Jan/Feb 2024

VOLUME 13 ISSUE 1

$5.99 JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024 SERVING CONTRACTING FIRMS AND THE ARIZONA COMMUNITY. . . THEN & NOW

PRESCOTT FRONTIER DAYS: 135 YEARS OF CRAZED COWBOY COMPETITION THE UNMATCHED SCENERY OF HIGHWAY 89A THRU OAK CREEK CANYON THE KID CONTRACTOR COMES TO TOWN: LEO SCOTT’S PRESCOTT CAREER PRESCOTT CONTRACTOR BILL HENSON’S TRANSPORTATION LEGACY HENRY “FURMAN” BYARS: CONSTRUCTING A SMOOTH GOLF SWING

Arizona’s Timeless Magazine

MR. PRESCOTT: ARCHITECT WILLIAM OTWELL’S CIVIC CONTRIBUTIONS

SPECIAL EDITION FIRST CATERPILLAR NO. 16 FEATURE GRADERONE IN ARIZONA HEADLINE ARRIVES IN 1964 TO HELP BUILD INTERSTATE 40 NCS CREATES HOME IN CAMP VERDE

MCCARTHY BUILDS SKILLED TRADES CENTER

ADOT MOVES MOUNTAINS IMPROVING INTERSTATE 17

THE BEST STORIES OF BILL KELTON’S CAREER

BUILDING NATURE INTO AQUARIUMS AND ZOOS

PAGE

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Simply better than the best

480.940.0100 | INSEARCHCORP.COM 8845 S HARDY DR. TEMPE, AZ 85284

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

FOUR

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

(480) 455-8800

WWW.PACWESTTRADING.COM

CH.Luke@PacWestTrading.com

EXPERIENCED • RELIABLE | PHOENIX, AZ

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT | WATER EQUIPMENT & VOCATIONAL TRUCK SPECIALISTS

We Offer:

Fuel & Lube Trucks!

Service Trucks!

Water Trucks!

CAT & HAMM Rollers!

Your Source for CAT 613C Parts

Telehandlers & Yard Trucks!

RECONDITIONED EQUIPMENT FOR SALE! OUTSTANDING SERVICE • DELIVERY AVAILABLE * ALL TRUCKS DOT COMPLIANT *

2016 Ottawa T2 Yard Truck

2013 Peterbilt 348 Fuel & Lube Truck

2013 Genie GTH5519 Telehandler

Cummins ISB 200 6.7L Diesel, 200hp, Allison Automatic, Air Ride Cab, Hydraulic Fifth Wheel, 123,000mi. Rebuilt Engine, cleaned, painted, work ready!

Painted & serviced- upholstery & tires; all new reels, hoses, handles and meters. 48K miles, Paccar PX-8, Allison Auto, 60K GVW

OROPS, 19ft Max Height, 5500 lb Max Capacity, Tier 3, 2012 US EPA Label, 47 in Forks, 4 Wheel Drive, 4 Wheel Steer, Crab Walk. 1615hrs

$52,500

$139,500

$59,500

PacWest Trading is locally owned and operated in Phoenix, Arizona. We specialize in buying and selling of construction equipment, water equipment and vocational trucks.

Contact us for all your heavy equipment needs!

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

YOUR TRUSTED EXPERTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

HAVE AN EMERGENCY? CALL 1-888-4-SPILL-4

24/7 EMERGENCY RESPONSE REMEDIATION • DEMOLITION EMERGENCYENV.COM • 480-809-4687 • SALES@EMERGENCYENV.COM

SIX

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

TRUCK PARTS IN STOCK IN GILBERT, AZ! All Construction Truck Part Needs: Water Trucks | Mechanics Trucks Dump Trucks | Flatbeds | Fuel & Lube Trucks Vacuum Trucks | Crash Attenuator Trucks

1145 W Gary Ave, Gilbert, AZ 85233

ARIZCC.COM

SalesAZ@curryfluidpower.com

602-661-6596

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Dispatch: 602-278-7777 Main Office: 602-278-4444

rizona Materials

Locally Owned and Operated arizonamaterials.net

www.gentechusa.com

7901 N. 70th Ave, Glendale, AZ 85303 \ 800-625-8324 EIGHT

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

RELIABLE... BECAUSE WE ARE

PHOENIX METRO PORTABLE BATHROOM RENTAL SERVICES GET IN TOUCH TODAY! 602-601-2222 INFO@RPBAZ.COM 3014 E MOHAWK LN. PHX, AZ 85050 RELIABLEPORTABLEBATHROOMS.COM

ARIZCC.COM

At reliable portable bathrooms. We are committed to changing the perception of portable bathrooms. Our mission is to shatter the notion that they are dirty and gross. We take pride in our superior cleaning processes, ensuring that every unit we rent is delivered on time and in an immaculate, brand new condition.

Our dedication to cleanliness means that our bathrooms are free of tar, graffiti, urine stains, and any unpleasant odors.

Don’t just take our word for it – explore the glowing reviews from our satisfied customers.

Their testimonials speak volumes about the quality and satisfaction they have experienced with our facilities.

Join us in embracing a new standard of excellence in portable bathrooms. Experience the difference for yourself, and let us exceed your expectations.

