On September 11, 2000, Homestake Mining Company announced the closure of the Homestake Gold Mine in Lead, SD, the oldest and deepest gold mine in the United States. Shortly thereafter, an adhoc committee of physicists was formed to accept proposals for the development of a world-class underground laboratory to study one of the universe’s fundemental particles – Neutrinos.

In March 2001, the committee recommended further review of the Homestake mine along with a greenfield site in California for the location of the proposed National Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (NUSEL). After more than two years of study, Homestake was chosen during the Summer of 2003 as the preferred site for this world-class laboratory.

Currently under design, this 84,000 SF center will be built on land that has been returned in trust to the Tribes of the Sioux Nation by Congress to build a place where all people can gather to work for better cultural understanding and improved justice. This breakthrough project has been in development for 14 years.

Engineering challenges for the facility include stringent humidity requirements for the museum exhibit areas (+/- 3% control) and acoustical requirements of NC30 or less. Phased construction of the facility required additional planning of central systems.

This project involved the remodel of the existing Public Safety Building and the addition of two floors on top of the facility. All public safety functions will be housed within the new facility including the Rapid City Police Department, County Sheriff’s Office, 911 Dispatch, and the State’s Attorney Office.

This project features a new 8-lane subsurface shooting range and a central plant serving the Pennington County Courthouse complex.

The addition of a 2-man ambulance crew dictated the replacement of an aged fire station #3 with a new 4-bay, 4-man station on the northwest side of the city.

The fire station features an apparatus bay radiant floor heating system, vehicle exhaust, and specialized radio-activated facility controls. Design challenges include the incorporation of sleeping quarters in close proximity to an active apparatus bay, lightning protection, and provisions for decontamination of hazardous materials.

Growth in Rapid City prompted the design and construction of a similar fire station #6 located on Highway 16 on the south side of the city.

The expansion and remodel of the Northern Hills Federal Credit Union Building in Sturgis included the remodel of areas in the basement level, and a complete remodel of the existing main level.

New main entry and teller areas were designed and the existing drive-up lanes were replaced and covered with a new canopy. In addition, the existing drive-up teller outbuilding was removed and a new building was constructed to house an ATM and night depository.

Project Data