VOLUME 10 ISSUE 5
$5.99 September-October 2021 Serving Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community. . . Then & Now
Paul Brock’s High Flying Gunnison Contractors The Life and Legacy of Architect Kemper Goodwin, FAIA Generating Power and Growth: GenTech’s New HQ Melverne Coats Ensign: An Inventive Architecture Old School Equipment: the Cat J621 Scraper Fun by the Carload: The Valley’s Drive-In Theaters Going to the Sun On An Iconic Western Road
Arizona’s Timeless Magazine
Level and Plumb:
The Masonry of Marion J. Evertsen Sun State Finishes West Valley Building
DCS Speeds Chandler’s Intel Employees Home
How to Protect Equipment from Theft
Willmeng/Fann Dedicate Prescott Airport’s new Terminal
180 Degrees Builds Sustainable Spiritual center
WWW.SUNLANDASPHALT.COM
602.323.2800
Screenwriter Rod Serling
Publisher Billy Horner billy@arizcc.com Editor Douglas Towne douglas@arizcc.com
Author Chuck Bowden
CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE SERVICES » CRACK SEALING » SEALCOATING » ASPHALT REPAIRS » CHIP SEAL » MILLING/PULVERIZING
» PAVING & OVERLAYS » EARTHWORK & GRADING » UNDERGROUND UTILITIES » CONCRETE STRUCTURES/ FLATWORK
Musician Eddie Vedder Hoover Dam Construction Superintendent Frank “Hurry Up” Crowe Queen Elizabeth II
which Famous person you would love to interview?
Contributors James Logan Abell Sean Clements Buddy Escapule Carly Hanson Jeff Kronenfeld Tom Pickrell Luke M. Snell Doug Sydnor
Production Manager Laura Horner laura@arizcc.com
American Statesman and Architect Thomas Jefferson
Explorer John Wesley Powell Actor Tom Hanks
Publisher’s Representative Barry Warner Musician barry@arizcc.com Richie Furay
602-242-4488
SINCE 1924
SAVE UP TO $1.99 AN ISSUE OFF COVER PRICE 1 YEAR, 6 ISSUES FOR $30, OR 2 YEARS, 12 ISSUES FOR ONLY $48!
NAME ADDRESS CITY EMAIL PHONE
STATE
ZIP
SEND, CUT OUT & CHECK TO: ACC, LLC. PO BOX 6912, GLENDALE, AZ 85312 FOR FASTER SERVICE, GO TO WWW.ARIZCC.COM/SUBSCRIBE AND SUBSCRIBE ONLINE eight
In Memoriam Charles “Chuck” Runbeck 1928 - 2020 Advertising 602-931-0069 arizcc.com/advertise Subscriptions: Online at arizcc.com Serving Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community… Then & Now Arizona Contractor & Community (ACC) magazine is published bi-monthly (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/June, July/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec). ACC is a professional publication designed for the contracting industry, engineers, architects, equipment rentals, suppliers, and others interested in Arizona and its history. Content including text, photographs or illustrations may not be reproduced without the written permission from the publisher. The publisher does not assume responsibility for unsolicited submissions. ACC reserves the right to reject any editorial and advertising material and reserves the right to edit all submitted content material. Arizona Contractor & Community Copyright © 2021 All rights reserved.
September October 2021
Dispatch: 602-278-7777 Main Office: 602-278-4444 arizcc.com
rizona Materials
Locally Owned and Operated arizonamaterials.net Arizona Contractor & Community
Contents 12 14
“TELL US WHAT YOU NEED AND WE WILL WORK WITH YOU TO MAKE IT HAPPEN”
37
YEARS IN BUSINESS SINCE 1984
480-641-3500
17
39
40
46
52
56
Construction Around Arizona: Projects • People • Practices Back When - Cinema Under the Stars Douglas Towne Level and Plumb: The Masonry of Marion J. Evertsen Tom Pickrell Paul Brock: Digging Deep Into Gunnison Contractors and the Man Who Built It - Jeff Kronenfeld Serious Accomplishment: The Life and Legacy of Architect Kemper Goodwin, FAIA - James Logan Abell, FAIA Fun by the Carload: The Valley’s Drive-In Theaters Douglas Towne
62
Building on the Past - 1969: Chrome-Plated Expansion
70 SIDE DUMP-EXCAVATOR-LOADER-GRADER
From The Editor: Driving Through Sleet To “The Sun” Douglas Towne
66 BELLY DUMP-SUPER 16-END DUMP-LOW BOY
Contributors – James Logan Abell & Tom Pickrell
74
Old School Equipment: Caterpillar’s J621 Paddle Wheel Scraper - Buddy Escapule Architect’s Perspective - Melverne Coats Ensign: An Inventive Architecture - Doug Sydnor, FAIA
Digging Through the Archives: Vance Grubb III William Horner
76
Bid Results
78
Advertising Index
Front Cover Marion J. Evertsen Construction building Central High School in Phoenix, 1957. Article on page 40.
