Look for National Bank at 16th and Arizona

One building was coming down last week to make way for another at the corner of 16th Street and Arizona Avenue.

Crews were demolishing the longtime Braden building, which housed a farm equipment dealership for several years.

The site has been purchased by National Bank of Arizona, which is moving forward with plans to build a regional center there, said Tom Thompson, regional president for the bank.

It will be a two-story, 16,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building where the bank's business "partners" can be consolidated under one roof, he said. Currently, investment and executive bankers, mortgage lenders and commercial lenders are scattered at National Bank locations around the city.

The center also will be a branch bank.

Thompson said the regional center is another step in the bank's commitment to the community that includes the recently completed new branch bank facilities in Wellton and the Foothills.

The regional center was designed by Patterson and Thompson Architects, and Don Peterson Engineers will be the contractor. Thompson said the hope is to break ground in June and open the center by early 2009.

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In other building activity, Alan Kircher, city of Yuma assistant building official, reported:

- Plans have been approved for a new classroom and the gymnasium at the Kofa High School campus. The two projects will total 52,000 square feet.

- Permits have been issued for Patina Plaza at 2198 S. 4th Ave. next to JB's Restaurant. It will be a two-story, 10,800-square-foot office building. For leasing information, contact Todd Mellon at 782-4482 or toddmellon@mellonfarms.com.

- The Wingate Hotel is expected to open in the next week or two. It's located between Cracker Barrel and the Marriott TownePlace Suites on Hotel Hill.

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Work resumed last week on the Comfort Inn Suites in the Foothills with a new contractor, said Marci Rios, a friend of developer Tomas Osuna.

Pilkington Construction Co. has taken over the project and expects to compete the job within 140 days for a September opening.

"It will be a beautiful hotel," Rios said, promising a grand opening for the entire community in the fall.

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Sean Brooks, a former auto salesman, is now applying his "insider" knowledge of the car business to help customers through the process with his business, Auto Buyer's Consultant of Yuma.

He works strictly for buyers, walking them through the entire vehicle buying process, helping relieve the stress of the experience and potentially saving them money.

Brooks can be reached at 446-1344 or sbrooks@abc-928.com or visit his Web site at www.abc-928.com.

On the side, he is a full-time student at Arizona Western College.

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Angelyna’s Dance Bag, 350 W. 24th St., will be closing, announced owner Monica Reichman. The final day of business will be Saturday. Until then, the shop is open from 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Come by for close-out sales.

Reichman said she is closing for personal reasons but hopes to reopen her business at another location in the future. In the meantime, she expresses her thanks to everyone for their support.

She can be contacted at monica@agritrend.net.

With Reichman closing her shop, the 1,425-square-foot space will be available for lease. In addition, the entire building as well as the smaller directly to the west are for sale.

For more information on leasing the soon-to-be-vacant space or purchasing buildings, call property manager Lynn McKelvey-Shultz at 783-8899.

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In other news for that strip center, A New Leaf has new owners. The floral shop, 344 W. 24th St., has been purchased by Frank and Misty Evenson. They're keeping the same designers and extending the hours.

The shop is now open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays. The phone number remains 329-8559. For more information, visit anewleaffloralandgift.com.

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Deanie Holbrook, owner of Village Art Gallery, announced she is retiring at the end of the month and turning the gallery over to Desert Artist Inc., which will run it as an artist co-op.

Her last hurrah will be an art show of work by local artists from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the gallery, 3300 S. 8th Ave., Suite G-2.

Members of Desert Artist will maintain the same hours and phone number (341-0039) and the same goal of providing a venue for local artists to show and sell their work.

Holbrook opened Village Art Gallery 2-1/2 years ago. It was her third gallery.

She said she wants to focus on painting and traveling.

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Chuck's Stage Stop Restaurant is now open in Wellton at 28534 Los Angeles Ave., delighting area residents with tasty, made-from-scratch food such as soups, pizza, calzones, sandwiches, spaghetti, burgers, roast chicken and many other lunch and dinner specialties. Plans are to add breakfast and other menu items in the near future.

For now the restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, year-round. Customers can call ahead to 785-3131 to place orders.

Proprietors Chuck and Mary Klawuhn are thrilled to be finished with construction and now putting Chuck's 30 years of restaurant experience in both cooking and management to good use.

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Carl's Jr. is making plans for a restaurant near the San Luis Wal-Mart Supercenter. Its application for a conditional use permit is scheduled to be considered Wednesday by the San Luis City Council. The permit would be needed for a drive-through for the planned restaurant.

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The Yuma County Library District's Wellton Branch Library, 10425 William St., has closed its doors for the last time and the move has begun to the new facility.

The library will open May 13 at its new location, 28790 San Jose Ave. The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony are slated for May 17.

The due date for all materials checked out from the Wellton library is being extended to May 14. However, a book drop will also be available outside the William Street location.

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Desert Rage Full Contact Fighting, LLC is a new company formed in Yuma to offer a venue for local fighters as well as provide entertainment for Yuma-area residents, said Justin Haile, promoter and co-owner.

The cage fights are open to fighters from the Arizona Athletic Club as well as other local fighters. Each match will put a local fighter up against an out-of-town fighter.

The first event will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cocopah Casino. This event is open to those 14 and older to attend. Cost will be $30 for general admission and $50 VIP. Tickets are available at the casino or call 217-7790.

The fight card will have 11 fights, of which two will be title fights. Local fighters Chance Farrar, Tyler Bialecki, Efrain Escadero, Jeff Welsing, Mike Garcia and others will participate.

For more information about Desert Rage or the fights, call Haile at 246-4979.

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Rio Colorado Equine Veterinary Service, LLC, a mobile practice specializing in the medical care of horses, has brought an important diagnostic tool to Yuma.

The clinic is now able to provide mobile digital radiography imagery so horse owners don't have to go to Phoenix or San Diego for the service.

For more information, call 344-1108 or 503-3165.

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Webcognita, a private investigation and security consulting firm, is now open for business in Yuma. Alan Pruitt, founder and president, has more than a decade of private investigation service. He is licensed in both Arizona and California and has logged more than 24,000 hours of investigation experience with numerous private and public sector clients.

The company can provide corporate-level investigation support to small business enterprises, aiding in the due diligence process, such as hiring and business expansions. Bilingual services are available. In addition, Pruitt is board-certified in security management.

Pruitt graduated from the University of Phoenix and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga. He served his country for 16 years, both domestically and abroad, as a U.S. Department of Defense counterintelligence agent. He also has more more than 12 years' experience in specialized corporate investigations.

For more information, contact Pruitt at 328-1524 or alan@webcognita.com, or visit webcognita.com.

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Report Comings and Goings to jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.