Weather service to set up shop at UA

The building, which was completed last month, has been under construction since July 1995. It will be the new home of the United States Geological Survey and the National Weather Service in Tucson and was financed by an $11 million congressional appropriation, said Melissa Dryden, program coordinator for University of Arizona Facilities Design and Construction.

Marv Shogren, the meteorologist in charge of the Tucson station of the National Weather Service, said the service is moving into the building Feb. 25.

The move will temporarily disable the Tucson station on Feb. 25 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. During that time, all weather service activities will be assumed by the National Weather Service station in Phoenix, Shogren said.

"We may be able to minimize it to three or four hours downtime, and we are certainly going to try and do that," Shogren said.

The United States Geological Survey is already on the move to the new building, and as a result were unavailable for comment.

David Duffy, director of Campus and Facilities Planning, said that even though no classes will be held in the new building, it is justified despite space constraints on the UA because there are direct and indirect benefits to students.

The Arizona Board of Regents granted project initiation approval for the project Dec. 5, 1991.

The executive summary by the regents states, "This project is the first phase of a three-phase Environmental and Natural Resources Building complex, which at completion would house federal units along with related university instructional and research programs."

The building is being leased by the UA to the federal government. The university also plans to build four more structures, which include three more buildings and a parking structure, before completing the project.

Shogren said he is excited to move into the new facility, which has an additional 3,500 square feet of space available.