beach "

the huge one page Still shots of the women

in that show are posted in each month's Ocean Drive Magazine,
so many pages of the women in just the one issue each month,
A Gotta BUY at your nearest Barnes and Noble bookstore,
It's worth the $ 10.00, Buy this months, it's the anniversary issue,
Full of Pages so huge BOOK , It's got everything from the Tallest Beach tower to the Tallest tower in South Florida,
Gotta read it.
Their hot, and has the Girls names are on there , too.

floridian-will · January 28th, 2008, 07:36 AM

haha, sounds cool chuck.

ChuckScraperMiami#1 · January 28th, 2008, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FloridaFuture

I hope someone reads them.

And I apprciate your response. Hopefully we'll get more Floridians on SSC now that we've got all corners of the state covered on here.

Florida Future

,
Our Tampa Bay Master and Friend,
We talk also alot about developments in Destin

,
Well just a few minutes to the west of Destin is the fast growing Fort Walton Beach, southwestern part of Eglin Air Force Base, and halfway between Pensacola and Panama City Beach,
It's a growing area with Condos and homes for the Air Force men and women !!!
Super highway rt. 85 from I-10 in Crestview is a big improvement for this city.
any developments happening there ???
Thanks

Sunstorm · January 28th, 2008, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChuckScraperMiami#1

Florida Future

,
Our Tampa Bay Master and friend,
Panama City Beach is the # 1 destination again for Spring Breakers, This year , 2008, In less than 2 months the city is to be packed in with college Spring breakers

.
It's taller towers, wow Just completed 31 floor tower with the huge Hotel and resort under construction,
Wow !!!

IMO

, are to be regonized by other colleges around the country as Spring Break shows are put on National TV form Panama City Beach to the Nation.

Chuck, I can agree with your enthusiasm when it comes to highrise construction in the Miami area, an already large, densly populated metropolis. But not concerning PC Beach. The developers are sticking all this crap into a small town. At least Destin is maintaining some taste and decorum, in comparison, in spite of the large projects going up there.

FloridaFuture · January 28th, 2008, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChuckScraperMiami#1

Florida Future

,
Our Tampa Bay Master and Friend,
We talk also alot about developments in Destin

,
Well just a few minutes to the west of Destin is the fast growing Fort Walton Beach, southwestern part of Eglin Air Force Base, and halfway between Pensacola and Panama City Beach,
It's a growing area with Condos and homes for the Air Force men and women !!!
Super highway rt. 85 from I-10 in Crestview is a big improvement for this city.
any developments happening there ???
Thanks

I don't know of anything going on for Crestview.

Presidio, a 16 story, 77 unit condo tower was recently completed for Fort Walton Beach:

http://www.presidiosales.com/

FloridaFuture · February 2nd, 2008, 04:36 PM

Pensacola Developer feels floundering market

Developer and Broker Robert Montgomery, 61, of Pensacola, stands on the balcony of his home overlooking N. 9th Ave. and the Aragon neighborhood. Montgomery was involved with the development of the Aragon project and soon hopes to build another home there.
Katie King/kking@pnj.com

Sara Rabb
srabb@pnj.com

In concept, Bob Montgomery's plan for a downtown condominium on East Gregory Street has a lot going for it.

Beautiful view of Pensacola Bay? Check.

Convenient to downtown restaurants and entertainment? Check.

Right time to sell it? Not so much.

"Two years earlier, it would have been done and gone," Montgomery said of the proposed project at Gregory and 14th streets.

Investors who once jumped into a lively housing market are now waiting for prices to bottom out and inventory to diminish. Projects with great potential are sharing space on an increasingly crowded spot: The shelf.

"You just have to wait," Montgomery said, adding he has shelved at least three strong local projects.

"There are a lot of people in this business who have never been through a down cycle before," said Montgomery, who has worked in real estate for 33 years. "I definitely have agents who are having to look for other work."

Montgomery was one of the developers involved in the Aragon project in downtown Pensacola. Now he and his wife, having lost their Gulf Breeze home to Hurricane Ivan, would like to build a house in Aragon.

As a developer, he knows the timing may not be right on construction prices, which remain high. On the other hand, labor is much easier to find.

There are nearly 6,800 homes listed for sale in the Pensacola Bay Area, not including for-sale-by-owner homes. Before the local housing market improves enough to make way for projects planned by Montgomery and others, that inventory must come down.

And that will take time.

"The business will be back," Montgomery said. "I see it as a time when I hope I can pick up some more good, seasoned agents."

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art.../1003/BUSINESS

FloridaFuture · February 2nd, 2008, 04:46 PM

Could a mall be coming to Crestview?
By KYLE WRIGHT, Florida Freedom Newspapers
2008-01-30 08:32:00
Word of a possible shopping center in Crestview spawns the usual questions.

What stores? What restaurants? Where at? How soon?

A Crestview City Council workshop Monday tried to answer this question: “How do we pay for it?”

A development agency hoping to build a shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Crestview says it will take a team effort to make the project a reality.

Land Capital Group made a presentation prior to the regular Crestview City Council meeting requesting an economic development partnership between the developer, the city and Okaloosa County.

“Think of this as a local economic stimulus package,” Scott Davison of Land Capital Group told the council. “We know people in Crestview would love to see something like this, but without help from you, it’s not possible.”
The council approved a consent agenda motion to authorize city representatives to approach the county to discuss the project.

The development group, CH-LCG Crestview, LLC, is a joint venture between Trinity Partners of Fort Walton Beach and Land Capital Group of Park City, Utah. CH-LCG Crestview, LLC, says it would invest $70 million to finance the 125-acre project, including $10 million for infrastructure.

Davison said the project would cost $70 million but would be valued at $68 million. Therefore, the group said it could not secure traditional financing.

The group’s proposal asks the city and county to help make up the difference by reinvesting a combined $7 million in incremental sales tax and property tax revenue generated by the project.

According to the proposal, the $7 million could be reinvested over 30 years and would repay costs of public infrastructure.

The proposal asks the city and county to return 75 percent of annual sales tax and property tax revenue generated by the project until the $7 million is repaid.

The city and county would keep 100 percent of tax revenue after the $7 million reinvestment.

Council members asked if the city’s share of the new tax revenue could cover the need for new services in the development area.

City Administrative Services Director Mike Wing addressed the council’s concerns.

“We cannot collect monies to correct existing problems or address future problems without growth and development,” he said. “The people are here anyway. It’s just we all go to Destin to shop.”

