Cache Valley:Official development news thread

[SLCdave]

Originally Posted by TonyAnderson

That soon? That's great. Thanks.

The Falls @ Riverwoods is actually a carbon copy of Florentine Villas in Midvale.
If you are interested in seeing what it looks like. It's location is 7600 so and 750 west in Midvale. I believe they just finished the landscaping on it.

[TonyAnderson]

Originally Posted by SLCdave

The Falls @ Riverwoods is actually a carbon copy of Florentine Villas in Midvale.
If you are interested in seeing what it looks like. It's location is 7600 so and 750 west in Midvale. I believe they just finished the landscaping on it.

They're nice. They still have the 'suburban' apartment feel with the surrounding parking lot, but still decent overall.

[TonyAnderson]

Q2 update


New Ustar building @ Innovation Campus





Education and Research building @ USU





New Agriculture Science building underway @ USU

[TonyAnderson]

Space Dynamics Lab wins major NASA contract to work on climate satellite

Posted: Saturday, August 14, 2010 12:15 am

By Kim Burgess | 4 comments


Space Dynamics Laboratory at Innovation Campus in North Logan, Utah

North Logan, Utah - The Space Dynamics Laboratory at Utah State University has won a major NASA contract to work on a new satellite that aims to produce "highly accurate and irrefutable climate records."

SDL joins Harvard University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in developing the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) mission, which should launch in the latter part of the decade.

The lab's contract is valued at up to $9.6 million over five years.

According to NASA, the satellite will deliver critical data on natural and human-induced climate change and provide improved weather forecasts, which are needed to effectively respond to new conditions.

"One of the things that prevents us from making definitive statements about climate change is the accuracy of the current observing system we have," Dave Young, NASA project scientist for CLARREO, explained in a news release. "A major goal of the CLARREO mission is to provide extremely accurate climate measurements - at the accuracy level of tenths of a percent per decade."

Rather than examine individual changes like carbon dioxide levels, CLARREO is designed to look at the climate system as a whole by tracking the amount of energy entering and leaving the atmosphere.

http://news.hjnews.com/news/article_...cc4c002e0.html

[Reachforthesky]

I was driving on Main St. In Logan the other day and noticed that there is construction in front of shopko. Anyone know what it might be? Looks like a new restraunt??

[TonyAnderson]

I think it's a Chik-fil-a. Not 100% sure, but that's the only thing I've seen proposed for that area through the planning commission. Supposedly it will be a bit different than their typical drive-through restaurants to blend in better with Main.

They also just built a new Apple type-store in front of the Best Buy on Main. A new light on the south side of the city as well as a Carls Jr. and Les Schwab tire going up now. Nothing too interesting.
The building's were demolished downtown recently to make way for the Chuck-a-Rama's, which is supposed to be custom-built for the area.

I haven't seen any site work yet for the new Riverwoods apartment complex.

[Reachforthesky]

Wow! It seems like they get a new store every month. Sounds like some nice development for Logan. Sure is growing fast they almost have two of every store too!

[TonyAnderson]

Yeah it's like everything on the north side needs the equivalent on the south side. I think Logan is in a good position so far because the suburbs are still clinging on to that 'small' town feel and not really trying to take any business away. The longer they keep that mindset, the better for Logan, and density.

[Reachforthesky]

Yeah hopefully that will be the case. Seems like North Logan and Providence are setup to try and steal business like Providence stole Macey's from Logan. I personally think N. Logan should merge with Logan and become one city. I've looked at Logan and North Logan's borders on Main street around ensign toyota up to Hamilton's Steak and seafood and it is just a mess!! For instance hamilton's and the 25th north Tesoro is in Logan and Cinefour theaters next door is in North Logan. It Flip flops city ownership that whole side of Main street from 16th north to 25th North One minute your in Logan and the next your in N. Logan. Bad planning!

