$13 million must be spent on state building

Friday, Nov. 5, 2004 | 9:40 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Sawyer State Office Building in Las Vegas, constructed in the early 1990s for $29 million, now needs a $13.3 million renovation.

The state Public Works Board says titles are falling off the outside of the building because of defects in the material or in the construction. The falling tiles are a life and safety hazard, officials said.

The board is asking for $1 million in emergency funds to start construction. And the request for that money comes before the state Board of Examiners today at its meeting in Carson City. No one has been injured so far.

The tiles have been filling since 2002. The Public Works Board has filed suit in an attempt to remedy the situation.

Unless the state solves the problem, the state is at "significant risk" if someone is injured, the public works board said.

The $1 million, if approved as expected, would go to the Legislative Interim Finance Committee that meets Monday for final action.

The board says it has $1.7 million in other maintenance funds and is confident it will be able to negotiate a contract for $2.8 million to remove the tiles and seal the building.

The 2005 Legislature will be asked for $10.1 million to apply the new skin to the building. And it will cost another $278,270 to take care of the building's expansion joint calking problem.

A suit has been filed in District Court in Las Vegas against the general contractor Precision/Kitchell, the tile contractor Carrera-Marble Co., and the Architect Luchesi-Galati.

The Examiners Board will also be asked to approve $683,782 in emergency funds to open a cellhouse at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City to handle an expanding population.

The prison was allocated $2.1 million in 2003 for construction of a transitional housing center in Las Vegas. But that project was delayed until the 2006 fiscal year. It was scheduled to open next year to handle inmates who are nearing their release and help them find jobs and housing.