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Northern Nevada veterans home, UNR engineering building top long list of capital improvement projects approved by Legislature

Megan Messerly
Megan Messerly
Riley Snyder
Riley Snyder
Legislature
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For the first time in Gov. Brian Sandoval’s six and a half years as the state’s chief executive, Nevada state agencies are preparing to repair many state-owned buildings and embarking on flashy new construction projects.

While much of the oxygen in the discussion has been sucked up by high-profile projects such as a $38 million Northern Nevada veterans home and an $84 million engineering building at UNR, much of the state’s $346 million construction budget — approved in the form of SB546 —  contains delayed maintenance and repairs that were postponed because of the lingering recession effects on the state budget.

Some of the less glamorous but necessary projects the state will pay for over the next two years include $6.8 million for upgrades, repairs and installations of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, $11.7 million in electrical upgrades and $12.8 for various roofing projects across the state. Other major costs come from a variety of infrastructure upgrades at several state-owned prisons and correctional facilities, including nearly $28 million in various upgrades and retrofits of the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City.

Legislators are also taking the beginning steps toward several other major construction projects down the road, including $1.75 million in advance planning costs for an engineering building at UNLV, $3.5 million for planning a new academic building at Nevada State College and $4.4 million to plan for a new health sciences building at the College of Southern Nevada.

Here’s a list of the largest capital improvement projects in the state listed by the department they fall under:

ADMINISTRATION:

  • $9.3 million to the statewide roofing program
  • $3.4 million in renovations to the Grant Sawyer Building in Las Vegas, including $1.8 million in bonds and $1.6 million transferred from other projects
  • $3.3 million for improvements to the DMV in Carson City
  • $2.4 million to the statewide ADA program
  • $1.9 million to renovate the central plant at the Supreme Court Building
  • $1.9 million to renovate the exterior of the Capitol and annex building
  • $1.7 million to demolish the condemned Kinkead Building in Carson City
  • $1.6 million for the statewide advance planning program
  • $1 million in upgrades to Nevada Highway Patrol Headquarters and other DMV facilities

CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES:

  • $1.9 million to renovate the HVAC system for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resource’s dispatch centers in Minden and Elko, including $1.3 million in bonds and $600,000 transferred from other projects

CORRECTIONS:

Northern Nevada Correctional Center:

  • $11 million for ADA retrofitting, including $6 million in bonds and $5 million transferred from other projects
  • $9.9 million to upgrade and replace heating, water and electrical distribution
  • $3 million to replace locks, control panels, distress buttons and wing gates
  • $2 million on a HVAC renovation at the regional medical facility
  • $2 million to renovate plumbing and water control renovations in several units

Southern Desert Correctional Center:

  • $6.6 million for building finishes and renovations for a housing unit, including $6.2 million in bonds and $400,000 transferred from other projects
  • $3.8 million to install a water storage tank and connect a well
  • $1.6 million to renovate plumbing fixtures and water controls at four units
  • $1.5 million for advance planning project for a housing unit

Other Department of Corrections spending:

  • $6.7 million for upgrading door controls and other structural improvements at the High Desert State Prison
  • $6.6 million for various infrastructure and replacement costs at Ely State Prison
  • $5.3 million for various upgrades including intercoms, door controls and security cameras at the Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center
  • $3.2 million for various upgrades and renovations including replacing air handling units at Lovelock Correctional Center
  • $3 million to remodel showers and restrooms at the Stewart Conservation Camp
  • $1.2 million for water supply nitrate treatment at the Humboldt Conservation Camp.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES:

  • $2.1 million for a communications system upgrade at the Caliente Youth Center
  • $2.0 million for a security system installation at Desert Regional Center
  • $1.6 million for an upgrade to access door controls at Rawson Neal Psychiatric Hospital
  • $1.5 million for HVAC system renovation at the Nevada Youth Training Center’s gym building, including $1.2 million in bonds and $300,000 transferred from other projects
  • $1.3 million for an air handling unit replacement and direct digital control system upgrade at the Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services Administration Building 1.
  • $1.0 million for an air handling unit replacement at Lake’s Crossing

NEVADA SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION:

  • $43 million for the construction of a new engineering building at the University of Nevada, Reno
  • $11.5 million for deferred maintenance, including $7.7 million from the general fund and $3.8 million in bonds
  • $7.7 million for deferred maintenance out of the general fund
  • $3.5 million for advance planning of an academic building at Nevada State College
  • $4.4 million for advanced planning of the health sciences building at the College of Southern Nevada
  • $26.8 million to construct a new hotel college at UNLV, including $2.8 million for furniture, fixtures and equipment.

OTHER:

  • $1.2 million for renovations and building remodels at the Carlin Readiness Center, including $480,000 in bonds, $480,000 transferred from other projects and $200,000 in other funds.
  • $7.2 million for various renovations to the Stewart Indian School, including $6.8 million from the general fund and $445,000 transferred from other projects
  • $4.6 million to build cultural and welcome centers at the Stewart Indian School, including $4.3 million in bonds and $188,200 transferred from other projects and $147,000 in other funds
  • $38 million to build the Northern Nevada Veterans Home, including $33 million paid for from General Fund, $3 million in bonds and $2 million transferred from funds allocated in 2014.
  • $35.5 million for advance planning and other purposes for the Nevada National Guard Readiness Center
  • $8.7 million for the construction of a facility maintenance shop at the Washoe County Armory
  • $2 million to the Statewide Building Official Program

LAST MINUTE APPROPRIATIONS:

Outside the budget bill itself, lawmakers approved a bevy of last-minute appropriations for a variety of construction projects in southern Nevada, including:

  • SB553 – $1.75 million for advance planning for an engineering building at UNLV, and $25 million for construction of the UNLV medical school.
  • AB520 – $500,000 for a butterfly-themed playground at the Springs Preserve
  • SB187 — $1 million for a nonprofit charged with securing funding for constructing a fine arts museum in Las Vegas

Caption: The UNLV campus is seen on Wednesday, March 15, 2017. Photo by Jeff Scheid.

Update at 9:12 a.m. to include the $25 million approporiated to the UNLV medical school in SB553.

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