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

DBE/SBE Certified Contractor

Jeff Martinez

(602) 622-6789

Jeff.martinez@rtunderground.com

AZROC 306671

Thai Massage

Exploring the Baltic Sea

BRANTLEY GALLIMORE TRAFFIC CONTROL SERVICES

4950 W Watkins St Phoenix AZ, 85043

O. (623) 879-0610 I F. (623) 879-0611 E. BRANTLEY@METROTRAFFICCONTROL.NET

Publisher Billy Horner billy@arizcc.com

Editor Douglas Towne douglas@arizcc.com

Contributors Michael Bernstein 2024 Summer Tom Pickrell Olympics in Paris Amberlee Shaw Jerry Smith Luke M. Snell Another Doug Sydnor Great Grandson A vacation!

WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT IN 2024?

Production Manager Laura Horner laura@arizcc.com

A Trip to NYC Delayed Honeymoon in Maui!

50th Wedding Anniversary

In Memoriam Charles “Chuck” Runbeck 1928 - 2020

Advertising 602-931-0069 arizcc.com/advertise Subscriptions: Online at arizcc.com

PROUDLY SERVING ARIZONA! CONTACT US (602)817-6929

Serving Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community… Then & Now

www.calportland.com

EXPECT MORE ... WE DELIVER!

TEN

®

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 © 2024 All rights reserved.

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

SPECIALTY COMPANIES GROUP

UTILITY ADJUSTMENTS

There Is Nothing We Can’t Do. There Is No Place We Won’t Go. Contact us anytime!

SPECIALTYCOMPANIESGROUP.COM

623-582-2385

BUILDING OUR FUTURES

Serving all of Arizona KE&G CONSTRUCTION, INC.

SIERRA VISTA: 1601 Paseo San Luis # 202  Sierra Vista, Arizona 85635  520.458.9594  www.kegtus.com TUCSON: 3949 East Irvington Road  Tucson, Arizona 85714  520.748.0188

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Contents

“TELL US WHAT YOU NEED AND WE WILL WORK WITH YOU TO MAKE IT HAPPEN”

39

YEARS IN BUSINESS SINCE 1984

480-641-3500

BELLY DUMP-SUPER 16-END DUMP-LOW BOY SIDE DUMP-EXCAVATOR-LOADER-GRADER

14

Contributors - Michael Bernstein & Tom Pickrell

18

From The Editor: The Road Less Traveled to Prescott: U.S Highway 89 - Douglas Towne

21

Construction Around Arizona: Projects • People • Practices

47

Back When: Joy’s Buffet - Where the Cat Got “On” Your Tongue - Billy Horner

48

Prescott Frontier Days: A Celebration of Cowboy Competition and Culture - Douglas Towne

54

Oak Creek Canyon’s State Route 89A: A History of Arizona’s Favorite Scenic Road - Tom Pickrell

58

What Leo Scott Did on His High School Summer Vacation - Build a House - Douglas Towne

62

The Kid Contractor Comes to Town: Leo Scott’s Prescott Career - Douglas Towne

66

Pipelines and Roads: Prescott Contractor Bill Henson’s Transportation Legacy - Billy Horner

70

Saluting Arizona’s Builders: Edward S. Kelton

74

Old School Equipment - First Caterpillar No. 16 Grader in Arizona - Billy Horner

78

Building on the Past - 1946: Prescott’s Semi-Cylindrical Public Housing - Douglas Towne

82

Architect’s Perspective - William T. Otwell, FAIA: Citizen Architect - Doug Sydnor, FAIA

86

Digging Through the Archives: Henry “Furman” Byars: Constructing a Smooth Golf Swing - Billy Horner

90

Bid Results

94

Advertising Index

Front Cover Dave Klein, Empire Machinery Sales Rep; Jack Ward, Isbell Construction; Jack Whiteman, Empire Machinery President; and Furman Byars, Director of Arizona Operations for Isbell Construction Co., June 1964.

Article on page 74 Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

TWELVE

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

PROUDLY CELEBRATING 10 YEARS IN BUSINESS! COMING SOON CONCRETE READY-MIX NEW LOCATION IN PEORIA! CURRENT LOCATIONS: 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

DISPATCH – 623-925-4743 LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED DIAMONDBACKMATERIALS.COM 11435 W. BUCKEYE RD SUITE #104-276 AVONDALE, AZ 85323 O (623) 925-8966 | F (623) 925-1072 E INFO@AZDBM.COM

Travis Williams - General Manager

Jim Latto - Business Development

Donavon Stewart - Operations Manager

Over 28 Years of experience in the Ready Mix Industry travis@azdbm.com | (602) 292-1224

Over 40 Years of Ready Mix and related Business Experience jim@azdbm.com | (602) 696-4139

Over 24 Years of experience in the Ready Mix Industry donavon@azdbm.com | (623) 271-5042

REUTER

fabrication inc.

CONSOLIDATED ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTORS, INC. 1717 E RAIRDAN LANE

PHOENIX, ARIZONA, 85034

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.

Phone:602-437-4200 Fax: 602-437-0773 E-Mail: conorq@cedphx.com Website: www.cedphx.com

Est. 1994

3816 W Lower Buckeye Rd. PO Box 19042 Phoenix, AZ 85005-9042

GRADING/ PAVING CONCRETE UNDERGROUND UTILITIES

CONTACT US

11535 E. Germann Road, Chandler, AZ 85286 | 480.732.9238 www.dcscontracting.com

ARIZCC.COM

For Information Contact: Brent Reuter (623) 695-1204 • brentr@rec-reuter.com www.reuterequipment.com ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

CONTRIBUTORS

P: 928 567-6585 E: btippett@networxcs.com. www.networxCS.com FOURTEEN

MICHAEL BERNSTEIN ARTICLE ON PAGE 39

TOM PICKRELL ARTICLE ON PAGE 54

M

T

ike Bernstein retired from environmental consulting in 2020. His most memorable assignments include work at the Air Force Flight Test Center (Edwards AFB) and the Civilian Flight Test Center (Mojave Airport) in California during the 1990s, one day at the South Tower of the World Trade Center in April 2001, and 12 days in Germany in 2006.