Ten
September October 2021
NOW RUNNING 30 TRUCKS Travis Williams - General Manager Over 24 Years of experience in the Ready Mix Industry travis@azdbm.com | (602) 292-1224
Jim Latto - Business Development Over 36 Years of Ready Mix and related Business Experience jim@azdbm.com | (602) 696-4139
Donavon Stewart - Operations Manager Over 20 Years of experience in the Ready Mix Industry donavon@azdbm.com | (623) 271-5042 Avondale Plant #17 & #18 SWC Southern & El Mirage 30 trucks (safely can deliver 250cy/hr.) Ross 10 yd. Batch Plant Con-E-Co LO PRO 12 yd. Batch Plant SWC Southern & El Mirage Available Products for FOB Sales: #57 Aggregate, 3/8” Chips and Clean Top Soil (Fill Dirt) Inert Landfill: Concrete, Rock, Dirt only. No trash, Organic or Petroleum Products
NORTH WEST VALLEY LOCATION (COMING SOON)
Dispatch – 623-925-4743 Locally Owned and Operated www.diamondbackmaterials.com 11435 W. Buckeye Road Suite #104-276 Avondale, AZ 85323
O (623) 925-8966 | F (623) 925-1072 E info@azdbm.com
REUTER
fabrication inc. 3816 W Lower Buckeye Rd. PO Box 19042 Phoenix, AZ 85005-9042
Reuter Fabrication provides custom metal fabrication services. We have sixty years’ experience in the metal fabrication industry. Let our qualified personal bid and build your special job. This state of the art facility is equipped to fabricate numerous projects, i.e. conveyors, silos, metal forming, shearing, chassis, platforms, walkways, access ladders & machining.
MON - FRI 6AM - 5PM SATURDAY 6AM-2PM SUNDAY CLOSED
FINISHING WHAT MOTHER NATURE STARTED!!
623-386-8777
WESTVALLEYROCK.COM
For Information Contact: Brent Reuter (623) 695-1204 • brentr@rec-reuter.com www.reuterequipment.com arizcc.com
Arizona Contractor & Community
ABOVE EVERYTHING, QUALITY!
Contributors
James Logan Abell Article on page 52
Bus: (602) 437-3040 Fax: (602) 437-3041 WWW.SHARPCREEK.COM ROC 184941-KA
DBE & SBE Certified
PROUDLY SERVING ARIZONA! CONTACT US (602)817-6929
www.calportland.com
EXPECT MORE ... WE DELIVER!
twelve
®
Tom Pickrell
Article on page 40
ames Logan Abell is an archithird-generation Arizonan, Jurban tect, landscape architect, and ATom Pickrell has deep roots designer who has helped in the state. Stories told by his shape modern Phoenix. He held a wide variety of jobs prior to establishing his own architectural design firm in 1979 in Tempe: • A part-time landscaper and nurseryman, • A cook in the women’s dorm at ASU, • A draftsman and land planner for Phoenix subdivisions, • A teaching tennis pro for three summers in Colorado, • Delivered newspapers in high school, • An architectural designer for the Northampton, England New Town, • A landscape designer for two firms, • A designer-draftsman hired by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation for the Arizona Biltmore Hotel fire restoration in 1973, • A staff architect with firms designing elements of Sky Harbor Terminal 3 and Phoenix Good Samaritan Hospital, • A freelance illustrator, photographer, graphic designer, and writer, • A visiting professor intermittently at ASU from 1983 to 1999, and • A visiting professor intermittently at the Frank Lloyd Wright School from 1994 to 2010 in Spring Green, WI and Scottsdale, AZ. His most demanding job? He built his own house, nearly single-handed, and still lives there, 42 years later! The design of this earth-integrated home just received AIA Arizona’s prestigious “25-Year Award” for significant architectural design in 2020.
elders and his parents’ insistence that their children see Arizona’s treasures before venturing further kindled his interest in the state’s history and diverse landscapes. Tom is an avid hiker and photographer. Having traversed the Grand Canyon via the Kaibab Trail many times, he knows there is no better reward for the effort than breakfast at the El Tovar Hotel the following morning. Among his favorite photos is this image of the restaurant’s “waiting line” for breakfast.
