Gilbert-Area High School Replaces Its Fieldhouse

Higley Unified School District and Adolfson & Peterson Construction (AP) recently completed work on a replacement fieldhouse for Williams Field High School in Gilbert, Ariz. Designed by Orcutt | Winslow, the project included demolition of a concession stand, new landscaping and construction of a 14,524-sq-ft fieldhouse. It features offices, office storage and a conference room for WFHS athletic coaches and administration; field storage, showers, restrooms, locker rooms, a training room, laundry room and a team room for student athletes; and a concession stand.

AP began construction in September 2020. Despite labor and materials delays due to the pandemic and bad weather, AP delivered the replacement facility before the start of WFHS’s 2021 football season. The district financed the new fieldhouse with funds from a $70-million bond approved by voters in 2013. 

Lake Mead Intake Project Wins National ASCE Award

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently presented a silver award to the Lake Mead Intake No. 3 Low Lake Level Pumping Station and Discharge Aqueducts Project in Boulder City, Nev., as part of the association’s Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Awards. The OCEA winners were announced on Oct. 8 as part of ASCE’s virtual National Convention. The awards recognize exemplary civil engineering projects around the country.
A decades-long drought in the Colorado River Basin has threatened Lake Mead, which now currently holds only 38% of its 26-million-acre-ft capacity. To avoid water service disruptions to Southern Nevada community (population nearly 2.2 million) the Southern Nevada Water Authority completed the Low Lake Level Pumping Station to improve accessibility and long-term reliability. 

KORE Power Selects Yates for Arizona Battery Cell Facility

KORE Power Inc. says its new KOREPlex facility in Buckeye, Ariz., will be built by national design-build company Yates Construction. Some of the advanced manufacturing attributes of the facility will include fully automated cell assembly lines, automated material movement and handling, an automated packaging line and a pandemic-ready design to allow for safe workspaces. The facility will be fully climate controlled and include a solar-ready covered employee parking lot.
KOREPlex will produce nearly 60 million battery cells annually. The facility will have the capacity to produce enough power for 3.2 million homes each year. KORE plans to start construction of the facility by the end of the year with the goal of beginning production in mid-2023.

New Blackwater Community School Opens in Gila River Indian Community 

Image courtesy of Blackwater Community School

Construction is complete on the new Blackwater Community School on the Gila River Indian Community, southeast of Phoenix. The school serves preschool, the Family and Child Education Program (FACE) and the K-5 grade school. The two-year project on the 7.43-acre campus, led by Gilbane Building Co. and Rosendin, based on a design by Breckenridge Group, required a phased approach, with key parts of the project scheduled during winter and summer breaks to minimize disruptions for students.

The $25-million replacement project incorporates culturally significant artwork throughout the two-story classroom building, the media center, multipurpose building and cafeteria. The Blackwater Community School Culture Committee provided insight for the art in partnership with the Blackwater Community School Board. 
Interior and exterior murals throughout the campus depict scenes of crop harvesting, desert landscapes and petroglyphic symbols. The school serves two tribes, the Akimel O’Otham, who can trace their ancestry to the Hohokam, and the Pee Posh, who come from Yuma ancestry.
“Agriculture is at the heart of the Akimel O’Otham culture,” said Jagdish (Jack) Sharma, principal of Blackwater Community School. 

Atkins Wins Water Control Project Near Las Vegas

The Southern Nevada Water Authority has awarded a contract to Atkins to provide engineering services for the Lower Las Vegas Wash Stabilization Project. It will protect infrastructure by preventing channel degradation through construction of new grade control structures on the Lower Las Vegas Wash in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, thus improving water quality in the lake.
The Las Vegas Wash, in Clark County, Nev., is the primary drainage of the Las Vegas Valley, carrying urban runoff, treated wastewater and floodwater into Lake Mead and the Colorado River. It serves as a return flow conveyance, safely recycling and returning highly treated wastewater back to Lake Mead and extending the community’s water supply. It is also an important environmental resource, providing wetland habitat and sustaining plants and animals that would not otherwise be found in the desert.
“The Las Vegas Wash is a critical component of water resource management for Southern Nevada, and with Lake Mead levels at historic lows, slowing the wash’s high rate of erosion and channel degradation is crucial for protecting water quality for millions of Americans,” said Matt Wilkinson, Atkins project manager. 

Construction Begins on Evora Luxury Residences

Work is underway on the initial 342-unit residential complex in Evora, a mixed-use development in southwest Las Vegas. The Grand Canyon Development Partners project includes upscale living spaces and is in walking distance to an onsite public park and vendors at the property’s soon-to-be completed 118,000-sq-ft commercial building. Amenities will include underground parking; a fitness center; a recreational facility with pools, pickleball courts and a putting green; a dog park; and charging stations for electric vehicles. The contractor is OS Construction Services.

McCarthy Completes 200-MW Sun Streams 2 Solar 

McCarthy Building Cos.’ Renewable Energy and Storage Group recently completed construction and final commissioning of the 200-MW Sun Streams 2 solar project in Maricopa County, Ariz. The solar field is situated on more than 1,000 acres approximately 40 miles west of Phoenix. The project is owned by Longroad Energy, a U.S.-based renewable energy developer, owner and operator.