In 2021, Mike donated his New Jersey fossil collection to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where it is now housed and cataloged. Much of the fossils’ value lies in the fact that he collected them in locations during the 1970s and 1980s that were later developed.

In 1985, Mike donated to the New Jersey State Museum two bones from the carapace of a sea turtle, which he found at the site of the world’s first excavated dinosaur skeleton.

These bones were the first recorded vertebrate fossils found at the site since the duck-bill dinosaur of 1858.

For the present and future, Mike continues to write articles for publication in the Society for Industrial Archeology Newsletter.

He was granted German citizenship in 2021, a gesture that he appreciates as redress for the forced flight of his mother in 1939. Health permitting, he hopes to revisit Berlin in 2024.

om Pickrell is a third-generation Arizonan whose family settled in the Salt River Valley in 1896.

He had a charmed childhood, partly because his family spent two weeks every summer swimming and fishing in Oak Creek Canyon. His first trout was a 6-inch rainbow that he insisted his mother cook for dinner -- it got lost in the pan.

He’s hiked every trail in the canyon, including a few not on maps. A favorite is the 12-mile West Fork Trail, which passes through a few spots at the top that require swimming.

Tom’s lifelong interest in Arizona’s history was kindled by family road trips to the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, and mining towns like Bisbee and Morenci, with lots of old buildings and Western history.

A raft trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon is still on his bucket list.

He grew up in Scottsdale, studied at the University of Arizona and the University of Leeds, England, and received his law degree from Duke University. As general counsel for the Arizona School Boards Association and Mesa Public Schools, Tom was involved in law and policy matters affecting K-12 public education for 30 years.

Today, he is a happily retired lawyer.

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

THE LEADER IN PROVIDING TEMPORARY POWER GENERATION SYSTEMS IN THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA

Landco Rentals offers: • Emergency 24-hour response and service • Rugged DOT approved trailers with Portable generator set’s ranging from 20kw-2000kw • Ultra silent Generators • Standby generator capabilities that are Bio diesel capable • Onsite powered light towers along with electric light tower options • Fuel containment for generators • On site fueling • Cable’s for all applications • Electrical Distribution panels and transformers 480-788-1333 info@landcorentals.com 222 S. 52nd St, Suite 2 Tempe AZ 85281

servicing Arizona’s construction industry since 1996!

We have also expanded our RV service and repair business.

Competitive rates ($140/hour service+labor) and Factory Trained and Certified Technicians Services Offered: Problem Diagnosis • Oil Changes/Service • Insurance Repairs & Claims • Chassis Inspection • Rubber Roof Cleaning & Coating • Parts & Accessories • Aftermarket Parts Sales & Installations • Custom Modifications Mobile service availabile

As a get acquainted offer, mention this ad and we will give you a 10% discount on all services rendered at that time.

Come to Us or Let Us Come To You

Lonnie cell: 602-376-1448 David cell: 602-252-3226 5626 S 43rd Ave, Phoenix AZ 85041 dynamicdieselrepairinc.com

Office: 602-237-3377 • Fax: 602-237-3944 • Cell: 602-376-1448 ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

MAXIMIZE YOUR PERFORMANCE AND RETURN ON INVESTMENT

WITH DITCH WITCH EQUIPMENT ®

Also, an authorized dealer of Doosan ® Air Compressors.

IS NOW Ditch Witch West is proud to announce we are now your authorized dealer. With locations across the west, we look forward to meeting you, serving your needs and are committed to your uptime. Learn more at ditchwitchwest.com 4028 S. 36th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85040 O:602-437-0351 | F:602-437-1544

6975 N. Camino Martin, Tuscon, AZ 85741 O:520-579-0261 JANUARY | F:520-579-0268 FEBRUARY 2024

602-276-2040

PROVIDING RENTALS AND SERVICE IN AZ, SINCE 1998 Frank Alvarez

Dixie Chavarria

franka@eccoequipment.com

dixiec@eccoequipment.com

Operations Manager O: 602-276-2040 C: 602-769-6725

Inside Sales O: 602-276-2040 C: 602-722-7930

Jeff Hightower

Outside Sales O: 602-276-2040 C: 602-725-1123

jeffh@eccoequipment.com

Paul Kannapel

Outside Sales O: 602-276-2040 C: 602-647-5816

paulk@eccoequipment.com

Committed to superior quality and results

Ready Mix Concrete Delivery and concrete Pumping Services Arizona trusted company

FREE ESTIMATES PLEASE CALL - 602-503-9391 ORDERS - DISPATCH@BAJAREADYMIX.COM

BAJAREADYMIX.COM A+ accredited business by the better business bureau

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

FROM THE EDITOR: THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED TO PRESCOTT: U.S HIGHWAY 89 DOUGLAS TOWNE

T

he magazine enters 2024 with a special issue about the Valley’s favorite Mile High Retreat, Prescott. I’ve spent enough time there to accurately pronounce the city’s name as “Pres-KITT,” which rhymes with “biscuit.” This helpful knowledge came from working one summer in the area, almost a quarter-century ago, researching water rights with a handful of idiosyncratic coworkers.

