January 2014 - Nevada Contractors Association

Construction
CONNECTION
JANUARY 2014
The Voice of Southern Nevada’s Construction Industry
PENTA Builds $415 Million SLS Las Vegas Resort
The Sahara Hotel and Casino, backdrop for the 1960’s heist movie
Ocean’s Eleven, is making a comeback after shutting its doors in 2011.
The iconic Las Vegas resort, originally built by Del E. Webb, is undergoing a $415 million makeover that could restore its former swagger.
Renovation, however, is tricky due to decades of patch-work improvements and piecemeal additions done by various owners resulting in spotty construction records. PENTA Building Group began refurbishing the 4million-sq-ft. complex at 2535 S. Las Vegas Boulevard in February.
The 240-room Sahara was “The Jewel of the Desert” when it debuted
in 1952, but when the three-tower 1,620-room Strip reopens this fall, it
will be the “SLS Las Vegas.” The venerable property, last renovated in
2003, had slipped into disrepair when SBE Entertainment and
Stockbridge Capital Group bought it in 2007 for $331.8 million from
Gordon Gaming Corp.
The hotel casino, on 17.5 acres, consists of seven interconnected buildings and two parking structures. As a result, PENTA divided the project
workforce into two teams: one for towers, the other for the podium. There
are 21 zones, with 8 superintendents and 8 engineers. The job will see
1,200 craftworkers, 100 scissor lifts and 80 subcontractor-suppliers during the peak of construction activity.
SLS is a rarity among Strip
megaresorts, which traditionally are
razed and replaced once they
become dated. Instead, SBE is
ditching the Sahara’s dated
Moroccan theme for contemporary
upscale elegance.
The 3-level podium will house
52,000-sq-ft. of restaurants,four
nightclubs and eight Fred Segal retail stores. The
76-ft-tall, 737,000-sq-ft. podium additionally will
boast a 58,825-sq-ft. casino, plus a 37,800-sq-ft.
convention center with a 44,000-sq-ft. rooftop pool
area with 20 cabanas, a center bar, café and concert
stage.
The 151-ft.-tall Tunis Tower is being remodeled
to 203 guest rooms, while the 24-floor, Alexandria
Tower is configured to 289 rooms. The largest
high-rise, the 254-ft.-tall Tangiers Tower, will have
1,130 rooms. SLS Las Vegas will have 1,622
rooms and suites upon completion on July 19,
which is about 100 less than the Sahara.
Associated General Contractors of Las Vegas Nevada Contractors Association 150 N. Durango Dr., Ste. 100, Las Vegas, NV 89145 Tel: (702) 796-9986
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2014 SPONSORS
The Las Vegas chapter of the Associated General Contractors and the Nevada Contractors Association
wish to thank the following companies for their generosity and continued support as 2014 sponsors.
PLATINUM
DIAMOND
GOLD
SILVER
BRONZE
2 Construction Connection
January 2014
PEOPLE
Paul Bunker of Aztech Inspections
has been named 2014 chairman of the
Nevada Contractors Association, a
nonprofit industry trade group.
Flippin’s Trenching’s Ken Flippin is
vice-chairman and Maui One
Excavating’s Pat Miyahira is secretary/treasurer.
John Entsminger was named
Southern Nevada’s new water czar on
January 7, replacing retiring Patricia
Mulroy, as general manager of the
Southern Nevada Water Authority
and Las Vegas Valley Water
District. Entsminger, 42, has been
senior deputy general manager for
both agencies since 2010; he is
Mulroy’s handpicked successor. A
15-year
agency
employee,
Entsminger is an attorney who helped
broker a landmark seven-state
Colorado River water shortage pact in
2007 and served as lead negotiator in
a 2012 water-sharing treaty with
Mexico.
January 2014
Dielco Crane Relocate DesertSOL
Dielco Crane Service recently helped relocate the 754-sq-ft. UNLV DesertSol house
inside the Springs Preserve at 333 S. Valley View Blvd. The residence last year earned
second place honors in the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. A cross-disciplinary
team of more than 60 college students took two years to design and build the home. Dielco
supplied an American 350-ton hydraulic truck crane with a pair of spreader bars and slings
to hoist and lower the single-story home into place. DesertSol serves as green living
demonstration showcase with 30 solar panels that generate 7.5-kW of electricity daily or
enough to power the home, plus LED lighting, appliances, and heating and cooling systems. There is also a steel roof, native landscaping, and a shaded fountain that uses recycled rainwater.
DC Building Group Does $6 Million
Faith Luthern Gymnasium Addition
DC Building Group is performing a $6 million expansion to the 34-year-old Faith
Lutheran Middle and High School, on 38.56 acres, at 2015 S. Hualapai Way in Las Vegas.
The private nonprofit Christian school serves 1,465 students from grades 6ñ12. The
26,006-square-foot project, designed by KGA Architecture, will add a concrete block
gymnasium. The men’s basketball team has won five state championships from 2003 to
2008. Construction is scheduled to finish by August 2014.
Construction Connection 3
Bally’s Las Vegas Builds
$50 Million Grand Bazaar
Caesars Entertainment is building the $50 million Grand
Bazaar Shops at Bally’s Las Vegas. The 2-acre, 150-outlet outdoor Strip-front retail complex will be located at Las Vegas
Boulevard and Flamingo Road, across from the Bellagio fountains. PENTA Building Group is the general contractor. Stores
will range from 150-sq-ft. to 300-sq-ft. in size, including tenants such as Swatch, Superdry, Havaianas and Campo Marzio.
More than a third of the space will be dedicated to restaurants,
bars and food outlets. The focal point will be a spectacular
tower called the Swarovski Crystal Starburst, which displays a
midnight show of lights and music. The multi-building openair shops with colorful canopy roofs are scheduled to open in
the fall.