Tom is also a retired lawyer. He studied at the University of Arizona and the University of Leeds, England, and received his J.D. from Duke University. As general counsel for the Arizona School Boards Association and, later, Mesa Public Schools, he was actively involved in law and policy matters affecting public education for more than 30 years. He received the State Bar Association’s Public Lawyer Career Achievement Award in 2013. Tom’s article on Marion J. Evertsen could not have come together without the research and persistence of Michael A. Evertsen, Marion’s grandson. Michael grew up in Phoenix and is an architectural designer in Indianapolis. September October 2021
P R I N T | PA C K A G I N G | M A I L I N G | F U L F I L L M E N T E C O - F R I E N D LY S O L U T I O N S
O 602 254 2427 F 602 258 1076 2 0 2 0 N 2 2 N D AV E P H O E N I X A Z 8 5 0 0 9 W W W. L I T H O T E C H A Z . C O M
KEEPING THE VALLEY CLEAN SINCE 1994
STREET AND PARKING LOT SWEEPING COMPANY LIGHT AND HEAVY DEBRIS CLEANUP AVAILABLE CONTACT US TODAY! FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED OFFICE & FAX NUMBER: (480) 279-4433 EMAIL: AZDESERTSWEEPING@GMAIL.COM P.O. BOX 5984, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85261 arizcc.com
Arizona Contractor & Community
Images courtesy of Author
Editor’s Column:
Driving Through Sleet To “The Sun” Douglas Towne
I
n construction, the cheapest bid is not always the best option. This maxim is evident with one of the West’s most famous stretches of blacktop, the Going to the Sun Road. The road, named after a nearby mountain, traverses Glacier National Park (GNP) in northern Montana. GNP, with its stunning high-altitude scenery carved by glaciers, was established in 1910. Initially, most visitors took the Great Northern Railway to the park and stayed in hotels and chalets built by the railroad. But by the 1920s, tourists were arriving in autos and wanted to see the park from behind the wheel. In 1924, Congress appropriated $1 million to build a road to connect GNP’s east and west sides. Its construction and maintenance would be a challenge: snowdrifts at the Continental Divide can exceed 80-feet high and take three months to plow. George Goodwin, an experienced roadbuilder, designed a route that would be an engineering marvel with an 8 percent maximum grade, 15 switchbacks, and sharp 50-foot curves. Landscape architect Thomas Vint offered an alternative route that followed the terrain and featured a maximum 6 percent grade, one switchback, and much
more sweeping curves. These characteristics would also create a more easily maintained road, allowing for it to be open longer in the autumn. Vint’s proposal, however, would be more expensive and challenging to construct. National Park Service Director Stephen Mather selected Vint’s plan. Construction of the Going to the Sun Road was completed by 1932 using 500,000 pounds of explosives. The scenic road spans 50 miles, passes through two tunnels, and climbs more than 3,000 feet as it hugs can-
Top left: Maintenance is frequent on the Going to the Sun Road. Above: A horse tunnel built of native stone underneath the road. Top right: National Historic Landmark plaque alongside the road.
yon walls, providing dramatic alpine vistas. The road blends with the landscape since the bridges, retaining walls, and guardrails are all constructed from native materials. Ironically, the road seems to have surpassed Mother Nature in popularity, as this National Historic Landmark is the top attraction at GNP. Of course, it can be a nightmare for those fearful of whiteknuckle driving along a narrow road with steep drop-offs. For my wife and me, navigating the Going to the Sun Road was a distant second
Top right: The Highline Trail above the road. Right: An approaching grizzly bear on the Highline Trail. Far right: Entering the road’s East Tunnel. Fourteen
September October 2021
Have an idea for a Construction or History article? contact us: Billy Horner, Publisher: Billy@arizcc.com to our memorable hike along the Highline Trail in rainy/snowy conditions. The trek started on a narrow path cut into a steep rock wall, with a guide rope for those unaccustomed to heights. Three miles in, however, a grizzly bear in the distance halted our transit. As we stopped to gawk with binoculars and cameras, the landscape vanished in a cloud. When the fog lifted, the bruin was shockingly close, nonchalantly ambling toward us on the trail. We made lots of noise and grabbed our bear repellent spray, just in case. Fortunately, North America’s top predator heard us and headed in another direction. The roadway engineering at GNP was terrific, but Mother Nature was even better.
arizcc.com
Douglas Towne, Editor: Douglas@arizcc.com
Visit us online at: www.arizcc.com
Arizona Contractor & Community
EQUIPMENT
THAT POWERS SUCCESS
We have the equipment to power your next project. In fact, we empower our customers to get the job done on time, every time. Sunstate delivers what you need for general construction, HVAC, electrical, welding, landscaping, paving, and more along with the service to back it up so you minimize downtime and maximize jobsite efficiency. Give us a call when you want impeccably maintained and ready-to-use equipment, delivered when promised, to keep your crews working. Experience a better way to rent equipment by calling Sunstate today.