We stumbled upon remarkable historical sites during our investigations, some of which have since vanished. There was the rustic railroad trestle over Granite Creek just north of Whiskey Row, the

slowly decaying Granite Dells Resort with its oversized swimming pool, the Chino Valley Irrigation Ditch snaking north from Watson Lake, the knee-high El Paso Natural Gas concrete pyramids marking the pipeline’s route through Lonesome Valley, and Sullivan Lake’s stone bathhouses at the headwaters of the Verde River.

Prescott was not only a destination but a journey if one took the backway from Phoenix along U.S. Highway 89. Of course, before I-17 was completed, U.S. 89 was the main route between the two cities as part of its Mexico-to-Canada transit.

Pre-interstate, Prescott-bound travelers headed northwest from Downtown Phoenix on Grand Avenue, through Glendale and Peoria, and largely forgotten hamlets such as Alhambra, Marinette, Beardsley, and Castle Hot Springs Junction.

The route would parallel the tracks of what initially was the Santa Fe, Prescott, and Phoenix Railway.

At Cactus Gardens, the old road wound over the edge of the Wickenburg Mountains before dropping down to the lush floodplain of the Hassayampa River.

Here, the usually dry stream came to life, due to a rock outcrop beneath the riverbed that forces groundwater to the surface.

Wickenburg, a former gold mining town, played up its Wild West heritage and was the largest community along the route.

The Saguaro Theater, the Pioneer Café, and its associated Rollin Hogan Trailer Park are just a few examples of the Western themes used to attract customers. Next came another former mining camp, Congress, Top left: Conoco roadmap, 1930.

Top right: Highway 89 sign, Wickenburg, 2003.

Left & below: Rollin Hogan Trailer Park, Wickenburg, 1989.

Images Courtesy of Author

EIGHTEEN

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

memorable for a huge boulder painted to resemble an oversized frog, which served as the community’s mascot.

The most challenging segment of the drive was Yarnell Hill, where the highway gained almost 1,000 feet of elevation in less than two miles. “It’s really steep, and you could see the wreckage of many cars and trucks down the cliff-side of the road,” says Bill Baker, who drove the incline frequently in the 1950s. “When a person would buy a car, a major test would be whether it could climb Yarnell Hill in third gear, as standard transmissions back then only had three gears.”

Near the top of Yarnell Hill was the Desert View Trading Post and a highway overlook, which was built in the 1950s by the Arizona Highway Department under the supervision of famed stone mason Alessio Carraro. In 1930, Carraro constructed what is now known as Tovrea Castle on a hill east of Downtown Phoenix. He had hoped to create the Carraro Heights

subdivision, with his castle a resort hotel.

Unfortunately, Carraro only lived at the castle for six months. Tovrea Stockyards opened next door, the stench of which, along with the Great Depression, ruined his development dream. The Italian immigrant sold his castle and moved north to the town of Yarnell along U.S. 89. Besides the highway overlook, he built “Carraro’s Grotto,” a tourist attraction with mini-castles created amidst the granite boulders in Yarnell. He died there in 1964.

From Yarnell, the highway then continues through Peoples Valley, with its high-end horse properties, until arriving at Kirkland Junction, a wide spot in the road that featured Towne’s Trailer Park and the Tufa Tavern. Surprisingly, I have more of a claim on the latter due to some spirited billiards games back in the day. Then it’s uphill through the last segment, locally known as White Spar Road, lined with vintage motels like the Cascade, until the highway arrives at Whiskey Row across from the Yavapai

Top left: Tufa Tavern, Kirkland Junction, 1991.

Above: Towne’s Trailer Park, Kirkland Junction, 1991.

Center: Cascade Motel, Prescott 1991.

Courthouse in the heart of Prescott.

U.S. 89, Prescott, and Whiskey Row inspire so many memories, most probably not for public dissemination. However, seeing the sign for the Bird Cage Saloon along Whiskey Row makes me want to conclude with a shout-out to an underrated Prescott band, Dumpster Raven.

Long ago there, I heard them perform a live version of David Crosby’s song “Long Time Gone.” But instead of the slow, bluesy tune Crosby, Stills & Nash released on their debut album in 1969, Dumpster Raven ripped into an energetic reinterpretation as if Croz had recorded it when he was a member of the Byrds during their jangly psychedelic phase in 1966. It was a watershed moment; a night on Whiskey Row doesn’t get much better.

Right: Two rootin’ tootin’ gals in Wickenburg, 2019.

Below: Frog Rock, Congress, 1991.

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

602-586-5909 1-800-208-8913 Take the guesswork out of your pour!

Ready Mix Concrete on Demand!

• on-site concrete mix control • No minimum order • Save time and money • Quantity control and cost savings • Perfect for remote locations • Mixed on-site / eliminate waste

CONCRETENOWAZ.COM

Trucking Services We want to be your Premier Delivery Company!

• Hauling • Import • Export Supply And Delivery Of Dirt • Sand • Rock Agregates • Landscape Material Call today to schedule your delivery!

Serving All of Phoenix and Surrounding Areas Since 2020

ask about our READY-MADE SAND BAGS Product Specs: Pre-Filled Barricade Bags.

Uses for sandbags: • 14’’x26’’ woven poly bag (heavy duty) • Traffic control • 4,000 UV Hours / 2 yrs.

• Flood control • Sewn shut for repeated use.

• Erosion control • Palletized in bundles of 50 or 100.

• Water diversion • Filled with 30 lbs of sand.

• Pipeline Construction • 40 lb - 50 lb bags available.