CH-LCG Crestview hopes to build the Cypress Landing development on the west side of Ferdon Boulevard, north of Lowe’s and south of a proposed extension of Hospital Road.

The proposed development would feature 392,000 square feet of retail shopping space, leading national restaurants and a 12-screen multiplex theater.

http://community.emeraldcoast.com/ar...w_million.html

FloridaFuture · February 6th, 2008, 06:08 PM

Plans for Destin marina still not approved
Fraser Sherman|Florida Freedom Newspapers
Wednesday February 6th, 2008

It will be at least six months before the Destin City Council can hold development hearings on a proposed Norriego Point marina, City Manager Greg Kisela says.

Kisela told the council Monday that Pointe One LLC’s proposal for a 53-slip marina might receive approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida cabinet within six months, though it would more likely be six to 18 months. After that, Kisela said, it would return to Destin for review by the Harbor Board and City Council for compliance with local rules.

Back in 2005, when Pointe One requested city approval of the 79-condo unit Pointe Beach and Yacht Club on Norriego Point, a number of Destin residents opposed it. One of the reasons given was that the marina was too close to the East Pass and would make the busy, congested waters there even more dangerous.

Pointe One dropped the marina from its development application, but two months after the city approved the condo towers, the developer applied to the DEP for a marina permit.

In 2006, Pointe One requested the city apply to the state for a permit for Pointe One to dredge the sand shoaling the Destin harbor, which would be placed on Norriego Point, and to relocate the navigation channel.

Although the council objected when it found Kisela had authorized staff to apply for the permit without council approval, it later agreed to proceed with the application.

If the marina and dredging permit are approved, Pointe One says it will either pay the entire cost of dredging or a share in the cost, depending how big a marina is allowed.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/11833

FloridaFuture · February 14th, 2008, 12:14 PM

The Beach Condominiums building on Navarre Beach for story on the upcoming demolition by implosion of this building.
Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com

Navarre Condo to come down Saturday
Beach Condominiums has been vacant since Hurricane Ivan in 2004

Thyrie Bland
tbland@pnj.com

The Beach Condominiums at Navarre Beach took walloping punches from Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis but did not fall.

The knockout blow will be delivered at about 8:30 Saturday morning when, barring bad weather, dynamite will be used to implode the vacant, seven-story building.

"It will take five, six days to prepare and probably take five seconds to hit the ground," said Maverick McCoy, owner of Maverick Demolition in Pensacola. "There will be a series of brief ground tremors, like a small earthquake. That's several thousand tons of concrete hitting the ground."

People staying in other buildings nearby will be notified in advance of the implosion. Evacuations are not anticipated, McCoy said.

"The building will twist and fall ... pull away from the condos and come down," he said.

McCoy is hoping for a north wind to blow the resulting cloud of dust toward the Gulf of Mexico.

More than 1,500 people from across the United States, Europe and Canada share ownership in the 30-unit condo, built on the Gulf in the early 1980s, said Larry Ankeney, president of The Beach Condominiums Owners' Association.

The building has been vacant since Hurricane Ivan struck on Sept. 16, 2004. It was gutted about a year ago, leaving only a shell standing.

About 70 percent of the owners voted not to repair the building, deciding it would not be cost effective, Ankeney said. Instead, they plan to sell the property and split the profits.

Frank Blizzard, president of the Sugar Beach Townhome Owners' Association, said he understands what the owners of Beach Condominiums have gone through trying to decide what to do with their building.

"It's just one of those issues where the county wants to get these buildings down because they consider them eyesores, and that's just about what it amounts to," he said.

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...802140327/1006

FloridaFuture · February 15th, 2008, 10:10 PM

Navarre Beach eyes hotels, condos
Published - February, 15, 2008
Louis Cooper
lcooper@pnj.com

Without a hotel since Hurricane Ivan struck in 2004, Navarre Beach could be in line to get hundreds of new hotel rooms, new condominiums and a conference center.

Bayside Holdings' David Brannen has preliminary plans to build a complex with those amenities and a marina on Santa Rosa Sound near the former Navarre Beach State Park. Right now, he's calling it the Oasis Marina and Resort, but that may change once the hotel brand is chosen.

"It's planned to be two hotel towers and two residential condo towers. In between them, we would have the conference facility," he said. "I'm thinking of either a Marriott or Hilton product, but I'm not sure which."

The hotels would have 120 to 180 rooms per building, with half as many condo units as hotel rooms, Brannen said. The conference center would be 40,000 square feet, and the marina would have 40 wet slips.

Kate Wilkes, executive director of the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council, said the complex would be a great asset to Navarre Beach.

"There are so many groups right here in our own county that go out of the county because we don't have facilities," Wilkes said. "The conference center at the Comfort Inn is very nice, but we need a larger one with more meeting space."

The Comfort Inn conference center, on U.S. 98 in Navarre, is 4,000 square feet, Wilkes said.

Besides the conference center, Wilkes said the beach desperately needs hotel rooms.

"Some of the condos on the beach rent for three nights, but (the condo owners) try to go for a week, and you can't blame them," she said. "Some people just want to come for a night or two. Once they do that, they'll come back next time for longer. We're losing bed tax money because we don't have hotels on the beach."

Brannen developed the Hampton Inn, Spring Hill Suites and Clarion Suites on Pensacola Beach, and is working on the 70-story Trump Tower in New Orleans.

"The condominium component of this is not a big part of this. It's more hotels. I need the condominiums to help offset the cost of doing the hotel," Brannen said.

The project could get started as soon as 2009.

The property is being added to the Navarre Beach Commercial Core area, a designation that will allow the buildings to be up to 17 stories tall.

"By allowing more height, they will create more green space," said County Commissioner Gordon Goodin, whose district includes Navarre Beach. "They won't have to put asphalt everywhere."

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...802150314/1003

FloridaFuture · February 15th, 2008, 10:14 PM

^Wow, sounds like a big project for Navare Beach.

FloridaFuture · February 15th, 2008, 10:18 PM

Destin Commons expansion gets green light
By DUSTY RICKETTS, Freedom Florida Newspapers
2008-02-15 10:05:00
The Okaloosa County Planning Commission had nothing but love for the expansion of Destin Commons on Valentine's Day as it recommended approval to the County Commission.

The Destin Commons expansion will include 160,000 square-feet of retail shops, a hotel, parking garage and be anchored by four new, as yet unnamed, restaurants.

"The whole thing is going to be impressive for the market and the area," said Darin Grigg, general manager of Destin Commons.