[TonyAnderson]

Yeah N. Logan is basically to Logan what Orem is to Provo. They've developed based off of Logan, and most of the commercial, office, density, etc. is right on the Logan border. They also have no town center, and utilize one street (Main) for everything, much like Orem and State Street. N. Logan's zoning / planning also leaves much to be desired, with parking and setbacks galore, whereas on Logan's side you can see that they try to interact better with the sidewalk and street. (Hamilton's for instance)

The city border's are interesting and something I've noticed as well. Basically Logan owns the westside all the way to the airport, and the eastern portion is N. Logan's. I don't see the city's merging as that just never seems to happen.

Logan lost Macey's but mainly because of Walmart moving in right there. The place where Macey's was is now full of retail ...maybe 10 new places moved in this year alone, so I think they're making up for it. Either way, that commercial area is kind of a mess.

New crane up at USU today I noticed. I have yet to see renderings for the project, but I'm guessing it will be rising shortly.

[TonyAnderson]

A couple of low-res renderings of the new Ag building I finally found:





Seems pretty cool. Looks like a lot of glass from the side.

And a webcam of construction for anyone interested:
http://www.usu.edu/webcam/index.cfm?webcam=7

[TonyAnderson]

USTAR building at Innovation Campus is complete

Leading researchers at Utah State University will soon occupy a new, state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research building on the USU Innovation Campus. The USTAR BioInnovations 650 building is nearing completion. A ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony is scheduled Thursday, Oct. 7, at 1:30 p.m., at the building site, 650 E. Grand Avenue, North Logan. The public is welcome.

The 110,000-square-foot facility is designed to foster collaborative relationships among all USU life sciences researchers, industry and other higher education institutions. The university projects an initial occupancy date in December 2010.

The new USU USTAR building is a Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Gold designated building. LEED, an internationally recognized green building certification system, was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Final LEED certification will be conducted in October once construction is completed.

http://www.usu.edu/ust/index.cfm?article=48191

[TonyAnderson]

USU Campus updates:

New education building at USU mixes science and design

Posted: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 12:15 am

By Kim Burgess | 0 comments

You could still smell the new carpet at Utah State University's Emma Eccles Jones Early Childhood Education and Research Center on Tuesday as philanthropists, administrators and professors toured the building's colorful halls for the first time.

Several hundred people gathered to see the unveiling of the 650,000-square-foot facility, which mixes cutting-edge science with whimsical design.

Housed inside are a number of research projects and programs, including USU's first infant and toddler care site, part of the Dolores Dore´ Eccles Center for Early Care and Education. Funded by $1 million from the George S. and Dolores Dore´ Eccles Foundation, the center also has two other classrooms serving kids up to age 6. Internship opportunities for USU students and parent workshops are planned.

On the other end of the first floor, children who use cochlear impants or digital hearing aids are gaining communication skills at the Sound Beginnings program. Speech therapy and audiology rooms are on site, while a studio apartment provides a place for families to learn how to help their child work on language during everyday activities.

One floor up are research labs in language and literacy; offices for faculty are on the third floor.

"It's better than I could have ever imagined," said former College of Education and Human Services dean Carol Strong, who was instrumental in securing $25 million in funding from the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation.

(c) Tony Anderson


New Ag building just finishing foundation:



(c) Tony Anderson


USU's new identity / logo / branding has been streamlined throughout campus and on all media:


(c) Tony Anderson


The newly dedicated 'Merlin Olsen Field':

Wording seems a bit large to me


And a perfect sunset

(c) Tony Anderson


And a bonus shot overlooking Logan and USU in the distance. The Wellsville Mountains are seen in the backdrop and to me always appear like a painting and not actually real.


(c) Tony Anderson

[SLC Projects]

LOL, Looking at the scoreboard. Poor BYU. I've never been up to Utahstate, it it looks like a nice campus with alot of new development going on.

[TonyAnderson]

There's definitely been a lot of development at the campus in the last ten years, as the school has moved from more of a regional university to a national one. The agriculture building looks exciting to me, with a mixture of modern glass, and traditional brick.