• Ballistic Barrier • Empty bags and sand available for purchase.

• Volume discounts available.

• Bags available in different colors and material to fit your needs.

Projects . PEOPLE . PRACTICES

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA

Image Courtesy of ADOT

ADOT MOVES MOUNTAINS TO MAKE I-17 TRAFFIC FLOW EASIER DOUGLAS TOWNE

P

hoenicians seeking to cool off in the summer have been getting steamy about the congested drive to Flagstaff and points north, especially on weekends. But in 2022, construction started on the I-17 Improvement Project, a 23-mile section north of Phoenix between Anthem Way and Sunset Point. The project will result in quicker travel times when completed in 2025. Transportation upgrades include new bridges and added lanes, including flex lanes, the first for Arizona’s highway system.

“2023 has been a year of major progress for the I-17 Improvement Project,” says Annette Riley, ADOT’s project manager for

ARIZCC.COM

the design-build project. “Controlled rock blasting and earthwork are the biggest operations currently underway. This work began in 2022 and will continue into 2024.”

Riley explains that the rock blasting is necessary to make way for the additional general-purpose lanes from Anthem Way north to Black Canyon City and the eight miles of flex lanes, which will be constructed next to the existing southbound lanes from Black Canyon City to Sunset Point.

The flex lanes are designed to reduce congestion on I-17 during peak travel times.

The project’s scale is impressive.

“It’s an operation where 1.7 million cubic yards of material will be removed from the mountainsides, then hauled to another area where it’s prepared and crushed,” Riley says. “All the blasted and excavated material will go back into the project to construct the new lanes. We’re using

everything that we remove. Much of this rock material will be used in the paving operations, which are well underway.”

Riley adds that the new lanes from Anthem Way to Black Canyon City are starting to take shape and are expected to open sometime in 2024.

The two flex lanes from Black Canyon City north to Sunset Point will alternate to carry north- or southbound traffic. They will also keep traffic moving if a crash or other emergency occurs. The flex lanes will typically be open northbound Monday through Saturday and southbound on Sunday. Overhead signage and electronic gates will alert motorists to which direction is available for traffic. The technology will be monitored and controlled by ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center. These will be the first flex lanes in Arizona, though they are used in other locales, including Dallas,

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

FINISH BLADE RENTAL WITH OPERATOR EXCAVATING | UNDERGROUND UTILITIES | CONCRETE STRUCTURES

S OA K IN T H E R E L AXAT I O N

BUDDY@EANDECOMPANIES.COM LICENSED | BONDED | INSURED

castlehotsprings.com | 844.276.8052 | Morristown, Arizona

TWENTY TWO

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects Denver, Minneapolis, San Diego, Seattle, and Tampa.

Because of the mountainous terrain, adding an additional lane on the northbound side of the interstate would be very difficult – and costly, according to ADOT. In addition, adding lanes to this segment would require severe restrictions during construction with no viable detours, causing potential delays of two or more hours for drivers traveling through the work zone.

The I-17 project is a Private Public Partnership (P3) and Design-Build-OperateMaintain (DBOM), with HDR as the general

engineering consultant. Kiewit-Fann Joint Venture is the developer team for the project, which will cost almost $460 million.

Key members include Kiewit Infrastructure West Co., Fann Contracting Inc., Kiewit Engineering Group Inc., DBI Services LLC, CONSOR Engineers LLC dba Apex Design, T.Y. Lin International, Lee Engineering, Terracon Consultants Inc., Wheat Design Group, Inc., Y2K Engineering, and Pinyon Environmental Inc. Funding sources include $175.9 million from federal aid with matching state highway funds; $130 million of state highway

funds appropriated by the state legislature in 2019; $90 million from an Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant; and $50 million programmed by the Maricopa Association of Governments for the Maricopa County portion of the project.

I-17 will be unchanged from Sunset Point northward. No additional funding is available for studies, design, or construction. But at least heading back to Phoenix on Sundays should be a much-improved drive for motorists.

“People are excited about the I-17 Improvement Project. They’re interested and engaged as they see the progress during their daily commutes or as they travel between the Phoenix area and Northern Arizona,” says Laura Douglas, ADOT’s communications lead for the I-17 Improvement Project. “Drivers not only appreciate the changes being made to improve traffic flow and safety, but they also appreciate the beauty of this project corridor and the progress happening along this unique stretch of highway.”

Douglas adds that in 2024, the traveling public can expect a lot of progress as lanes are completed and bridges are rebuilt. “While the project team has already completed a great deal of work, we will accomplish even more next year. It’s exciting for us as a project team, and it’s exciting for drivers. The best tool to get everything in one place is the project website, ImprovingI17.com.”

Images Courtesy of ADOT

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

AZ Con mag ad Dec 2023 v2.pdf

1

11/30/23

9:05 AM

ON ANY JOBSITE KEEPS

Make Sonsray your source for construction machines and attachments.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

hablamos español

TWENTY FOUR

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

NCS DIGS IN TO FIND A PERMANENT HOME IN CAMP VERDE

B

ill Tippett insists that it’s just a coincidence that Networx Cabling Systems, Inc. (NCS) first base of operations in 35 years is right next door to Alkemista Meadery and Sinagua Malt, which are almost complete with their project that will include a coffee bar, tasting room, and possible restaurant. Still, that’s not bad company for after-hours meetings.

“Building a permanent base increases our ability to be the premier HDD company in Northern Arizona because of our experience in rocky terrain and small mountain towns,” Tippett says. “Not only are we building a four-bay Bunger Steel building,

ARIZCC.COM

but we might add more to the property soon.”