Plans include a new seven-story building with shops on the ground floor and a 192-room hotel on the other floors. The hotel will feature a large conference room.
Grigg said a major chain has signed on for the hotel, but Destin Commons is not releasing its name yet. The names of the new stores and restaurants will also be announced at a later date.

The hotel will be connected by a walkway to a five-story parking garage. The garage building will also have stores on the ground floor.

Two new one-story retail buildings are also part of the project.

Grigg said the expansion will have a more mature theme than the existing center. A new water fountain will be designed between the two one-story buildings that will feature a pedestrian bridge over it.

The expansion of Destin Commons will be nearly the size of the existing complex minus Bass Pro Shops, Belk and Rave Motion Pictures.
Construction is expected to start this spring.

Grigg said the expansion to Destin Commons is expected to be completed in time for the Christmas holidays in 2009.

http://community.emeraldcoast.com/ar...expansion.html

FloridaFuture · February 17th, 2008, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FloridaFuture

Going, going, gone
February, 16, 2008

Demolition Video (at 00:45 is the demolition)- http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...VIDEO/80216018

The Beach Condominiums at Navarre Beach took walloping punches from hurricanes Ivan and Dennis but did not fall.

The knockout blow was delivered this morning when dynamite was used to implode the vacant, seven-story building.

More than 1,500 people from across the United States, Europe and Canada shared ownership in the 30-unit condo, built on the Gulf in the early 1980s, said Larry Ankeney, president of The Beach Condominiums Owners' Association.

The building was been vacant since Hurricane Ivan struck on Sept. 16, 2004. It was gutted about a year ago, leaving only a shell standing.

About 70 percent of the owners voted not to repair the building, deciding it would not be cost effective, Ankeney said. Instead, they plan to sell the property and split the profits.

Frank Blizzard, president of the Sugar Beach Townhome Owners' Association, said he understands what the owners of Beach Condominiums have gone through trying to decide what to do with their building.

"It's just one of those issues where the county wants to get these buildings down because they consider them eyesores, and that's just about what it amounts to," he said in an interview earlier this month.

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...EWS01/80216017

FloridaFuture · February 17th, 2008, 03:41 PM

Top 5 Pensacola commercial construction projects
Construction pumps new life into economy

Carlton Proctor
cproctor@pnj.com

While residential construction is expected to continue declining for the next several quarters, 2008 is shaping up as a banner year for large-scale commercial projects.

In the Pensacola area alone, more than $500 million in commercial construction will begin in the next few months.

Below are the top five (by dollar amount) commercial projects breaking ground this spring:

ECUA Main Street Treatment Plant relocation

By far the largest single public or private capital project getting under way in 2008 is the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority's $302 million Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant relocation.

Site preparation at the 327-acre parcel in east central Escambia County will begin later this month or early March, said ECUA spokeswoman Natalie Bowers.

"Right now we're in a critical phase review period of environmental assessment" for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Bowers. "When the review period is over, we will proceed with site clearing."

When green-lighted by FEMA, Utilities Authority board members will begin reviewing the numerous bid proposals for the various construction phases of the new plant, transmission lines and lift stations. Plans call for construction of the plant to be completed by spring of 2010.

"We're on a very tight time line," said Bowers. "We have to have the project completed within five years of the FEMA grant."

Following Hurricane Ivan, which severely damaged the Main Street plant, FEMA provided a $150 million grant to either rehabilitate the plant or move it to a safer location. The additional construction funds have come from state grants and ECUA rate increases.

In 2007 ECUA board members voted to raise rates to its 66,000-plus customers and move the plant north to a site near the Solutia plant off U.S. 29.

Major construction phases of the massive project are:

- Central water reclamation facility.

- Lift stations.

- Installing small- and large-diameter mains.

- Administration and operations building construction.

- Demolition and reclamation of the downtown Main Street plant and site.

Pensacola Regional Airport expansion

After setting another record in 2007 for passenger growth, Pensacola Regional Airport's will start off 2008 with a three-phase, $104 million expansion.

Airport Director Frank Miller said Phase I of the multi-year project — scheduled for a Feb., 22 ground breaking — is construction of new rental car concession facilities at a cost of $21 million.

Miller estimates that phase of the project will take about 14 months to complete.

While that construction is under way, the $50 million terminal expansion will begin in June.

"We will be adding four new gates to the terminal concourse for a total of 12," said Miller. "We will also add in-line baggage screening and expand the ticket counter area."

An in-line baggage screening system will enable passengers to check their luggage at the ticket counter and have them screened by the Transportation Security Administration in a secure area out of public view.

The third and final phase of the expansion project calls for construction of a new, 1,250-space parking garage immediately adjacent the existing garage. The estimated cost of that project is $25 million.

When that is completed, the airport will have 3,200 covered parking spaces, said Miller.

An expansion of the overnight aircraft parking areas and improvements to the area around the main concourse will add another $8 million to the total project cost.

Navy Federal Credit Union's Building No. 4

The fourth and final phase of Navy Federal Credit Union's expansion at Heritage Oaks campus in Beulah is construction of an $80 million office complex housing 1,400 employees.

At 265,000 square feet, the "L" shaped building not only will be the largest of Navy Federal's four main office buildings, but also the largest single civilian office building in the greater Pensacola area.

By comparison, Gulf Power's headquarters on Bayfront Parkway is approximately 250,000 square feet.

Including the cost of Building 4, Navy Federal has invested more than $225 million in its Pensacola call-center operation.

Construction of Building 4 will begin in April, said Jamie McDonald, Navy Federal assistant vice president.

"It will be an operational building for real estate mortgages, consumer loans and collections," said McDonald. "We really need this building. We've run out of room at our Virginia headquarters."

Building 4 will feature two, multistory atria and will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Like the other three main buildings on the Navy Federal campus, Building 4 will be a highly energy efficient LEED Gold Certified building.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a designation awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council, a national nonprofit organization promoting energy efficiency and conservation.

The combined cost of Buildings 1, 2 and 3 at Heritage Oaks totals $145 million.

University of West Florida Science and Technology building

This $31.3 million project will begin in March or early April, said James Barnett, UWF's vice president of facilities planning and construction.

The 92,000-square-foot building will be situated on the crest of a hill adjacent to the university's Performing Arts Center.

"We want to create a real sense of place on this campus, and we think this facility will do just that," said Barnett. "It will be a marquee building."

Barnett said the ultimate goal of the university's long-range building plans is to make the campus more pedestrian-friendly, and create a central north-south corridor linking key parts of the campus.

The four-story Science and Technology building will be a LEED Silver-level certified building, and will feature soaring interior atria connecting the various elements of the building.

