June 22, 2017

Construction begins in July 2017 on UNC Charlotte’s new University Recreation Center.  The 148,000-sf facility is designed to meet the University’s immediate needs, while providing the flexibility to adapt and expand components as desired in the future. Jenkins•Peer Architects is working with CannonDesign to address program components including:

• Administrative Offices, Wellness Center, and Consultation Rooms
• Four-Court and Two-Court Gymnasiums
• Multi-Activity Court (MAC) Gymnasium
• Elevated Jogging Track
• Cardio and Free Weight Training Room
• Rock Climbing Wall
• Indoor Pool
• Outdoor Leisure Pool
• Multipurpose Group Fitness Rooms
• Racquetball Courts
• Squash Courts
• Outdoor Resource Center
• Locker Rooms & Support Spaces
• Equipment Storage
• Core & Circulation

The facility’s architecture is consistent with the established style of the surrounding campus. By incorporating more glazing, the design’s transparency  establishes the building as a recreation center and sets it apart from the adjacent academic buildings. The Rec Center is  scheduled to open in Summer 2019.

June 21, 2017

Site work and interior demolition are underway, signaling the start of the comprehensive renovation of Rebekah Scott Hall. This 110-year old campus landmark is being revitalized and modernized with a design that celebrates and enhances its great spaces, preserves its beautiful historic character, and improves comfort and access for all of Agnes Scott College’s staff and students. When complete, the first floor will become the ‘front door’ to the College, welcoming visitors and prospective students to campus. The space will feature an inviting lobby and gallery area showcasing SUMMIT, a program focusing on global learning and women’s leadership development. Offices for admissions, enrollment, and financial aid will also be housed on the first floor, while student residences on the second and third floors will be renovated and revitalized with amenities that meet the expectations of today’s students.

All new mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems will improve operational efficiency and enhance the comfort of the staff and students who work and live in Rebekah Hall, while contributing to the facility’s anticipated LEED Silver certification. An adjacent surface parking lot will be replaced with a geothermal system to keep Rebekah cool, even during hot Atlanta summers.

Jenkins•Peer Architects began working with the College in 2014, developing the design in two phases to align with Agnes Scott’s “The Greatness Before Us” capital campaign. The first phase of the renovation, completed in 2015, addressed exterior features in need of immediate repair and stabilization: restoring and repairing the building’s cupola and woodwork, repointing bricks, and installing new gutters and downspouts. The second phase of the renovation is scheduled for completion in Summer 2018. Agnes Scott’s vigorous fund-raising campaign has been widely supported by donors who support the College’s mission “to educate women to think deeply, live honorably, and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times.”

February 2, 2016

Memorial redevelopment on the agenda
by Erik Spanberg, Charlotte Business Journal

Kick this idea around: Are city and county leaders ready to provide a big assist for a $20 million renovation of Memorial Stadium? Expect to hear that debate heat up in the next few months.

The discussion, anticipated since the minor league Charlotte Independence debuted last year in a temporary home at Ramblewood Soccer Complex, is considered vital if boosters are serious about pursuing a Major League Soccer franchise within the next five years. City and county politicians and administrators have expressed interest, but have yet to discuss specific proposals or possible taxpayer contributions.

Jim McPhilliamy, Independence managing partner, told me this week the team has been looking at stadium possibilities and studying the issue. He said the team will defer to city and county leaders about whether and how a collaboration could work.

Deputy city manager Ron Kimble, tourism executive Tom Murray and Charlotte Center City Partners CEO Michael Smith among them — to push for exhibition matches at Bank of America Stadium and to discuss soccer as a magnet for millennials and international business connections. Last summer, a pair of exhibitions featuring international teams brought more than 50,000 fans to the NFL stadium twice in a 10-day span.

“If we can make an investment in Memorial Stadium and show the MLS that we can support soccer, our track record in sports is good,” James Mitchell, a Democrat who leads the City Council economic development committee, told me. “I think there is political will to get this done. So you can check that box off. The question is whether there is enough sponsorship support at a major league level to go with the Hornets, the Panthers and NASCAR.”

The NFL Panthers are the strongest, healthiest sports property in the region. After a decade of struggle, the NBA Hornets have rebounded and become a consistently profitable business. Charlotte Motor Speedway and the annual PGA Tour stop at Quail Hollow are also stable, reliable attractions.

Mitchell told me council members will likely at least mention the idea of exploring soccer — and Memorial Stadium — during their annual retreat in Winston-Salem. The retreat starts Wednesday and ends Friday.

Mecklenburg County owns Memorial Stadium, an 80-year-old building that needs extensive repairs even to serve as home of a minor league team, never mind an MLS franchise. Even so, its history and proximity to uptown could make for an appealing MLS home, McPhilliamy and other boosters have said.

Local firm Jenkins-Peer Architects has presented the team with a renovation plan that would take 16 months, make the field soccer-ready and put capacity at 10,000. The blueprint calls for using the makeover as a base that could be expanded to 20,000 seats if and when an MLS team arrives. Jenkins-Peer designed Jerry Richardson Stadium for the Charlotte 49ers, a 15,000-seat venue that can be expanded to 40,000 seats.

McPhilliamy views Sacramento and San Antonio as top competitors for MLS. The league has 20 teams and commitments to add four more during the next few years. Last year, the MLS disclosed plans to push the franchise count to 28 — though how soon has yet to be determined. Previously, the MLS had set 2020 as a target date for going to 24 clubs.