[TonyAnderson]

USU Construction projects total 13
USU anticipates state funding will support needed buildings by 2016

By Dan Smith
Published: Monday, November 15, 2010

The current five-year plan for fiscal year 2011-12 contains a total of 13 project proposals. The grand total for approximated budgets according to the plan is $228.8 million.

• Project No. 1 is a two-phase addition and renovation for the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.
  
  "The phasing of this project is necessary due to the lack of space to relocate the existing Jon M. Huntsman School of Business functions during renovation," the plan states.
  
  The first phase of this project is the construction of a three- or four-story building that would replace Lund Hall. The second phase would address seismic weaknesses and worn mechanical and electrical systems.

• Project No. 2 is a proposed overhaul of the deteriorating systems of the Kent Concert Hall and the Morgan Theatre. Updates would include new electrical, lighting and ceilings. The proposed budget is approximately $20.3 million.

• Project No. 3 addresses effectiveness and capacity of the HPER building, which was built in 1972. At the time the building was constructed, it was meant to serve a projected student population of 12,000.
  
  The proposed $45 million project would add around 80,000 square feet to the facility. It would have several new features, including new classrooms and labs as well as an area for rock climbing instruction.

• Project Nos. 4 and 5 address a suggested need to renovate the biology and natural resources building and the animal science building.

• Project No. 6 addresses the Ray B. West building. Barrett said the recent "cosmetic" improvements made to the building could be a temporary fix.

• Project No. 7 is the proposed construction of a wind turbine generator at the mouth of Logan Canyon. Implementation of such a structure would help reduce USU's carbon footprint and meet the American College and University President's Climate Commitment.

• Project Nos. 8, 9 and 10 propose a utility tunnel extension, upgrades to the Tooele Regional Campus utilities and a Brigham City campus student center, respectively.

• Project No. 11 (see rendering below) is the new Regional Campus and Distance Education (RCDE) building. Along with UPR and the RCDE administrative offices, the building will also house additional distance education classrooms, Barrett said.
  
  Utah Educational Network (UEN), a non-university, statewide terminal for regional campuses, will also have offices in the new building, he said.

• Project No. 12 would be a renovation of the Art Barn, a building of historical significance according to the plan.

• Project No. 13, the final proposal on the current five-year plan, is a thermal storage tank that would store two million gallons of water underground beneath the HPER recreational field. The purpose would be to reduce the cost of energy on campus.

Currently under construction: Agriculture building



Rendering of RCDE building to be built on campus


http://www.aggietownsquare.com/

[SLC Projects]

Between Utah State and the U of U, I wonder who has the most projects going on as of right now. Both schools seem to have alot going on.

[TonyAnderson]

To answer that...BYU. No, but if we're talking housing developments BYU definitely takes the cake.

It's definitely the U. A lot of those 13 USU projects aren't buildings, or are just proposals. Basically they just finished a new education building, started on the Ag building, and are beginning the RCDE building this spring.

A new business building (to correspond with the new Jon M. Huntsman School of Business) and rec center are just proposals that are heavily seeking funding.

The last 10 years though have seen USU pretty much double in size.

[StevenF]

Since most posts in this thread tend to be about USU I have a question about the land that was donated to the school a few years ago in Vernal. Any word on when USU plans on building another satellite campus out there with the land or what the school has plans for with it?

[s.p.hansen]

Comcast pushing for MWC to invite Utah State

Comcast is pushing hard for Utah State to be invited to the Mountain West Conference, in an effort to keep a foothold in the Utah television market, The Salt Lake Tribune has learned.

As a result, the USU program could be in line to receive an invitation to join the MWC, should the league expand to 12 teams. The Mountain West Board of Directors is meeting in Las Vegas, where expansion is on the table, according to sources. Sources also confirm that MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson met with Comcast late last week.

Tony Jones

Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/...ntain.html.csp