5. ICESR 01-12-2011 - Laserfiche WebLink

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D Dototh Entertaia~ent Convention Center To Whom It May Concern: As the Director of Operations with the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, I have been working with the SJA Architects team of designers and engineers for nearly 5 years with the design and construction of the new Amsoii Arena. We are about to open the facility to the community within the next month, and could not be more pleased with the end result! The Arena is a source of community pride and a great asset to the region. The Amsoil Arena is a vibrant and functional complement to our existing facilities. Our facilities see an average of 1.3 million users per year, which takes a toll on standard construction materials. It is crucial to the DECC that decisions regarding system and material selection be thoughtful decisions, with durability, long term maintenance implications, and operation efficiency at the forefront. SJA listened to our concerns and were able to incorporate materials and systems that not only met the needs of the DECC from the Operations perspective, but look great too. We have found that the people at SJA truly believe that beauty and durability are compatible objectives. They listened, accepted the challenge, and shined. Based on thoughtful decisions, we believe the facility will continue to be a source of pride well into the future, while limiting the costs we realize to maintain the building over its life. SJA and their team designed a facility that we fully expect will cost less than 5090 what other comparable arenas would cost to operate, from an energy efficiency standpoint. We had challenged the SJA team to design a building that earned LEED Gold rating, and we are well on our way to having a LEED Gold plaque on our wall soon. We are very pleased with the enthusiasm and skill, in which SJA managed our project. The DECC would not hesitate recommend the services of 51A to any other organization wishing to hire a top notch architect team that knows how to listen and produce tangible. results. Sincerely, 3~ \~~--- Bob Hom Operations Director 350 Harbor Drive, Duluth, MN 55802-2698, ~.: 218 722 5573, fax :218 722 4247