| November 15 | |
| Dear Friends, |
Thirty-two years ago when DRI Ūrst moved into the SAGE building in Stead, north of Reno, the faculty immediately began dreaming about an alternative. For those of you not familiar with the structure, the SAGE building was originally constructed in 1959 as the regional headquarters for the North American Air Defense Command. In addition to its thick concrete walls, lack of windows, and costly mechanical system, a key motivator in seeking an alternative was the isolation of SAGE from the rest of DRI and the University of Nevada, Reno.
One of the early participants in identifying alternatives to SAGE was Richard T. Egami, now an emeritus research scientist of the Institute. In the 1970s, he explored the possibility of relocating the SAGE operations to a vacant building in Reno, but lack of funding prevented this and other options from becoming reality. Another stimulus was the development of plans and the justification for a separate facility to be known as the "Center for Climate and Atmospheric Water Research." Part of the motivation at the time was the creation of a new home at DRI for the Western Regional Climate Center, one of six regional climate centers nationwide.
Relocation to the present site was made possible by the efforts of Count Allesandro Dandini who procured the land for the research park, home for DRIšs new campus. I look forward to seeing the Dandini Research Park, named in the Count's honor, become a premier economic development center for Nevada.
The plan for a new building couldn't become a reality without financial backing. In the early part of this decade, then President James Taranik led the effort to gain support for the new building. Governor Robert Miller endorsed the idea in his State of the State address in 1995. From this point, the funding effort moved into high gear. Two biennial budget requests were required to obtain full funding for the project.
Critical to DRI's success in obtaining state support for the project was the leadership of Senator Bill Raggio, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Representative Morse Arberry, Jr., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. We appreciate the unanimous support of the legislators who understood the need for this new state-of-the-art facility. Leading DRIšs effort to garner support for the project in the legislature was Fred Davis, who deserves special recognition for his persuasive powers.
During the time that we were seeking state support for the project, separate committees were formed to investigate activities at the SAGE building and lead the design process for the new building. Dr. Peter Barber, who is profiled in this edition, Egami, Rick Purcell, and Dr. Alan Gertler were involved in analyzing the operations at SAGE. A faculty design committee was also formed and chaired by DRIšs new vice president for finance and administration, Dr. Marilou Jarvis. This committee included Gertler, Egami, Dr. Carl Fox, Dr. Jack Hess, Barber, Dr. Jim Hudson, Dr. Nick Lancaster, Dr Richard Reinhardt, Dr. Dennis Chin, Nanette Merlino, and Peter Ross, manager of facilities. Special note must be made of Rick Purcell, an engineer in the Division of Atmospheric Sciences, who contributed significantly to the effort to determine laboratory requirements.
Key architects and engineers involved in the project included Tom Schoeman and Steve Carr, JMA Architecture Studios, Las Vegas; Fred Dolven and Bob Simpson, Dolven Simpson Associates, Reno; Chris Chimitis, Project Architect, Nevada Public Works Board; Allen Forbes and Jim Early, Martin, Peltyn and Early Structural Engineers; Bill Petty and Chris Rounds, Petty and Associates; and Pete Hackenbush and Archie Wright, Dinter Engineering. Given the complexities of designing a building of this type, the architects and engineers must be recognized for the vital role they played in the success of the project.
An important milestone occurred when we broke ground for construction of the new building on April 10, 1997. Two and one-half years later, ion September 30, 1999, we celebrated the opening of the facility. Throughout this period, the two mainstays for the project were Jarvis and Ross. Without their commitment, creativity, and hard work, DRI's newest building would not be the success that it is today.
The building opening also would not have taken place without the efforts of Kyle Ruf and the entire facilities staff. Steve Wood deserves special recognition for coordinating the move of more than 100 people and 30 years of accumulated equipment and records form the old SAGE building in Stead to our new facility, while Gayle Valdes must be commended for her efforts to ensure that the new communications system functioned properly.
Lyle Pritchett of computer support spent countless extra hours on the data network that provides for the essential flow of information within DRI.
In closing, I want to add my special thanks to Dr. Claudia Miner, executive director for institutional advancement, the DRI Research Foundation, and all the private contributors to the project who have nearly closed the $1.2 million gap between the total project cost and the support provided by the legislature.
When you look at DRI's newest addition, you will see the bricks and
mortar that make great science possible. The real foundation for the
building, however, is the group of people who made this project a
reality. Many thanks to all of you.
 Stephen G. Wells |
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