The site of the future Caterpillar headquarters near downtown Tucson will soon be abuzz with activity.
A fence will be erected around the work site, west of Interstate 10 and south of West Cushing Street, to begin removal of an existing landfill.
Contractors expect to move between 10 and 15 trucks through the area per hour with another dozen personal vehicles on site.
Digging up the landfill and transporting it to Los Reales landfill on the cityβs southeast side is expected to take about four months and set to begin in early June.
A project team met with residents of Menlo Park to walk through the remediation process and plans to protect them from excessive dust and odor, said Gene Einfrank, president of the neighborhood association.
βThereβs been good communication,β he said.
Two neighborhood representatives meet with the design team to give input on the future buildingβs appearance.
βWe have given them some ideas of what we donβt want,β Einfrank said. βGlass and steel is not something we would desire.β
He said they havenβt requested a specific architectural look.
βWe would like to see a lot of attention paid to how this building is going to look and fit into the neighborhood,β Einfrank said. βIt should reflect a respect for Tucsonβs birthplace and the fact that itβs in a historic neighborhood.β
Rio Nuevo Chairman Fletcher McCusker said all neighbor concerns are being taken into consideration as the contractor and architects work on the design, as well as Caterpillar employees.
βThe design team has been to Peoria to talk about the interior of the building, what kind of space they want, what functions, type of cafeteria, weight room, etc.,β McCusker said. βWith neighbors theyβve discussed aesthetics, plant life, where the road should go.
βEveryone is eager to get going.β
He was particularly pleased that local construction company Sundt was awarded the contract. Smith Group JJR and its partner WSM Architects Inc. are designing the building.
βThis project has been given a lot of attention,β said Ian McDowell, regional director of Sundt in Tucson. βWeβre very lucky to be part of the team.β
He said when Sundt put in a bid for the project, it was the first time his parents called to wish him luck.
βItβs one of our more significant projects,β McDowell said.
Last year Caterpillar announced it would move its Surface, Mining & Technology Division to Tucson with more than 600 executive jobs over the next five years.
Employees are temporarily housed in a county-owned building at 97 E. Congress while the new headquarters is built.
The Rio Nuevo Multipurpose Facilities District voted to spend $52 million to bring Caterpillar Inc. to Tucson. Another $4 million was provided by the Arizona Commerce Authority, making the offer one of the largest in recent state history.