Pall Corporation's Pensacola Plant expansion

Announced last fall, the Pall Corporation's 40,000 square-foot expansion project began in earnest in January and is on track for completion by mid-2009, said Gary Lambert, plant manager.

The $27 million project at Ellyson Industrial Park will make room for Pall's expanded membrane manufacturing facility, and add 50 new jobs.

Pall has been manufacturing biomedical materials at the Pensacola plant for the past 16 years.

Pall is the world's largest manufacturer of filtration and purification devices for biomedicine, military applications and industrial water systems. It is headquartered in East Hills, N.Y.

The Pensacola plant employs about 200 scientists and skilled technicians and produces all of the company's core filtration material on site.

The average local Pall salary: $50,000 a year, according to company officials.

In announcing the plant expansion, Pall executives said they considered several other U.S. sites before choosing Pensacola.

"It's a really big win," Charles Wood, Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce senior vice president of economic development, said at the time of the announcement.

"We've gotten a lot of cooperation from local government," said Pall spokesperson Marsha Katz. "Pensacola is a very attractive place to do business. High-tech and life sciences in Florida are really moving up, and we already had a critical mass at our plant there."

http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...802170301/1003

FloridaFuture · February 17th, 2008, 03:43 PM

More info on the the projects in the last article:

ECUA's Main Street Treatment Plant relocation

- Cost: $302 million.

- Size: 327-acre site in central Escambia County to serve as replacement for the Main Street plant.

- Why are they building it? To remove an aging sewage treatment facility from the high-hazard stormwater flood zone in downtown Pensacola.

- Start date: March to early April 2008.

- Completion date: Mid-2010.

- Contractors: To be determined.

- What's special about it? New treatment facility will service directly and indirectly some 200,000 residents, businesses and industries throughout most Escambia County's urban area.

Pensacola Regional Airport expansion

- Cost: $104 million.

- Size: Four new passenger gates; 1,200 new covered parking spaces, greatly expanded airline ticket counter and concourse areas.

- Why are they building it? To significantly improve passenger convenience, comfort, ticketing and security screening processes; expand covered parking spaces and improve rental car concession facilities.

- Start date: Phase I ground breaking, Feb. 22.

- Completion date: Rental car concession by June 2009; terminal expansion by June 2010; parking garage by end of 2009.

- Contractor: Greenhut Construction Co., Pensacola.

- What's special about it? At $104 million it's the most expensive expansion project ever undertaken by the airport, and one of the largest public works projects ever by local government.

Navy Federal Credit Union's building No. 4

- Cost: $80 million.

- Size: 265,000 square feet.

- Why are they building it? Rapidly growing Virginia-based company needs call center and administrative office space to accommodate 1,400 additional employees.

- Start date: Spring 2008.

- Completion date: Late 2009, early 2010.

- Contractor: Greenhut Construction Co., Pensacola.

- What's special about it? It will be the largest single civilian office building in the greater Pensacola area, and has been designed at highest level of energy efficiency under the U.S. Green Building Council's standards.

University of West Florida Science and Technology Building

- Cost: $31.3 million.

- Size: 92,000 square feet.

- Why are they building it? To accommodate expansion of the university's science, technology, engineering and mathematics teaching programs.

- Start date: Early April 2008.

- Completion date: October 2009.

- Contractor: Greenhut Construction Company, Pensacola

- What's special about it? The architecturally distinctive building is designed to become an aesthetic focal point of UWF central campus.

Pall Corporation's Pensacola Plant expansion

- Cost: $27 million.

- Size: 40,000 square feet.

- Why are they building it? Company needs additional space to increase production capacity for its filtration products.

- Start date: January 2008.

- Completion date: Mid-2009.

- Contractor: W.D. Rogers Mechanical Contractors, Pensacola.

- What's special about it? Pall is the world's largest manufacturer of filtration and purification devices for biomedicine, military applications and industrial water systems. The Pensacola plant is the company's sole producer of all its filtration material products.
More projects

Complementing these local projects are several billion dollars in nearby regional projects in various phases of construction.

To the west

At the top of that list is the $3.7 billion ThyssenKrupp steel mill under construction in northern Mobile County, Ala.

Ground breaking for this massive capital project, expected to employ some 8,000 workers a year during its three-year construction phase, took place in early November last year.

After a lengthy and hard-fought battle with Louisiana, Alabama won the German-based company over with a multimillion dollar incentive package.

Once completed in 2010, the steel mill will employ about 2,700 workers at full production capacity.

The huge ThyssenKrupp win was the latest in a decade-long business boom that has propelled Mobile to the top of Forbes Magazine's 2008 list of fastest growing mid-sized metro area economies in the U.S.

Mobile is the decided front-runner for Northrop-Grumman and EADS North America's plans to build 179 aerial refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force at the Brookley Field International Complex.

A decision on that project is expected sometime this month.

Plans call for assembly of the KC-30 tankers in a $600 million plant at Brookley expected to employ some 1,500 workers.

To the east

The results of the 2006 round of Base Realignment and Closure decisions are starting to show up at Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field in Okaloosa County.

At Hurlburt Field contractors are working on nine projects totaling nearly $67 million.

Hurlburt spokesman Aaron Schoenfeld said the Air Force is "investing in projects at Hurlburt that are geared toward improving our operational capabilities, protecting our forces, and supporting the best possible quality of life for our Airmen while they fight the global war on terrorism."

Current capital projects under construction are:

n Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection upgrades for the main gate and soundside area: $6.3 million.

n Vehicle Maintenance Facility: $5.6 million

n Squadron Operations Facility: $5.4 million

n Fire Crash and Rescue Station: $5.9 million.

n Dormitory: $7.7 million.

n Engine Maintenance Facility: $8.2 million.

n Soundside Club: $6.7 million.

n Visitors Quarters: $14.1 million.

n Joint Operational Planning Facility: $7 million.

At Eglin spokeswoman Lois Walsh said two projects are in early stages of construction on that sprawling base north of Fort Walton Beach.

A 144-room, $15 million dormitory is about 10 percent complete.

A second project, a $4.35 million explosive ordnance building, is about 15 percent complete.

January 26th, 2008, 04:37 AM	#21
ChuckScraperMiami#1 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: MIAMI Posts: 3,260 Likes (Received): 0	Florida Future, Our Tampa Bay Master and friend, Panama City Beach is the # 1 destination again for Spring Breakers, This year , 2008, In less than 2 months the city is to be packed in with college Spring breakers. It's taller towers, wow Just completed 31 floor tower with the huge Hotel and resort under construction, Wow !!! IMO, are to be regonized by other colleges around the country as Spring Break shows are put on National TV form Panama City Beach to the Nation.

