A new $14.5 million Southern Regional Crime Laboratory is under construction near Tucson International Airport on Valencia Road just east of Tucson Boulevard, with an anticipated completion date of March 2009.
The 41,300-square-foot, two-story building will give the state expanded space and enhanced lab capabilities. It will enable the Arizona Department of Public Safety to add new toxicology services and the analysis of blood for drug levels — a key test used to convict motorists charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs — and will be able to accommodate the latest developments in forensic science and DNA procedures.
 Rendering of the new Southern Regional Crime Laboratory |
Roger Vanderpool, department director, said taxpayers will see cases resolved more quickly because the new facility will be better equipped to keep up with the demand for advanced law enforcement services in southern Arizona.
Analysis time will improve by 15 percent to 20 percent since these cases will no longer need to be sent to Phoenix, according to the department, and efficiency in processing cases will improve 10 percent to 25 percent in each forensic science area. Currently, the department said, criminalists have to stand in line to process evidence.
Specialty items included in the building are a bullet recovery tank, laboratory casework, walk-in refrigerators, freezers and an exterior vehicle inspection area.
Gov. Janet Napolitano said the new lab will provide state-of-the-art research and analysis, enhancing law enforcement capabilities particularly in the areas of drug smuggling and human trafficking.
The building is designed and managed to achieve LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) Silver Certification based on six criteria: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design process.
State funding for the building was approved in late 2006. The facility was designed by DLR Group, an Omaha, Neb., architectural firm with an office in Phoenix. Construction is being done by Phoenix-based Summit Builders, the ninth-largest builder in Arizona. Established in 1986, the firm’s projects have included retail, large site development, office buildings, parking structures, hotels, and medical, industrial, recreational, multi-family, senior living, public sector, Native American and gaming projects.
Esquema Architecture offers cross-border services
A Tucson architectural firm is among the first to be authorized to provide services on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Esquema Architecture principals Arturo Coppola and Juan De La Torre, whose firm is at 6418 E. Tanque Verde Road, Suite 102, have obtained licenses to practice architecture in both Arizona and Sonora, Mexico, as a result of an agreement signed in 2007 by Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Sonora Gov. Eduardo Bours.
The agreement is part of the Arizona-Mexico Commission’s extension of each state’s technical board of registration and licensure requirements for architects in Arizona and Sonora, and opens the door for licensees in each country to practice architecture across the border. Architects are the first professionals who have been given this option under the agreement.
U.S. and Mexican architects still must meet qualifications to become registered and learn the systems unique to architecture in each country. Coppola is a graduate of the College of Architecture at the University of Arizona and has been practicing in Arizona since 1982. De La Torre is a 1983 graduate of the Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes and currently is president of the Colegio de Arqitectos de Nogales AC. Each has learned the two systems, in English and Spanish, but they will continue to rely upon each other’s expertise.
Esquema Architecture’s projects include Cien Años Bar and Grill, Lourdes Catholic School, Mastick Plaza Offices and a variety of residential properties.
For more information, visit www.
esquema-arch.com or call (520) 546-0350.
Realty Executives to work with Redington Home Loans
Locally-owned real estate brokerage firm Realty Executives Southern Arizona has entered into a relationship with Redington Home Loans, a region-wide mortgage lender and an affiliate of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, to provide origination and funding of mortgage loans.
Redington will offer Realty Executives Southern Arizona clients a wide range of home-financing products and services from Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, including options for first-time homebuyers and loan products for high-end clients. Buyers can expect a simplified home buying experience, with real estate, financing, and title insurance services all under one roof, the companies said.
ABA signs ‘win-win-win-win’ lease with Catalina High
The Arizona Builders’ Alliance has signed a $1-per-year, five-year renewable lease for space at Catalina High School, 3645 E. Pima St., to conduct apprenticeship training programs and, in exchange, will provide at least $25,000 in renovations to the 1,900-square-foot site and donate about $75,000 in equipment for indoor climate control training.
The agreement, under negotiation for more than a year, enables ABA to conduct apprenticeship training from 4 to 9 p.m., while the school uses the space for vocational training by day. The agreement also allows ABA to use two adjoining classrooms for instructional purposes and an option to conduct its electrical apprenticeship programs at the facility.
ABA, a trade association representing about 170 commercial construction companies in Southern Arizona, will line up member firms to tackle renovation so classes can begin in August.
"It’s a win-win-win-win arrangement," said Rob Caylor, ABA board chairman. "ABA gets an apprenticeship laboratory; the Joint Technology Education District gets improved facilities for its vocational classes; students benefit from improved career opportunities; and the construction industry benefits from an improved work force."
California REIT buys Academy Medical Center
California-based Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT Inc. has acquired Academy Medical Center, a four-building, 41,000-square-foot medical office property at 310 N. Wilmot Road. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The property, located on the St. Joseph’s Hospital campus, is 94.5 percent leased to various tenants, including Healthsouth Surgery, Laboratory Corp. of America and Academy Dental Care. The site joins two other properties owned by Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT in the Tucson area, Desert Life Medical Plaza and 6261 N. La Cholla Boulevard.
"Academy Medical Center is an excellent asset located in a thriving market for medical services," said Danny Prosky, executive vice president of acquisitions for Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT. Adjacent to Academy Medical Center is Kindred Hospital, a 51-bed facility that provides long-term acute care.
Academy Medical Center was acquired from an unaffiliated third party represented by Braxton Glass of E.B.S. & Associates. Financing was primarily provided by Wachovia Financial Services Inc. and through the Grubb & Ellis Healthcare REIT line of credit.
Comments
Darrel Dickson wrote on Jul 22, 2008 9:25 AM: