Industry News

Hays County has contracted the Austin office of Fort Worth-based Carter & Burgess to create the master plan and design for its consolidated courts and government center. Located on an eight acre county-owned site in central San Marcos, the complex will include four buildings. The first two facilities are estimated to reach 140,000- to 150,000 sf. Hays County currently occupies 80,000-sf in six separate San Marcos buildings.

The U.S. Navy has completed a $2.7-million cleanroom used to repair and refurbish hydraulic components for reuse in naval aircraft. The 8,500-sf facility was designed by Architects Larson/Carpenter of San Diego and built by construction company Soltek Pacific, also of San Diego.

Toyota Industries Corp. and automotive parts-maker Denso plan to build a 152-acre manufacturing plant near Pendergrass, Ga., comprised of between 200,000- to 400-000 sf. The facility will initially employ 150 workers when it opens in 2005. Toyota Industries Corp. is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp.  

California State University at San Marcos has selected architectural firm Robbins Jorgensen Christopher of San Diego as master plan architects for its 304-acre campus, including $140-million in capital projects currently in design or construction. The $7.4-million, 35,000-sf Clarke Field House, now under construction, will house student meeting space, athletic facilities, and a small convenience store.  

USA Today, a subsidiary of McLean, Va.-based Gannett, is planning to build an emergency publishing center outside of Washington, D.C. In addition to its alternate Silver Spring data center and publishing site, the project will enable publishing in the event of an area-wide disaster. Current options include the construction or lease of a publishing center removed from the District by more than 100 miles, or the creation of both East and West coast emergency publishing centers. Each center will be staffed by 20-25 employees.