Architects press for ‘pencil-ready’ projects

By Cy Ryan

Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Architects are suffering with the rest of the construction industry as Nevada’s real estate market continues to decline.

As state leaders consider how best to allocate federal stimulus funding, much of the discussion has focused on shovel-ready projects that would quickly get unemployed workers back on the job.

A group of Nevada architects was in the capital Wednesday to meet with lawmakers and ask that the state also set aside money for “pencil-ready” projects, which could provide design work for architects and engineers.

“We want to make sure the construction money is used for projects that need to go into design, not just shovel-ready projects,” Sean Coupler, president of the Las Vegas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, said Wednesday.

Every $100 million spent on a project provides work for 10,000 white collar employees, not only architects but office staff and engineers, said Mike Del Gatto, a licensed architect from Las Vegas.

There are 500 licensed architects in Clark County. Employment for these professionals is down 50 percent from last year, Del Gatto said.

While governments are trimming their capital budgets, Del Gatto said planning and design money should be maintained so projects will be ready to build once tax revenue rebounds and money is available.

Coupler said the Nevada architects were in Washington, D.C., this month meeting with Nevada’s congressional delegation. They also plan to take their concerns to county officials.

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Lawmakers heard details this week on the potential effect of budget cuts on state museums.

Patrick Cates, deputy director of the state Cultural Affairs Department, told a subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee that the department’s budget will be slashed by 40 percent. As a result, the number of full-time employees in the department will be cut by 40 percent. Museums will reduce their days of operation, close or delay their openings.

• The Lost Museum in Overton would be open four days a week instead of seven. Staffing would be reduced from six to one.

• The East Ely Railroad Depot Museum and the Comstock History Center in Virginia City would close.

• Four employees at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City would be laid off.

• The state museum in Las Vegas would be open four days a week instead of seven.

• The new Las Vegas state museum at the Springs Preserve won’t open until money is available for exhibits. The earliest the museum could open is February 2011.

“None of these (decisions) came lightly,” said Michael Fisher, director of the Cultural Affairs Department.

Shorter hours of operation will continue to hurt the department’s budget because less revenue will come from museum admissions, department officials said.