Big Happenings in "Little" El Paso

Construction Activity Running for the Border

With close to $1 billion in construction projects authorized in two El Paso school districts and city projects, locals are concerned about finding enough construction companies to take on all the work.

By Lesley Hensell

A flood of public money, combined with an improving economy, should have construction firms swamped with work in El Paso for years to come.

Voters recently passed $1.2 billion in school district and city bonds for education, city services and quality-of-life facilities. The work will add to the construction activity that has been mounting for several years.

In 2002 the El Paso Building Services Department issued 208 new commercial construction permits collectively valued at $173.7 million, the highest total in the city's history. That was in addition to $169.9 million in permits for single-family homes and $25 million for duplexes and multifamily complexes.

These numbers are expected to continue to rise, according to the Waco-based Perryman Group, an economic and financial analysis firm. Even before this year's bond elections, Perryman estimated that El Paso's construction market would be worth $444 million in 2004, up from $415 million in 2000. Projections show that construction spending will rise through at least 2007.

In February voters authorized $114 million in city bonds for 11 propositions, including flood control, streets and drainage, emergency and health services, libraries and municipal facilities that include 10 park projects.

A provision was also passed that earmarks two percent of the bonds for public arts. The intent is to encourage the integration of art into the architecture of new city buildings.

A more immediate impact on the city's construction outlook is coming from spending of quality-of-life bonds passed by El Paso voters in 2000. The $141 million in bonds has resulted in 95 projects ranging from landscaping to a new history museum.

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About $100 million in quality-of-life projects is being managed for the city by Perspectiva-3D/I (known as P+3), a joint venture between Perspectiva, a local architectural and construction management firm, and Houston-based 3D/International, a national construction management and design firm.

The quality-of-life projects are on a fast track, said Juan Contreras, program manager for P+3.

"We were hired in 2003 by the city to compress the original 10-year schedule into seven years," Contreras said. "Since three years had already been lost, our mandate is to get the work done in four years. Most of the work we are responsible for is in motion, and our goal is to finish by the end of 2006. At this point, we are optimistic that we can meet that timeline."

P+3 has been charged with taking $100 million in projects from inception to completion.

Of the projects being managed by P+3, eight percent are complete, 20 percent are in the design stage, seven percent are under construction, seven percent are being bid out and five percent are in the selection process for architecture and engineering. The remaining 54 percent are in the scoping and development phases.

Top priority for P+3 is to get all major projects under way. The most significant is Cleveland Square, a two-city-block project downtown that will double the size of the main library, build a history museum and create a park plaza to link the two buildings.

The history museum will include 40,000 sq. ft. covering two stories. Ground broke on the project in late March, and Silverton General Contractors of El Paso is negotiating with the city to take on construction oversight.

About 45,000 sq. ft. covering two stories will be added to the existing main library in addition to extensive remodeling. Silverton General Contractors also is expected to oversee the project.

The El Paso Zoo will receive a major facelift from three projects totaling $22 million in construction.

An architecture and engineering team for the expansion of the zoo is expected to be selected this month.

In the coming months, P+3 will select architectural and engineering design teams to begin work on 50 park projects such as the $5 million Westside Sports Complex, which will boast at least six soccer fields and four softball fields. Additional bond-related construction will ramp up three area school districts. In January the Socorro Independent School District was approved for $188.7 million in bonds. One of the fastest-growing school districts in the state, Socorro ISD serves Socorro, Horizon City and the eastern part of El Paso.

Its current population of 32,000 students is expected to increase to at least 50,000 by 2010. Enrollment could even top 80,000 in the next decade, according to school district officials.

The bonds allow for the construction of nine new schools, including two combination campuses each with two schools, two prekindergarten through eighth-grade facilities, an expandable ninth-grade campus, a high school and an alternative-education school. Other new facilities will include an education center to house central office staff and an ROTC firing range. About $19.5 million will be spent on renovations and additions and $14.4 million on improvements and repairs.

Last fall, the El Paso ISD got approval to issue $207.4 million in bonds for construction and renovations including two new elementary schools and a new middle school. One high school will see its historic theater get a $1 million makeover, while two others will receive new 1,000-seat theaters. Construction management duties were awarded to El Paso-based C.F. Jordan LP.