Atlanta’s expansion team will join in 2017 and a second Los Angeles franchise begins play the following year. Minnesota and Miami are poised to become the 23rd and 24th franchises soon after that.

“I think Charlotte’s a viable MLS market,” Sal Galatioto, president of a New York sports-finance firm, told me. Galatioto helped Bob Johnson in his successful bid for the NBA expansion team that became the Charlotte Bobcats and later helped Johnson sell majority interest to current owner Michael Jordan. (Jordan changed the name to Hornets from Bobcats in 2014.)

MLS spokesman Dan Courtemanche said, “The success of soccer in Charlotte at the youth and college level serves as yet another strong indicator of the continued growth of the sport in the United States. Last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup crowd of more than 55,000 also illustrated the passionate support for soccer in the area. Independence owner Jim McPhilliamy provides us with regular updates regarding the progress of professional soccer in Charlotte, and we understand the city and the county are very supportive of his vision for a soccer-specific stadium that could be the home for a Major League Soccer expansion team someday.”

An expansion team will likely cost $100 million or more and McPhilliamy has said he will need deep-pockets investors to pay for an expansion franchise.

For now, the best-case scenario is for McPhilliamy and city and county government to begin formal talks and figure out how to pay for the stadium renovations. The Independence face at least two more seasons at Ramblewood, where another local design firm, Odell Associates, is helping expand the temporary facility opened last season.

The Independence starts the 2016 season March 26 at home against Louisville.

Erik Spanberg covers government, sports business, hospitality and airlines for the Charlot

December 4, 2015

The North Carolina Public Library Directors Association (NCPLDA) has recognized the Catawba County Library System with its New or Improved Facility Award for the recently completed 10,000 square-foot Sherrills Ford-Terrell Branch Library. The community’s original branch library was built in 1980 and expanded in 1990; however, with just 2,675 square feet of space and a service area that was expected to grow by 30% by 2018, the community needed a larger facility. The new state-of-the-art branch addresses the immediate and future needs of this growing community with architecture, public spaces, and furnishings to enhance services for this growing part of the county.

The building was designed by Jenkins-Peer Architects, with significant community input into the planning for the design. Interior design for the Sherrills Ford-Terrell Library drew inspiration from the natural beauty of Catawba County and nearby Lake Norman, with a setting appealing to all age groups and timeless in its design. Natural light was a key aspect of the overall interior design, with clerestory windows to allow for natural light to “filter” into the space at all times of the day.

With a small footprint, the space is enhanced by an open and inviting interior with visibility from one side of the building to the other. Additionally, much of the shelving is low and moveable, for space versatility. The majority of the furnishings are also on wheels to allow the staff to move the furniture as needs change, and providing for utmost future flexibility.

Sustainable design principles including optimizing natural light, locally sourced building materials and furniture, high-efficiency HVAC, and reduced water consumption are incorporated throughout the facility, which is registered with the US Green Building Council and is pursuing LEED Silver Certification.
Library Director Suzanne White noted, “We are delighted to be recognized. Our new branch at Sherrills Ford-Terrell creates a contemporary, light-filled environment filled with inviting collaborative spaces throughout. The community has embraced it wholeheartedly. Importantly, too, the branch exemplifies our mission to help empower lives and build community by bringing people, information, and ideas together.”

November 24, 2015

With its new offices ready for occupancy, UNC Pembroke’s Entrepreneurship Incubator (EI) is ready to serve start-up businesses in the region.

The incubator has been conceived as an engine for job creation and innovation for the 10-county region extending from the coast to the sandhills. The project was funded by $1.2 million in grants and gifts from the U.S. Commerce Department, the Golden Leaf Foundation, and private donors.

The 17,000 square-foot facility supports local entrepreneurs by providing new businesses with physical space, consulting services, educational seminars and workshops, mentoring, and networking opportunities.

The incubator itself has been a business start-up of entrepreneurial proportions, said Dr. Cammie Hunt, associate vice chancellor for Engaged Outreach.

UNCP’s incubator draws from the resources of North Carolina’s Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC), UNCP’s Thomas Family Center for Entrepreneurship and the School of Business. The EI also has formed strategic partnerships with InnovateNC, headquartered at NC State University, and NCGrowth at UNC Chapel Hill.

“It took state, federal and community support to get to this day, and we are very excited about opening the doors of this beautiful facility to facilitate businesses’ success,” Dr. Hunt said. “The Entrepreneurship Incubator will be a significant job creator for the region.”

August 9, 2013

Jenkins•Peer Architects has been working with the Catawba County Library System, the Sherrills Ford-Terrell Library staff, and the community to envision and design a larger library facility to support the region’s growing population. On August 5th that vision took a dramatic step forward as the first shovels of soil were turned to launch construction of the new building.

Located on 2.5 acres near the intersection of Sherrills Ford Road and N.C. 150, the 10,000-sf library is more than triple the size of the existing branch and includes:

• A greatly expanded print collection, with three times more shelf space;
• Collections for adults, teens, juvenile, and early-childhood age groups;
• Four times the previous number of desktop computers and tablets for public access and technology training;
• Additional space for special programs and meetings; and
• Nearly four times the number of parking spaces.

In support of the community’s commitment to environmental stewardship, the new library is pursuing LEED Silver certification with features including:

• Design that maximizes natural light;
• Ultra-efficient HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems;
• An energy-monitoring system; and
• The use of regionally produced materials and furnishings.

Catawba County commissioners and other state and county officials joined Library Director Suzanne White, the library staff, and community members at the ground-breaking ceremony.  Construction is expected to take approximately one year.