January 28th, 2008, 06:36 AM	#25
floridian-will Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,836 Likes (Received): 0	Yea, you can call me Will "Smith" He's one of my favorite Will's. I hear the beaches in Destin are beautiful. Though I hope they never become like Panama City, that place is filled with drunk, high, college kids. It could be a great beach, but some of what goes on there disgusts me. Watch "Beach Patrol, Panama City Beach" on court TV, its crazy. Then Watch "Beach Patrol Miami Beach," I love that one, Miami Beach looks beautiful in that show. __________________ Check out my Stock Photo Portfolio: http://www.dreamstime.com/Floridianw...st-adition_pg1

January 28th, 2008, 07:36 AM	#27
floridian-will Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,836 Likes (Received): 0	haha, sounds cool chuck. __________________ Check out my Stock Photo Portfolio: http://www.dreamstime.com/Floridianw...st-adition_pg1

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January 26th, 2008, 03:29 PM	#22
FloridaFuture Former Mod Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tampa/Gainesville Posts: 5,234 Likes (Received): 0	More money for the Pensacola Maritime Park Project. Pensacola Maritime Park gets $2 million boost State fund to match advertising magnate's families' $1 million donation Jamie Page jepage@pnj.com The Lamar, Switzer and Reilly families are giving $1 million to name the ocean aquarium exhibit at the planned Community Maritime Park. The C.W. Lamar Sr. Ocean Aquarium will be named in honor of Charles W. Lamar Sr., who founded his namesake advertising company in Pensacola in 1908. The three families are related — some by blood, some by marriage — and have all played a part in what is now Lamar Advertising Company. Lamar now has more than 150 offices in 44 U.S. states. "We just love the water, and we wanted to do something significant to help Pensacola with its waterfront," said Charles W. Lamar III of Baton Rouge, La., a great-grandson of C.W. Lamar who has a home on Pensacola Beach. "This is a happy and a proud moment for our family." The gift to the Vice Admiral John H. Fetterman State of Florida Maritime Museum and Research Center was announced Friday afternoon at a ceremony at Palafox Pier. "As envisioned by Adm. Jack Fetterman ... the maritime museum will be a place of wonderment, engaging visitors of all ages in understanding how discoveries, events and commerce have shaped the development of Florida, and in fact, America," said John Cavanaugh, president of the University of West Florida and a major proponent of the park. "Anchoring the future Vince J. Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime Park, the museum is expected to welcome approximately 300,000 visitors annually through its doors." Fetterman and Cavanaugh were principal backers of the park project, along with Pensacola businessman Quint Studer. The gift will be matched dollar for dollar by the State of Florida's Alec P. Courtelis fund for university facilities, translating into $2 million in support of the museum. "We hope this helps kick off and finish the fundraising for the museum," said Bobby Switzer of Pensacola, vice president of operations for Lamar Advertising and grandson of C.W. Lamar Sr. The ocean aquarium, a three-story, 135,000-gallon seawater tank, will serve as a representation of the bays along the coast of Florida. It will support educational programs in the marine sciences and underwater archaeology, and promote the need to preserve underwater resources. It will include a replica 16th-Century shipwreck where visitors can watch UWF nautical archaeology students lay grids over the wreck and record its dimensions. "We are grateful for this extraordinary gift from a family with deep roots in Pensacola," Cavanaugh said. "In making one of the largest charitable gifts in UWF's history, this family will help change the face of Pensacola by ensuring that the vision for this maritime museum becomes a reality." The families were honored for their gift at a ceremony with Pensacola Bay as the backdrop and the site of the proposed Community Maritime Park in the distance. "Events like this make you think it really is going to happen," park consultant and supporter Mort O'Sullivan said. http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...801260313/1006

February 2nd, 2008, 04:36 PM	#31
FloridaFuture Former Mod Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tampa/Gainesville Posts: 5,234 Likes (Received): 0	Pensacola Developer feels floundering market Developer and Broker Robert Montgomery, 61, of Pensacola, stands on the balcony of his home overlooking N. 9th Ave. and the Aragon neighborhood. Montgomery was involved with the development of the Aragon project and soon hopes to build another home there. Katie King/kking@pnj.com Sara Rabb srabb@pnj.com In concept, Bob Montgomery's plan for a downtown condominium on East Gregory Street has a lot going for it. Beautiful view of Pensacola Bay? Check. Convenient to downtown restaurants and entertainment? Check. Right time to sell it? Not so much. "Two years earlier, it would have been done and gone," Montgomery said of the proposed project at Gregory and 14th streets. Investors who once jumped into a lively housing market are now waiting for prices to bottom out and inventory to diminish. Projects with great potential are sharing space on an increasingly crowded spot: The shelf. "You just have to wait," Montgomery said, adding he has shelved at least three strong local projects. "There are a lot of people in this business who have never been through a down cycle before," said Montgomery, who has worked in real estate for 33 years. "I definitely have agents who are having to look for other work." Montgomery was one of the developers involved in the Aragon project in downtown Pensacola. Now he and his wife, having lost their Gulf Breeze home to Hurricane Ivan, would like to build a house in Aragon. As a developer, he knows the timing may not be right on construction prices, which remain high. On the other hand, labor is much easier to find. There are nearly 6,800 homes listed for sale in the Pensacola Bay Area, not including for-sale-by-owner homes. Before the local housing market improves enough to make way for projects planned by Montgomery and others, that inventory must come down. And that will take time. "The business will be back," Montgomery said. "I see it as a time when I hope I can pick up some more good, seasoned agents." http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art.../1003/BUSINESS