Eclipse Theater Planned for Downtown Las Vegas
The City of Las Vegas approved plans for a threestory, 53,855 -sq-ft. Eclipse Theater, on 0.80 acres, at
the southwest corner of Gass Avenue and 3rd Street in
downtown, on the same block as Newport Lofts.
The $20 million steel-and-glass building, designed
by KME Architects, will feature an eight-screen, firstrun cinema complex, with ground-level retail shops,
an alley-accessible 48-space parking garage and a second-floor 540-seat restaurant and lounge. The third
floor would be reserved for offices and a VIP lounge,
with a commercial kitchen and tavern-limited establishment.
Developed by Sharet Holdings II LLC, the project
would be the first downtown since in 2009 when
Galaxy Theaters shuttered at Neonopolis.
4 Construction Connection
January 2014
New Construction Starts
Increase 6% in 2013
Downtown LV High-Rise
Boutique Hotel Planned
Attorney Bradley Hofland is
developing a 23-story, 300-room
boutique hotel near the corner of
Bridger Avenue and Fourth
Street in downtown Las Vegas.
Designed by YWS International,
the $90 million steel-and-glass
tower would include a restaurant
and pub plus a rooftop pool
deck. The design calls for mullion-free glazing for strong horizontal branding along Bridger
Avenue with a strong vertical
element facing Fourth Street.
January 2014
New construction starts advanced 6% to $516.8 billion
in 2013, reports McGraw-Hill Construction. This follows
the 10% gain reported for 2012 (which drew support from a
record amount of new electric utility starts that year) and
modest 2% gains in both 2010 and 2011. If the volatile electric utility category is excluded, total construction starts in
2013 would be up 14%, following a 9% gain in 2012 and
essentially flat activity during 2010 and 2011.
“The construction industry in 2013 made progress
towards establishing a more broad-based recovery, after
several years in which the upturn was more limited in
scope,” said McGraw-Hill Construction chief economist
Robert Murray. “Housing continued to lead the way,
strengthening throughout much of 2013, and it was joined
by a faster pace for commercial buildings. Iinstitutional
building registered a considerably smaller decline than in
prior years, as its lengthy downturn appears to be ending.
The public works sector in 2013 showed surprising
strength, helped by the start of several major projects even
amidst restrained government spending. Running counter in
2013 was a steep drop for new electric utility starts, after the
robust amount reported in 2012. For 2014, the prospects
look good for total construction, with growth anticipated for
housing and commercial building, while the institutional
building sector at least stabilizes.”
The 6% gain for total construction starts at the national
level in 2013 was the result of gains in four of the five
major regions. Showing the strongest growth was the
Northeast, up 17%; followed by the Midwest, up 9%; the
West, up 8%; and the South Central, up 3%.
The building is centrally
located near Fremont Street, the
Lloyd George Federal Building,
and Bank of America building.
“It is a project for people
who come to Las Vegas who are
using or visiting the Fremont
Street Experience area, but
wouldn’t necessarily want to
stay there,” says Hofland. “It’s
more of a business hotel, near
the courthouse, the Smith
Center and the World Market
Center.”
Construction Connection 5
PEOPLE
McCarthy Building Cos. named
Tim Bennett project manager for its
Nevada Division. He will manage
project quality, budget and delivery.
A 6-year McCarthy employee,
Bennett is an active member in AGC
Las Vegas’s Young Constructors
Forum and McCarthy’s “Heart Hats”
community invovement program. He
is a graduate from Arizona State
University.
Young Constructors Forum Celebrates
Women’s Development Center Project
AGC Las Vegas’s Young Constructors Forum (YCF) recently held a plaque ceremony
to commemorate the completion of the children’s play area at the Women’s Development
Center in Las Vegas. The nonprofit charitable group provides transitional housing for
homeless women and children. YCF was instrumental in raising the money needed to build
a 300-sq-ft rubber surface area with play equipment inside a secured courtyard. The plaque
ceremony was accompanied by a barbecue lunch and prizes. YCF is committed to mentoring the next generation of construction leaders through an exchange of best practices and
professional development.
Martin-Harris Construction Breaks
Ground on Harley-Davidson Center
Holland & Hart LLP named
Melissa Beutler, 31, a full-equity
partner. She is a construction lawyer
in the firm’s Las Vegas office, representing owners and contractors on
large commercial and industrial construction projects. Beutler is currently the firm’s youngest partner. She is
a graduate of Bringham Young
University. Founded in 1947,
Holland & Hart currently has more
than 440 attorneys in 15 offices
across the Mountain West and in
Washington, D.C.
6 Construction Connection
Martin-Harris Construction broke ground an $18 million Harley-Davidson dealership,
on 5.25 acres, at 5191 S. Las Vegas Boulevard on January 23. The two-level 50,000-sqft. building will feature a dealership, motorcycle rentals and a retail store. Developed by
Don Andress and Tim Cashman, the Las Vegas Strip location marks the duo’s third local
Harley-Davidson dealership. The new facility, scheduled to open this fall, will have a
rigid-mounted motorcycle that gives visitors an opportunity to experience riding.
January 2014
World of Concrete
World of Concrete celebrated
its 40th anniversary with over
48,000 attendees and 1,250
exhibitors occupying 570,000sq.-ft. of convention show
space from Jan. 21-24 in Las
Vegas.
January 2014
Construction Connection 7
Holiday Dinner Dance
AGC/NCA held its annual holiday
dinner dance and auction on
December 13 inside The Orleans.
The Mardi Gras-themed event
attracted over 300 people, while
raising $17,705 for the Michael T.
Martin Memorial Scholarship
through a silent auction.
8 Construction Connection
January 2014