In the Lower Valley and northeast communities of El Paso, the Ysleta ISD will begin spending the $250 million in bonds approved by voters in January. Because 60 percent of its schools were constructed prior to 1970, the district faces overcrowding, malfunctioning HVAC systems, pests, problematic electrical systems and leaky roofs.

The district's top priority is replacing five or six existing schools with new facilities and constructing a new campus in the Del Valle area.

"We are moving very quickly," said Larry Trejo, executive director for Ysleta ISD. "We are doing all the planning and looking at various construction methodologies. Some smaller projects will move forward this year, but new schools or large additions probably will not move forward until January.

"The biggest challenge is going to be finding contractors to do all of the work. Between the city of El Paso and two other school districts, about $1 billion in construction is authorized at this time. I'm not sure how we'll find enough companies to get the projects we need completed."

Jim Carpenter, a project manager for C.F. Jordan, said the key shortage is in masonry contractors.

"We're fortunate to have some very good mechanical, electrical and plumbing subcontractors on our projects at this time," Carpenter added. "But most school districts want masonry walls, and there are only so many masons in town. All of the housing construction going on can quickly lead to a shortage of qualified masons."

New security strategies prompt airport terminal redesign

Another major public project currently under way is at the El Paso International Airport and is designed to meet the new challenges of airport security. The $3.9 million project includes a partial building demolition, renovation and a two-story addition to the passenger terminal building. This new structure will house a passenger meet-and-greet area and a consolidated security screening checkpoint.

The project was conceived before Sept. 11, 2001, but underwent a major overhaul after the terrorist attacks. Because the design process had a head start, the airport's consolidated security checkpoint, which opens in July, is expected to be the first of its kind in the nation, said Patrick Abeln, the airport's director of aviation.

"The project grew three times the size of the preliminary design," Abeln added. "We believe it's innovative and may become a model for other airports."

Under the new design, all security screening will be conducted at a single entry point.
"Every piece of security equipment and security official will serve every gate and every passenger," Abeln said. "The impact will be massive in terms of efficiency for the public."

The new checkpoint is designed to handle a much heavier traffic flow than the current 3.5 million passengers who use the airport each year.

"It's designed to grow into the 4.5-million range while retaining a high level of efficiency," Abeln said.

El Paso-based Moore Nordell Kroeger Architects Inc. designed the 26,000-sq.-ft. addition to match the terminal's most recent makeover, which the firm conceived in the late 1990s. Some features are reminiscent of mid-century airports. The glassed-in meet-and-greet area offers a sweeping view where visitors can watch the airfield action.

"We wanted to pay tribute to our aviation heritage and create a retro look and signage that really stands out," Abeln said.

The new addition features the same copper, stainless steel and granite finishes as the existing terminal, giving it a unique, high-end appearance, said Carpenter, the project manager for C.F Jordan.
"It's a beautiful design and will be a great addition to the city," he added. "El Paso is commonly thought of as a small town, but it really isn't any more."

Abeln said it has been difficult performing construction at an airport, but "the contractors have done an excellent job at keeping the project moving and not affecting passengers during the construction process."

New high-tech scanning facility will increase border security

Public money is funding another security project on the Texas-Mexico border at the Ysleta Port of Entry Inspection Station. Details of the project are not being released, but the structure-a Pulsed Fast Neutron Analysis facility-is being tested in El Paso and may be replicated at ports of entry around the United States.

The PFNA facility will allow U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection officials to look inside cargo trucks using high-tech X-ray-type imaging without opening the vehicles, much less off-loading and re-loading cargo as is currently required. The PFNA is capable of discovering contraband-even in fully loaded trucks-while expediting border inspection operations.

C.F. Jordan began construction in October and a fast-track schedule saw completion in March. The cost was about $13.5 million with about $3.4 million of that going toward the building to house the PFNA equipment.

"We have the technology to detect and interdict at our borders every known kind of commercial or homemade explosive including dirty bombs and other nuclear weapons, conventional bombs, liquid explosives or chemical weapons as well as drugs," said Patrick Shea, COO of Ancore Corp., the California-based company that developed the PFNA technology. "We will be working diligently with the [Department of Defense] and the U.S. Customs Service to demonstrate just how safe, efficient and accurate the PFNA truck inspection can be."