The NCS four-bay steel building with offices finally provides a permanent location/ base of operations for the company. NCS purchased the property in June 2022, and the $1.5 million construction project broke ground in November. NCS moved in April 2023 and includes Tippett as president, Sam Jocewicz as vice president of operation and partner for building/groundbreaking (owned as an LLC-Fenton & Lanham), and Jesse Couch as chief administrator.

Subcontractors on the project include Joel Westervelt, who provided design and drawing services; Krishan Ginige of SEC, Inc., who provided engineering services; Mulcaire and Sons for site preparation; Bunger Steel for building; and Janet Monet of Foothills Bank for construction financing.

Tippett appreciates working with a new community development department staff overwhelmed with the growth

in Camp Verde. “They deserve a lot of credit for working with outdated codes and historically lax enforcement,” he says.

“Balancing the need to update against the community’s desire to leave things as is a challenge.”

A new location has been a long time coming for NCS, which has operated since 1988. “We’re still in a yard we rented in Flagstaff from Bill Rifley in 1995,” Tippett says. “It was our first permanent location for the company after traveling from job to job for the first seven years.” He adds that the company has been renting from the Heckman’s at the end of Industrial Drive in Camp Verde since 2000 and has additional yards in Bullhead City and Kingman and an office and yard in Lake Havasu.

NCS currently provides services for fiber (FTTH-fiber to the home) projects in Payson and Lake Havasu and Horizontal Directional Drilling for several projects throughout Arizona.

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

The Leader in Trench Plates

Hablamos Español Hydraulic Shores Trench Boxes Trench Plates Slide Rail We Deliver World Class Customer Service

TrenchShoreRentals.com

TWENTY SIX

Confined Space Equipment Competent Person Training Proud Founding Member of

PHOENIX

LOS ANGELES

(602) 253-3311

(866) 270-9960

TUCSON

SAN BERNARDINO

(520) 352-3311

EL PASO

(915) 885-7100

(909) 381-0244

SAN DIEGO

(800) 321-5285

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

MCCARTHY CONSTRUCTS SKILLED TRADES LEARNING BUILDING AT CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE

T

he Superstition Mountain Campus of Central Arizona College is expanding with a new Skilled Trades building, and McCarthy Building Companies is proud to be a part of it.

“McCarthy and Central Arizona College share a priority for advancing career and technical education that promotes and cultivates local talent in skilled trades,” says Andrea Ramos, project director for McCarthy. “We are committed to working Images Courtesy of McCarthy

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT Amanda Isaacson Sr. Project Mgr. Experience: 11 years with McCarthy Building Companies Favorite job task: Problem-solving through complicated tasks with the team and guiding them to work through roadblocks. I also enjoy building strong relationships with other project managers who are women in our company and coaching the younger group of project engineers. This mentoring helps guide them on what to expect on projects and outlines the expectations.

ARIZCC.COM

Toughest job task: People management is challenging but very rewarding when you see the team succeeding, completing new tasks, and taking on tasks that may be uncomfortable.

Most memorable day at work: For this project, when we mobilized, it was awesome. I was a part of the design process, and it was unforgettable when we stepped on the project and moved some dirt!

Favorite off-job tasks: In winter, my husband and I often snowboard up north.

We did some home upgrades during the summer and enjoyed the post-wedding life. We are welcoming our first child in January, so that this winter will be different.

with the CAC team and Architekton to build an exceptional campus expansion that will play a pivotal role in educating our future workforce in fields that are currently experiencing labor shortages, including healthcare and construction.”

The Skilled Trades building will provide classrooms, labs, and exterior yards for Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Ceramics, and Arts programming. Workshops will mirror real-world work environments that allow students to develop industry-specific skills and practical experience.

Design-build partners McCarthy and Architekton are partnering with CAC to complete the $40 million, 51,620-squarefoot expansion at 805 South Idaho Road in Apache Junction. The project will also 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

TWENTY EIGHT

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects provide a new building for Allied Health and renovations to the college’s existing C building.

“Central Arizona College is pleased to be working with McCarthy and Architekton to create a world-class learning experience for the residents of Apache Junction and Pinal County,” says Dr. Jackie Elliott, president of CAC. “These new facilities will allow the college to prepare students for the workforce and assist in providing economic growth for the region.”

Happening in tandem with the new construction, renovation work on the existing C building will provide a computer lab, virtual reality (VR) lab, an expanded E-Sports Lab, faculty, and public safety offices. The existing café, student lounge, and

student organization space will all remain.

Another new addition includes a large exterior canopy allowing for an expanded outdoor seating area that capitalizes on views of the surrounding Superstition Mountains. The VR and computer labs will provide students access to industry-standard equipment, software, and simulation tools, fostering innovation and problem-solving skills.

“These facilities will strongly emphasize sustainability and energy efficiency, incorporating efficient HVAC systems, natural lighting, rainwater collection, and water conservation measures. These sustainable design elements will help educate and integrate sustainability into CAC’s curriculum to promote environmentally responsible

practices,” says Daniel Childers, senior associate at Architekton. He adds that by providing cutting-edge education and training opportunities, these facilities will contribute to the growth of the region’s emerging technology and healthcare sectors while fostering innovation, collaboration, and sustainability in healthcare practices.