February 2nd, 2008, 04:46 PM	#32
FloridaFuture Former Mod Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tampa/Gainesville Posts: 5,234 Likes (Received): 0	Could a mall be coming to Crestview? By KYLE WRIGHT, Florida Freedom Newspapers 2008-01-30 08:32:00 Word of a possible shopping center in Crestview spawns the usual questions. What stores? What restaurants? Where at? How soon? A Crestview City Council workshop Monday tried to answer this question: “How do we pay for it?” A development agency hoping to build a shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Crestview says it will take a team effort to make the project a reality. Land Capital Group made a presentation prior to the regular Crestview City Council meeting requesting an economic development partnership between the developer, the city and Okaloosa County. “Think of this as a local economic stimulus package,” Scott Davison of Land Capital Group told the council. “We know people in Crestview would love to see something like this, but without help from you, it’s not possible.” The council approved a consent agenda motion to authorize city representatives to approach the county to discuss the project. The development group, CH-LCG Crestview, LLC, is a joint venture between Trinity Partners of Fort Walton Beach and Land Capital Group of Park City, Utah. CH-LCG Crestview, LLC, says it would invest $70 million to finance the 125-acre project, including $10 million for infrastructure. Davison said the project would cost $70 million but would be valued at $68 million. Therefore, the group said it could not secure traditional financing. The group’s proposal asks the city and county to help make up the difference by reinvesting a combined $7 million in incremental sales tax and property tax revenue generated by the project. According to the proposal, the $7 million could be reinvested over 30 years and would repay costs of public infrastructure. The proposal asks the city and county to return 75 percent of annual sales tax and property tax revenue generated by the project until the $7 million is repaid. The city and county would keep 100 percent of tax revenue after the $7 million reinvestment. Council members asked if the city’s share of the new tax revenue could cover the need for new services in the development area. City Administrative Services Director Mike Wing addressed the council’s concerns. “We cannot collect monies to correct existing problems or address future problems without growth and development,” he said. “The people are here anyway. It’s just we all go to Destin to shop.” CH-LCG Crestview hopes to build the Cypress Landing development on the west side of Ferdon Boulevard, north of Lowe’s and south of a proposed extension of Hospital Road. The proposed development would feature 392,000 square feet of retail shopping space, leading national restaurants and a 12-screen multiplex theater. http://community.emeraldcoast.com/ar...w_million.html

February 6th, 2008, 06:08 PM	#33
FloridaFuture Former Mod Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tampa/Gainesville Posts: 5,234 Likes (Received): 0	Plans for Destin marina still not approved Fraser Sherman\|Florida Freedom Newspapers Wednesday February 6th, 2008 It will be at least six months before the Destin City Council can hold development hearings on a proposed Norriego Point marina, City Manager Greg Kisela says. Kisela told the council Monday that Pointe One LLC’s proposal for a 53-slip marina might receive approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida cabinet within six months, though it would more likely be six to 18 months. After that, Kisela said, it would return to Destin for review by the Harbor Board and City Council for compliance with local rules. Back in 2005, when Pointe One requested city approval of the 79-condo unit Pointe Beach and Yacht Club on Norriego Point, a number of Destin residents opposed it. One of the reasons given was that the marina was too close to the East Pass and would make the busy, congested waters there even more dangerous. Pointe One dropped the marina from its development application, but two months after the city approved the condo towers, the developer applied to the DEP for a marina permit. In 2006, Pointe One requested the city apply to the state for a permit for Pointe One to dredge the sand shoaling the Destin harbor, which would be placed on Norriego Point, and to relocate the navigation channel. Although the council objected when it found Kisela had authorized staff to apply for the permit without council approval, it later agreed to proceed with the application. If the marina and dredging permit are approved, Pointe One says it will either pay the entire cost of dredging or a share in the cost, depending how big a marina is allowed. http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/11833

February 14th, 2008, 12:14 PM	#34
FloridaFuture Former Mod Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tampa/Gainesville Posts: 5,234 Likes (Received): 0	The Beach Condominiums building on Navarre Beach for story on the upcoming demolition by implosion of this building. Bruce Graner/bgraner@pnj.com Navarre Condo to come down Saturday Beach Condominiums has been vacant since Hurricane Ivan in 2004 Thyrie Bland tbland@pnj.com The Beach Condominiums at Navarre Beach took walloping punches from Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis but did not fall. The knockout blow will be delivered at about 8:30 Saturday morning when, barring bad weather, dynamite will be used to implode the vacant, seven-story building. "It will take five, six days to prepare and probably take five seconds to hit the ground," said Maverick McCoy, owner of Maverick Demolition in Pensacola. "There will be a series of brief ground tremors, like a small earthquake. That's several thousand tons of concrete hitting the ground." People staying in other buildings nearby will be notified in advance of the implosion. Evacuations are not anticipated, McCoy said. "The building will twist and fall ... pull away from the condos and come down," he said. McCoy is hoping for a north wind to blow the resulting cloud of dust toward the Gulf of Mexico. More than 1,500 people from across the United States, Europe and Canada share ownership in the 30-unit condo, built on the Gulf in the early 1980s, said Larry Ankeney, president of The Beach Condominiums Owners' Association. The building has been vacant since Hurricane Ivan struck on Sept. 16, 2004. It was gutted about a year ago, leaving only a shell standing. About 70 percent of the owners voted not to repair the building, deciding it would not be cost effective, Ankeney said. Instead, they plan to sell the property and split the profits. Frank Blizzard, president of the Sugar Beach Townhome Owners' Association, said he understands what the owners of Beach Condominiums have gone through trying to decide what to do with their building. "It's just one of those issues where the county wants to get these buildings down because they consider them eyesores, and that's just about what it amounts to," he said. http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...802140327/1006

February 15th, 2008, 10:10 PM	#35
FloridaFuture Former Mod Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tampa/Gainesville Posts: 5,234 Likes (Received): 0	Navarre Beach eyes hotels, condos Published - February, 15, 2008 Louis Cooper lcooper@pnj.com Without a hotel since Hurricane Ivan struck in 2004, Navarre Beach could be in line to get hundreds of new hotel rooms, new condominiums and a conference center. Bayside Holdings' David Brannen has preliminary plans to build a complex with those amenities and a marina on Santa Rosa Sound near the former Navarre Beach State Park. Right now, he's calling it the Oasis Marina and Resort, but that may change once the hotel brand is chosen. "It's planned to be two hotel towers and two residential condo towers. In between them, we would have the conference facility," he said. "I'm thinking of either a Marriott or Hilton product, but I'm not sure which." The hotels would have 120 to 180 rooms per building, with half as many condo units as hotel rooms, Brannen said. The conference center would be 40,000 square feet, and the marina would have 40 wet slips. Kate Wilkes, executive director of the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council, said the complex would be a great asset to Navarre Beach. "There are so many groups right here in our own county that go out of the county because we don't have facilities," Wilkes said. "The conference center at the Comfort Inn is very nice, but we need a larger one with more meeting space." The Comfort Inn conference center, on U.S. 98 in Navarre, is 4,000 square feet, Wilkes said. Besides the conference center, Wilkes said the beach desperately needs hotel rooms. "Some of the condos on the beach rent for three nights, but (the condo owners) try to go for a week, and you can't blame them," she said. "Some people just want to come for a night or two. Once they do that, they'll come back next time for longer. We're losing bed tax money because we don't have hotels on the beach." Brannen developed the Hampton Inn, Spring Hill Suites and Clarion Suites on Pensacola Beach, and is working on the 70-story Trump Tower in New Orleans. "The condominium component of this is not a big part of this. It's more hotels. I need the condominiums to help offset the cost of doing the hotel," Brannen said. The project could get started as soon as 2009. The property is being added to the Navarre Beach Commercial Core area, a designation that will allow the buildings to be up to 17 stories tall. "By allowing more height, they will create more green space," said County Commissioner Gordon Goodin, whose district includes Navarre Beach. "They won't have to put asphalt everywhere." http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...802150314/1003

February 15th, 2008, 10:14 PM	#36
FloridaFuture Former Mod Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tampa/Gainesville Posts: 5,234 Likes (Received): 0	^Wow, sounds like a big project for Navare Beach.