Let’s grow together >> (888) 456-4560 | SunstateEquip.com
sixteen
September October 2021
Willmeng/Fann Help Dedicate Prescott Airport’s new Passenger Terminal
Above: The new passenger terminal features a Douglas Fir timber ceiling and large windows. Right: A Christy Sign Co., painter creates a billboard for the Skyway Restaurant at Prescott Municipal Airport, 1957.
he new passenger terminal at Prescott Regional Airport Ernest A. Love Field was recently dedicated and displayed for the community. The $13.9 million terminal, built by the team of Phoenix-based general contractor Willmeng Construction Inc., and Prescott-based heavy civil construction firm Fann Contracting, replaces the former terminal that dates back to the 1940s. The airport hopes the aesthetically appealing facility will attract more carriers to the fast-growing region.
“Great things happen when there’s a great vision from an aligned city council, aligned mayors in the region and they get behind a great leader like [airport director] Dr. Robin Sobotta,” Willmeng CEO James Murphy said, during the June 18th private terminal dedication ceremony attended by more than 200 government officials, FAA and TSA representatives, and special guests. “When I got the plans for this terminal, you could see on paper that DWL (Architects + Planners, Inc.) killed it. It is
T
arizcc.com
Image courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community
Image courtesy of Small Giants
Projects . PEOPLE . PRACTICES
CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects
CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA
regionally significant, the glass, the ceiling; you could see on paper that this terminal was outstanding.” The dedication was followed by an open house the next day, which allowed Arizona Contractor & Community
GRADING • PAVING •SEALCOATING DEMOLITION • CONCRETE & MORE
(602) 992-2201 | SHANESPAVING.COM ROC #255891 A-5 & #38635 A-14 21801 N. 16TH ST., BOX 5, PHOENIX, AZ 85024
For more information on all of our services call or visit us at:
P: 928 567-6585 E: btippett@networxcs.com. www.networxCS.com eighteen
Trench-Ade.com 833-384-1176 Phoenix Tucson Prescott Yuma Flagstaff Holbrook Kingman
September October 2021
vision with no exposed electrical conduits or HVAC vents to maximize its visibility. In addition, the facility was designed to be easily expanded, as the current outdoor courtyard waiting area can be transformed into additional gate holding areas. “What was really amazing about this terminal is the FAA was quite generous in letting us build this ‘big roof’ concept,” said Airport Director Dr. Robin Sobotta. “And I do credit the architects and designers. They did a great job allowing us to have the future expansion incorporated as part of the design. What is extraordinary is we have the ability to build out those spaces as we grow.” With the addition of the new passenger terminal, commercial service apron, baggage handling system, vehicle parking, and roadway, Prescott Regional Airport will expand its variety and frequency of flight offerings. United Express (operated by SkyWest Airlines) has already added more flights, with daily, non-stop flights to Denver and Los Angeles.
Images courtesy of Small Giants
community members to tour the entire facility, talk with members of the Prescott Regional Airport staff and learn more about the airport’s new terminal and services. “This is a proud community accomplishment and a regional asset for Yavapai County,” said Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli. “This is a city-owned airport, but we don’t really see it that way. Instead, we see this as regional cooperation. This is everyone’s regional airport.” The terminal was designed by DWL Architects + Planners, Inc. from Phoenix, with Prescott architecture firm Michael Taylor Architects Inc. providing local assistance. Dibble Engineering provided civil engineering, and LSW Engineers were the structural engineers on the project. Willmeng strived to utilize local subcontrac-
tors, and about 90 percent were from the Prescott region. “Everybody knows that if you get north of Black Canyon City, Fann Contracting is how you execute,” Murphy said. “If we hadn’t aligned with them, we wouldn’t be here. Their team did a magnificent job getting us out of the ground.” The terminal was just one part of the work performed at the airport, which included the razing of airplane hangars and building new entry roads that required the relocation of utility lines that ran under the property. In addition, construction included new parking areas and a new apron and taxiways. The companies completed these projects without causing any interruptions to airport operations. The new terminal building is 18,000 square feet of glass, steel, metal facing, and masonry. The most striking feature is the Douglas fir timber ceiling, which covers the entire terminal. The “big roof” concept was chosen and inspired by the Prescott area. The construction team executed that
CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects
Above: The main entrance to the new passenger terminal at Prescott Regional Airport. Top right: The outdoor courtyard waiting area at the new terminal at Prescott Regional Airport.
Above: Prescott Mayor Greg Mengarelli, left, and Mark McClardy, Director of the FAA Western-Pacific Region, at the dedication ceremony. Right: The dedication included, from left, James Murphy, CEO of Willmeng Construction; Dr. Robin Sobotta, Airport Director at Prescott Regional Airport; Jason Fann, President and CEO of Fann Contracting; and Keith Sabia, Project Executive at Willmeng Construction. arizcc.com
Arizona Contractor & Community