Industry News

Pre-packaged lunch meat manufacturer Land O'Frost is planning to construct a $49 million, 175,000-sf meat processing facility on 28-acres near Madisonville, Ky. The facility will be the company's third plant in Madisonville.

The University of Kansas Edwards Campus dedicated the new 82,000-sf Victor and Helen Regnier Hall classroom facility on August 13, 2004. The $17.8-million building includes a 240-seat auditorium, 21 classrooms, and 45 faculty offices. The facility is the first phase of a $71-million, ten-year expansion plan for the 36-acre Edward Campus. Plans describe a total of four buildings forming a quadrangle.

Duke Energy Corp. has received approval from the California Energy Commission to build an $800 million natural gas-fired power plant at Moro Bay in California. One of the largest power stations in the state, the plant will have a generating capacity of 1,200 megawatts.

Koyo Steering Systems will initiate construction in February 2005 on a $30 million factory sited on 42 acres in Ennis, Texas. Slated for completion in October 2005, the facility will produce one million hydraulic and electric steering systems annually; fifteen percent of that will go to supply Toyota's new San Antonio plant.

Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) is planning to build a $9-million academic liberal arts facility on its 186-acre Belleville , Ill., ampus. Designed by Peckham, Guyton, Albers and Viets Inc., the 40,000-sf building will house ten classrooms, office space, and a bookstore The project will replace five temporary classroom buildings. The community college expects to break ground on the facility in 2005 and reach completion is summer of 2006. SWIC is also engaged in $960,000 in renovations to existing campus facilities.