February 15th, 2008, 10:18 PM	#37
FloridaFuture Former Mod Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tampa/Gainesville Posts: 5,234 Likes (Received): 0	Destin Commons expansion gets green light By DUSTY RICKETTS, Freedom Florida Newspapers 2008-02-15 10:05:00 The Okaloosa County Planning Commission had nothing but love for the expansion of Destin Commons on Valentine's Day as it recommended approval to the County Commission. The Destin Commons expansion will include 160,000 square-feet of retail shops, a hotel, parking garage and be anchored by four new, as yet unnamed, restaurants. "The whole thing is going to be impressive for the market and the area," said Darin Grigg, general manager of Destin Commons. Plans include a new seven-story building with shops on the ground floor and a 192-room hotel on the other floors. The hotel will feature a large conference room. Grigg said a major chain has signed on for the hotel, but Destin Commons is not releasing its name yet. The names of the new stores and restaurants will also be announced at a later date. The hotel will be connected by a walkway to a five-story parking garage. The garage building will also have stores on the ground floor. Two new one-story retail buildings are also part of the project. Grigg said the expansion will have a more mature theme than the existing center. A new water fountain will be designed between the two one-story buildings that will feature a pedestrian bridge over it. The expansion of Destin Commons will be nearly the size of the existing complex minus Bass Pro Shops, Belk and Rave Motion Pictures. Construction is expected to start this spring. Grigg said the expansion to Destin Commons is expected to be completed in time for the Christmas holidays in 2009. http://community.emeraldcoast.com/ar...expansion.html

February 17th, 2008, 03:41 PM	#39
FloridaFuture Former Mod Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tampa/Gainesville Posts: 5,234 Likes (Received): 0	Top 5 Pensacola commercial construction projects Construction pumps new life into economy Carlton Proctor cproctor@pnj.com While residential construction is expected to continue declining for the next several quarters, 2008 is shaping up as a banner year for large-scale commercial projects. In the Pensacola area alone, more than $500 million in commercial construction will begin in the next few months. Below are the top five (by dollar amount) commercial projects breaking ground this spring: ECUA Main Street Treatment Plant relocation By far the largest single public or private capital project getting under way in 2008 is the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority's $302 million Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant relocation. Site preparation at the 327-acre parcel in east central Escambia County will begin later this month or early March, said ECUA spokeswoman Natalie Bowers. "Right now we're in a critical phase review period of environmental assessment" for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Bowers. "When the review period is over, we will proceed with site clearing." When green-lighted by FEMA, Utilities Authority board members will begin reviewing the numerous bid proposals for the various construction phases of the new plant, transmission lines and lift stations. Plans call for construction of the plant to be completed by spring of 2010. "We're on a very tight time line," said Bowers. "We have to have the project completed within five years of the FEMA grant." Following Hurricane Ivan, which severely damaged the Main Street plant, FEMA provided a $150 million grant to either rehabilitate the plant or move it to a safer location. The additional construction funds have come from state grants and ECUA rate increases. In 2007 ECUA board members voted to raise rates to its 66,000-plus customers and move the plant north to a site near the Solutia plant off U.S. 29. Major construction phases of the massive project are: - Central water reclamation facility. - Lift stations. - Installing small- and large-diameter mains. - Administration and operations building construction. - Demolition and reclamation of the downtown Main Street plant and site. Pensacola Regional Airport expansion After setting another record in 2007 for passenger growth, Pensacola Regional Airport's will start off 2008 with a three-phase, $104 million expansion. Airport Director Frank Miller said Phase I of the multi-year project — scheduled for a Feb., 22 ground breaking — is construction of new rental car concession facilities at a cost of $21 million. Miller estimates that phase of the project will take about 14 months to complete. While that construction is under way, the $50 million terminal expansion will begin in June. "We will be adding four new gates to the terminal concourse for a total of 12," said Miller. "We will also add in-line baggage screening and expand the ticket counter area." An in-line baggage screening system will enable passengers to check their luggage at the ticket counter and have them screened by the Transportation Security Administration in a secure area out of public view. The third and final phase of the expansion project calls for construction of a new, 1,250-space parking garage immediately adjacent the existing garage. The estimated cost of that project is $25 million. When that is completed, the airport will have 3,200 covered parking spaces, said Miller. An expansion of the overnight aircraft parking areas and improvements to the area around the main concourse will add another $8 million to the total project cost. Navy Federal Credit Union's Building No. 4 The fourth and final phase of Navy Federal Credit Union's expansion at Heritage Oaks campus in Beulah is construction of an $80 million office complex housing 1,400 employees. At 265,000 square feet, the "L" shaped building not only will be the largest of Navy Federal's four main office buildings, but also the largest single civilian office building in the greater Pensacola area. By comparison, Gulf Power's headquarters on Bayfront Parkway is approximately 250,000 square feet. Including the cost of Building 4, Navy Federal has invested more than $225 million in its Pensacola call-center operation. Construction of Building 4 will begin in April, said Jamie McDonald, Navy Federal assistant vice president. "It will be an operational building for real estate mortgages, consumer loans and collections," said McDonald. "We really need this building. We've run out of room at our Virginia headquarters." Building 4 will feature two, multistory atria and will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Like the other three main buildings on the Navy Federal campus, Building 4 will be a highly energy efficient LEED Gold Certified building. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a designation awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council, a national nonprofit organization promoting energy efficiency and conservation. The combined cost of Buildings 1, 2 and 3 at Heritage Oaks totals $145 million. University of West Florida Science and Technology building This $31.3 million project will begin in March or early April, said James Barnett, UWF's vice president of facilities planning and construction. The 92,000-square-foot building will be situated on the crest of a hill adjacent to the university's Performing Arts Center. "We want to create a real sense of place on this campus, and we think this facility will do just that," said Barnett. "It will be a marquee building." Barnett said the ultimate goal of the university's long-range building plans is to make the campus more pedestrian-friendly, and create a central north-south corridor linking key parts of the campus. The four-story Science and Technology building will be a LEED Silver-level certified building, and will feature soaring interior atria connecting the various elements of the building. Pall Corporation's Pensacola Plant expansion Announced last fall, the Pall Corporation's 40,000 square-foot expansion project began in earnest in January and is on track for completion by mid-2009, said Gary Lambert, plant manager. The $27 million project at Ellyson Industrial Park will make room for Pall's expanded membrane manufacturing facility, and add 50 new jobs. Pall has been manufacturing biomedical materials at the Pensacola plant for the past 16 years. Pall is the world's largest manufacturer of filtration and purification devices for biomedicine, military applications and industrial water systems. It is headquartered in East Hills, N.Y. The Pensacola plant employs about 200 scientists and skilled technicians and produces all of the company's core filtration material on site. The average local Pall salary: $50,000 a year, according to company officials. In announcing the plant expansion, Pall executives said they considered several other U.S. sites before choosing Pensacola. "It's a really big win," Charles Wood, Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce senior vice president of economic development, said at the time of the announcement. "We've gotten a lot of cooperation from local government," said Pall spokesperson Marsha Katz. "Pensacola is a very attractive place to do business. High-tech and life sciences in Florida are really moving up, and we already had a critical mass at our plant there." http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...802170301/1003

