‘Built to last’: Officials celebrate new buildings at Desert Regional Center in Las Vegas

Matthew Lawhorne is eager to move into his new bedroom at the newly renovated Desert Regional Center in Las Vegas.

“I really like the new home; it looks nice,” he said at a Wednesday ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Nevada dignitaries, including Gov. Joe Lombardo. “I am happy about my new room; I can’t wait to move in.”

The complex — located near Jones and Charleston boulevards — houses Nevada Division of Aging and Disabilities Services facilities that serve locals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

On Wednesday morning, officials celebrated the completion of three new structures: an administration building, a space for therapy and nursing, and a six-bed residential building for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In total, the buildings occupy more than 33,000 square feet.

“The new facilities replace aging buildings that had reached the end of their useful life and allow similar staff and services to be located together, improving operational efficiency and continuity of care,” Lombardo’s office said.

At the ceremony, the governor touted the occasion as “a day of celebration.”

“Today, we’re opening the door to better care for Nevadans. The care provided here does some of the most important work our state does,” Lombardo said. “For the Nevadans who rely on these services, this is about more than a building or a program. It’s about having a safe place where we can (provide) the care, support and stability they need.”

Construction on the roughly $30 million project, which was fully funded with state dollars, kicked off a year ago. Lombardo said that its completion came under budget.

“On time, on budget, and built to last,” he said. “That’s accountability, and that’s what Nevadans should expect from their state government.”

The first buildings at the complex opened in the 1970s, said Jessica Adams, deputy administrator for ADSD.

“At that time, services for this population were largely focused on a medical model of institutional care, where individuals in service have very limited opportunity to express their preferences, goals, and dreams,” she said. “The field had already begun to shift away from large group institutional settings, which is reflected in our smaller homes here, and the smaller number of bedrooms that we have within each of the homes.”

Nevada’s developmental services programs support more than 9,000 people, with more than a third of them residing in their own homes, Adams said.

“We strive for the ICF to be a place for learning, growth, stabilization, and safety, so that people can develop the skills needed to then move on to home and community-based service settings,” she added.

Burke Construction Group handled construction.

“Twelve months ago, the admin building emptied out; staff moved into temporary quarters so we could go to work,” CEO Kevin Burke said. “Today, we deliver it back, new, expanded, on schedule, on budget, and built to the standard of the people that live and work here deserve.”