Public Utility

The Lower Colorado River Authority is planning to upgrade the 30-year-old Dalchau Service Center. Located in Southeast Austin, the transmission services center currently houses 180 to 240 employees who maintain and build power transmission lines. The $43-million expansion project will remodel the center to accommodate current and future growth. Four separate facilities will be upgraded and converted into a single 260-desk facility, housing additional offices and a conference center.

Progress Energy is planning to lease over 450,000 sf in two new office towers to be developed in downtown Raleigh in order to consolidate operations currently scattered in 250,000 sf across Raleigh. The towers, which may rise as high as 18 to 20 stories each, will be located on a two-acre site adjacent to Progress's current 21-story, 250,000-sf office. Progress, providing only the land and the lease guarantee, has issued a request for proposals to 14 development companies and plans to make a selection in April 2002.

Suntory Water Group of Atlanta is consolidating regional call centers with a move to the planned Tanners Creek project in Flowery Branch, Ga. Suntory will be occupying 20,000 sf of the 2,000,000-sf, 150-acre mixed-use development which features fiber-optic cable technology and includes office, hotel, retail, and restaurant facilities.  

The Padre Dam Municipal Water District has incorporated many ‘green’ features in its new customer service center and operations facility. The orientation of the $ 9-million building was determined by sun studies, using solar-sensitive elevations to provide shade in summer, capture heat in winter. High-performance low-e glazing is used. The heat-pump mechanical system uses recycled lake water as a heat sink. Recycled material—crushed soda bottle glass—is used for paving, and renewable material—cardboard—is used in wall coverings and flooring.

The National Fire and Protection Agency (NFPA) has partnered with Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) and the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) to build a set of Consensus Codes--a new set of codes for the built environment. Their goal is to provide safety officials with a new consistent and compatible set of codes by the year 2003. As part of the Consensus Code project NFPA also plans to devise a NFPA Building Code.

Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., began its Phase V expansion in March. O'Brien Kreitzberg (OK) of San Francisco has been selected to provide program management for the $748 million project, which is scheduled for completion by the summer of 2003. The project involves development of the approximately 2.8 million-sf convention and exhibition facility as well as public improvements in and around the project site.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board has finalized to new accessibility guidelines. These new advisory guidelines will assist the Department of Transportation and the Department of Justice in establishing new accessibility standards for: 1) Judicial, Legislative, and Regulatory Facilities; 2) Detention and Correctional Facilities; 3) Accessible Residential Housing; and 4) Public Rights-of-Way. For additional information visit http://www.access-board.gov/rules/title2.htm or call (800) 872- 2253 ext. 27.