February 17th, 2008, 03:43 PM	#40
FloridaFuture Former Mod Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tampa/Gainesville Posts: 5,234 Likes (Received): 0	More info on the the projects in the last article: ECUA's Main Street Treatment Plant relocation - Cost: $302 million. - Size: 327-acre site in central Escambia County to serve as replacement for the Main Street plant. - Why are they building it? To remove an aging sewage treatment facility from the high-hazard stormwater flood zone in downtown Pensacola. - Start date: March to early April 2008. - Completion date: Mid-2010. - Contractors: To be determined. - What's special about it? New treatment facility will service directly and indirectly some 200,000 residents, businesses and industries throughout most Escambia County's urban area. Pensacola Regional Airport expansion - Cost: $104 million. - Size: Four new passenger gates; 1,200 new covered parking spaces, greatly expanded airline ticket counter and concourse areas. - Why are they building it? To significantly improve passenger convenience, comfort, ticketing and security screening processes; expand covered parking spaces and improve rental car concession facilities. - Start date: Phase I ground breaking, Feb. 22. - Completion date: Rental car concession by June 2009; terminal expansion by June 2010; parking garage by end of 2009. - Contractor: Greenhut Construction Co., Pensacola. - What's special about it? At $104 million it's the most expensive expansion project ever undertaken by the airport, and one of the largest public works projects ever by local government. Navy Federal Credit Union's building No. 4 - Cost: $80 million. - Size: 265,000 square feet. - Why are they building it? Rapidly growing Virginia-based company needs call center and administrative office space to accommodate 1,400 additional employees. - Start date: Spring 2008. - Completion date: Late 2009, early 2010. - Contractor: Greenhut Construction Co., Pensacola. - What's special about it? It will be the largest single civilian office building in the greater Pensacola area, and has been designed at highest level of energy efficiency under the U.S. Green Building Council's standards. University of West Florida Science and Technology Building - Cost: $31.3 million. - Size: 92,000 square feet. - Why are they building it? To accommodate expansion of the university's science, technology, engineering and mathematics teaching programs. - Start date: Early April 2008. - Completion date: October 2009. - Contractor: Greenhut Construction Company, Pensacola - What's special about it? The architecturally distinctive building is designed to become an aesthetic focal point of UWF central campus. Pall Corporation's Pensacola Plant expansion - Cost: $27 million. - Size: 40,000 square feet. - Why are they building it? Company needs additional space to increase production capacity for its filtration products. - Start date: January 2008. - Completion date: Mid-2009. - Contractor: W.D. Rogers Mechanical Contractors, Pensacola. - What's special about it? Pall is the world's largest manufacturer of filtration and purification devices for biomedicine, military applications and industrial water systems. The Pensacola plant is the company's sole producer of all its filtration material products. More projects Complementing these local projects are several billion dollars in nearby regional projects in various phases of construction. To the west At the top of that list is the $3.7 billion ThyssenKrupp steel mill under construction in northern Mobile County, Ala. Ground breaking for this massive capital project, expected to employ some 8,000 workers a year during its three-year construction phase, took place in early November last year. After a lengthy and hard-fought battle with Louisiana, Alabama won the German-based company over with a multimillion dollar incentive package. Once completed in 2010, the steel mill will employ about 2,700 workers at full production capacity. The huge ThyssenKrupp win was the latest in a decade-long business boom that has propelled Mobile to the top of Forbes Magazine's 2008 list of fastest growing mid-sized metro area economies in the U.S. Mobile is the decided front-runner for Northrop-Grumman and EADS North America's plans to build 179 aerial refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force at the Brookley Field International Complex. A decision on that project is expected sometime this month. Plans call for assembly of the KC-30 tankers in a $600 million plant at Brookley expected to employ some 1,500 workers. To the east The results of the 2006 round of Base Realignment and Closure decisions are starting to show up at Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field in Okaloosa County. At Hurlburt Field contractors are working on nine projects totaling nearly $67 million. Hurlburt spokesman Aaron Schoenfeld said the Air Force is "investing in projects at Hurlburt that are geared toward improving our operational capabilities, protecting our forces, and supporting the best possible quality of life for our Airmen while they fight the global war on terrorism." Current capital projects under construction are: n Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection upgrades for the main gate and soundside area: $6.3 million. n Vehicle Maintenance Facility: $5.6 million n Squadron Operations Facility: $5.4 million n Fire Crash and Rescue Station: $5.9 million. n Dormitory: $7.7 million. n Engine Maintenance Facility: $8.2 million. n Soundside Club: $6.7 million. n Visitors Quarters: $14.1 million. n Joint Operational Planning Facility: $7 million. At Eglin spokeswoman Lois Walsh said two projects are in early stages of construction on that sprawling base north of Fort Walton Beach. A 144-room, $15 million dormitory is about 10 percent complete. A second project, a $4.35 million explosive ordnance building, is about 15 percent complete.