"This is a pilot program that will be tested for one year," said Carpenter, who served as project manger for the facility. "Ancore is going to run it for part of a year, and then turn it over to the Department of Defense or the General Services Administration. Once it has proven itself, they are going to start building these in seaports, on the Canadian and Mexican borders at every international bridge and at airports."

The federal government has been considering implementing the technology since the mid-1990s. While tests have found the equipment effective, it isn't known how efficiently the technology can be in a real-life setting.

The 54,000-sq.-ft. prefabricated metal building includes cast-in-place concrete walls that surround the PFNA equipment and act as a protective shield against radiation.

"We created a concrete building and then put up a prefabricated metal building around it," said Carpenter. "There are close to 4,000 cu. yds. of concrete on this project for site paving and the concrete structure. And a lot of heavy-duty rebar went into it.

"The concrete was specially designed to resist radiation from neutrons," he added. "A lot of radiation shielding was involved, and we built walls 18 -in.ches thick for radiation shielding. Some of the concrete walls were 2- feet. and 6 in.ches thick. It also took quite a bit of structural steel to create the tunnel."

A truck is pulled into the PFNA facility by a robot truck, coming to rest behind the radiation shield. The truck is then exposed to short pulses of fast neutrons. In response, the truck and its cargo emit gamma rays, which are collected by detectors located throughout the facility.

Through analysis of these gamma rays, the PFNA technology generates a three-dimensional map of the truck's cargo, which is displayed on a computer screen. The system can identify a variety of contraband and display its location. Detection does not rely on shape and is immune to diligent packaging.

In addition to the scanning tunnel, the facility includes an accelerator room, storage room and a waiting room for drivers.

Rising enrollment spurs work at UTEP

At the University of Texas at El Paso, a commitment to an unusual style of architecture has dominated the design of two new buildings and the renovation of a third.

Considered one of the few examples of Himalayan Bhutanese architecture outside of its birthplace, UTEP has remained true to the style since its first buildings were erected in 1917. Features of the architectural style include massive buildings with high, inward-sloping exterior walls and varying rooflines. Walls traditionally are white, with few or no windows in the lower sections of buildings. Three major projects are currently under way that continue the Bhutanese tradition on the campus. All broke ground in June and are collectively worth $44 million.

Replacing a facility that is half its size, the new Academic Services Building comprises 52,600 sq. ft. and will house all student services under one roof, including testing and admissions. The expansion is driven by UTEP's growing enrollment, which climbed to a record 18,500 last year.

The building will feature an entryway sporting a glass rotunda and two stair towers with glass mandalas, affording a 360-degree view of campus. Structural steel was erected in March and the slab poured in April. HVAC, plumbing and electrical work are under way, and completion is expected in January, said Shaun Wood, project manager for the project's general contractor, Sambrano Corp. of El Paso.

"Bhutanese architecture is extremely interesting," Wood said. "Among all the building projects on campus, there is a variety of exterior finishes that all fit with the architectural style of the university's buildings."

The student services building has an exterior insulation and finish system, or EIFS. Sheathing is placed over the metal studs followed by Styrofoam that is overlaid by plaster and a color finish.

"It looks like pre-cast concrete, but it can be cut into and easily adapted," Wood said. "It's much more forgiving than pre-cast and easier to fix if errors are made."

The Bhutanese style calls for exterior walls that are slanted inward, with and each floor being slightly smaller than the one beneath it.

"To get the walls to slope correctly, each floor had to shrink as went go up," Wood said. "We actually had to slant the studs, too, to make this happen. I've never worked on a project before where studs in exterior walls are slanted at a crazy degree."

Also under construction is UTEP's new Bioscience Research Building, a $27 million, five-story 100,000-sq.-ft. facility that will house the Border Biomedical and Health Sciences Research Center. Sambrano Corp. is the general contractor project's, which is expected to reach completion next year.

A 44,200-sq.-ft., three-level addition to the existing Engineering Building, one of four interconnected structures in the Engineering/Science complex, will provide space for the dean's office, department offices and faculty offices. El Paso-based Banes General Contractors is working to complete the $7 million addition in time for the fall semester.