Renovation of the C building will be complete by March 2024, and completion of the new Skilled Trades and Allied Health buildings is slated for late 2024 in time for the start of classes in January 2025. Upon completion of the expansion, three existing buildings will be demolished and replaced with landscaping. Major subcontractors on the project include RN Electric, S&H Steel, Stone Cold Masonry, and Pete King.

Images Courtesy of McCarthy

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

SHANES HAULING A Division of Shanes Grading & Paving

(602) 992-2201 | SHANESPAVING.COM | 21801 N. 16TH ST. BOX 5, PHX, AZ 85024 ROC #255891 A-5 & #38635 A-14

ALL THE GEAR YOU NEED Hercrentals.com Call for rates and reservations Gilbert: 480-507-1680 Phoenix: 602-269-5931 Peoria: 623-760-0631 Tucson: 520-573-1344

THIRTY

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA People

FINDING TRACTION IN THE MACHINERY FIELD: HAROLD R. BONE SR. AMBERLEE SHAW

O

ne of Arizona’s pioneers in road machinery, Harold R. Bone Sr., founded Road Machinery Company in 1955 and built it into a firm that’s still going strong and now known as Core Machinery. Bone attributed the company’s success to hiring people who believe in its mission and an early decision to feature Wabco mining trucks.

This successful entrepreneur was born on January 23, 1911, in Arizona, before it achieved statehood. Bone’s childhood consisted of living in road camps while his father worked construction, according to an article in The Arizona Republic in 1970.

In 1939, Bone entered the machinery field as a salesman at Smith Booth Usher Company, which featured 130 equipment lines. It paid $140 a month compared to the $120 salary he earned at his former position at the State Highway testing lab. That same year, Bone married his wife, Jewell Bales.

Bone purchased a service station located at Fourth Avenue and Monroe Street in Downtown Phoenix in 1943 but sold it after two years. He then moved to Albuquerque, working as a salesman at Hardin and Coggins, later known as J.D. Coggins Co. After eight years, the couple returned to Phoenix.

In 1953, he became the general manager at State Tractor Co. But two years later, Bone launched Road Machinery with only $100. The other $100,000 startup

capital came from Jane Shaw, his sister-inlaw ($50,000); Murray Head, a former coworker ($20,000); Joe Skorpick, a contractor and long-term friend ($15,000); and Ted Meece, a friend, ($15,000). The stockholders agreed that Bone would run and control the business with his single stock share.

His first move was to lease an Art Decostyle warehouse for $500 monthly from the Zuendel Box Company at 716 South Above: Harold R. Bone and Albert D. Frederickson, Road Machinery Co. Left: First advertiserment of Wayne Power Sweepers, Road Machinery Co., 1955.

Below: Road Machinery Co. Golf Cart Division, 1960.

Images Courtesy of Author

ARIZCC.COM

Seventh Street in Downtown Phoenix.

Zuendel moved their operations into the yard, allowing both companies to operate at the address. The warehouse was a War Manufacturing Authorized Facility in a 1944 directory.

Bone opened Road Machinery Company for business with seven employees on January 1, 1955, featuring a line of products, including Wayne Manufacturing Street Sweepers, Adams Motor Graders, and Barber-Greene Pavers & Concrete Equipment. Bone used only a tiny portion of the warehouse and leased the rest to the Arizona Brewing Company, which produced A-1 Beer, to store empty bottles and a company that supplied newsprint to the Phoenix Newspapers.

In 1957, Road Machinery expanded to Tucson to support the mining industry.

Within five years, the company grew substantially by adding Wabco mining equipment, known later as Haulpak-Dresser, and currently known as Komatsu. Road Machinery later won several top sales awards, becoming the second-largest dealer of its kind. Bone said, “We didn’t plan it this way. Sales got bigger than we had hoped.”

The following year, Bone was elected president of the Arizona Equipment Distributors Association. In 1962, he ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

TACKLE THE BIG JOBS

KNOCK OUT THE LITTLE ONES Whatever the job, we’ve got the tools, equipment and service for it. In fact, we’ve been helping our customers increase job site efficiency by providing easy and fast access to top quality, well-maintained and ready-to-use equipment since 1977.

Sunstate brings you a better rental experience from start to finish, no matter how big or small the job.

( 888 ) 456-4560 | SunstateEquip.com JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA People

In 1958, Bone started SS-13 Sales Company with two chemists, George Brown and Harlan Glen, at Road Machinery.

The company created a product to reduce water seepage losses in reservoirs, canals, and golf courses. Bone changed the business name to Seepage Control Inc. and relocated it to a separate facility in 1964.

That year, his son, James “Jimmy” E. Bone, became the company’s owner, which his daughter, Luann Bone Price, now runs.

Road Machinery would have gone to Harold’s son, Harold “Hal” R. Bone Jr., the vice president of Parts & Service, but he was murdered on November 23, 1995. A New Mexican Mafia prison gang member shot Bone in a Central Phoenix nightclub parking lot because he was a witness to a crime, according to a Republic article in 1999.

Besides being a powerhouse entrepreneur, Bone was a compassionate and generous man. His longtime friend Max Dunlap, a Phoenix contractor, was convicted along with James Robison in the murder of Republic reporter Don Bolles, who died from a bomb explosion under his car in 1976. Many people, including Bone, believed Dunlap was framed.

Bone organized a committee to free Dunlap, purchasing newspaper ads asking for donations, collected thousands of signed petitions, and raised almost $30,000 for a new trial. Dunlap did get his new trial, but not until after Bone passed away. Ultimately, Dunlap was convicted of masterminding the car bombing and died in prison.

Harold R. Bone Sr. died on April 9, 1992, and in his obituary, former Road Machinery president Dave Fredrickson said, “He was just good people.”

became one of three Phoenix businessmen to be on the national committee of the Association of Equipment Distributors.

Other milestones for Road Machinery were acquiring a facility in 1971 to service and rebuild the large electric wheel motors for off-highway trucks, which became the only locally certified General Electric Co. rebuild facility. The company also began designing and building testing systems and mechanical tooling, including the Load Bank System to troubleshoot electric haul trucks, the TPM200-Truck Performance Monitor for testing electric drive truck engines, the Tucson facility’s Hoist Cylinder Test Stand, and the Engine Dynamometer test station completed in 1985 that’s still in operation.

Road Machinery operated as a multiline distributorship, serving contractors, municipalities, construction companies, and mines when Newbery Energy

Corp. acquired it in 1970. After serving as board chair, Bone was elected president of Newbery Energy in 1973. After a year, Bone turned over leadership to Albert D. Frederickson. In 1979, Road Machinery employees and its employee stock-ownership plan that Bone had established 24 years earlier repurchased the company from Newbery Energy, making it one of the very first employee-owned companies in Arizona.

Besides Road Machinery, Bone created two other companies with the intent to gift them to each of his three children.

Bone started Secco Street Sweepers and Electric Car Co. Division of Road Machinery Co. in 1960. It was the first business in Arizona to distribute Suzuki minitrucks, an off-highway vehicle that sold for $1,475.

His daughter, Sally Jan Bone Goelzer, later owned the company, which closed in the 1980s.

Above: Road Machinery Co. facility, 1955.

Right: Road Machinery Co. machine shop, 1970s.

Below: Isbell Construction using a new Wabco Haulpak from Road Machinery Co. on a road job, 1963.

Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

ARIZCC.COM

Images Courtesy of Author

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

SHARP CREEK CONTRACTING

YOUR TRUSTED SOURCE FOR GRADING, PAVING, AND WET UTILITY SOLUTIONS

1968 - RoBil Contacting, Co. was founded by Roman Candelaria and Bill Sudbrack.

2004 - RoBil Contracting passes the torch to the second generation and Sharp Creek Contracting, Inc. is formed carrying on the tradition of quality site prep and grading.

2021 - Sharp Creek adds a Wet Utility Division offering a more rounded scope for their customers.

2023 - Sharp Creek adds a full-service Asphalt Paving Division to control quality and costs.

GRADING, PAVING, AND WET UTILITIES EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE. REACH OUT TODAY

(602) 437-3040 • Fax (602) 437-3041 WWW.SHARPCREEK.COM/GRADING-PAVING PAGE

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA People

BILL KELTON CALLS IT A DAY AFTER AN IMPRESSIVE CAREER OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND HIJINKS BILLY HORNER

B

ill Kelton, a fourth-generation Arizona construction worker, contractor, and consultant, recently retired after an illustrious career spanning many decades. His journey in the construction field began in the 1970s with a job at his grandfather’s company, Edward S. Kelton Contracting, aka ESKCO. This position laid the foundation for a remarkable career in the industry, which often brought smiles to his coworkers.

Large, fast-paced projects can be highly stressful, and Bill’s teams often would engage in practical joking and innocent pranks to break the tension. “On one of my jobs, we had our project engineer arrested by DPS for speeding on an unopened piece of roadway,” Bill says. “They cuffed him and put him in the car, all the while I was sitting in the sergeant’s vehicle taking pictures. They later pulled into the restaurant, and we let him in on the gag, then we bought him a Coke, and everyone had a good laugh.”

Bill Kelton’s name first appeared in this magazine in 2015, when I spied the Kelton family name displayed on a static Caterpillar 8T motor grader at a local sand and gravel plant. This chance encounter led to an eight-year friendship with Bill, and he has authored several articles for our publication. His passion for construction and wealth of experience make him a valuable contributor.

Throughout his career, Bill’s favorite projects were large-scale dirt-moving jobs.

He recalls his initial management role for ESKCO as a 19-year-old, overseeing the

site grading for the Westridge Mall at 75th Avenue and Thomas Road in Phoenix. “My grandfather put me out to run the project, which I thought would be fun until I learned what it was like to have equipment stuck in the mud, being up to my knees in mud, and having a little red helicopter hovering overhead and shouting instructions over the radio so the entire company could hear how inexperienced you really were,” Bill says.

Eventually, Bill’s expertise extended beyond dirt work, encompassing bridge structures, utilities, asphalt paving, concrete paving, and mining projects. His job sites included Texas uranium mines, Nevada gold mines, levees along the Rio Grande, and landfills and commercial developments in Southern California.

Perhaps Bill’s most memorable day in construction was as a 23-year-old working for Fisher Contracting, a Bechtel subcontractor, paving around Unit One at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. While

Top left: Bill Kelton standing with a static display Caterpillar 8T blade, once owned by ESKCO in the 1960s, 2023.

Above: Bill Kelton.

Below: Bill Kelton with his grandmother next to an ESKCO 12E Caterpillar blade, 1958.

there, Bill landed a separate contract with APS to install all the warning sirens within a 10-mile radius of the plant. His yard crew innocently offloaded the sirens at the plant, not knowing that union rules required a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to oversee the operation.

“The net effect was a high-level meeting with what seemed like everyone but the governor,” Bill recalls. “The IBEW threw down an ultimatum that we remove all the equipment by the end of the day, or they would walk out, effectively shutting down the biggest project in the country. No pressure!”

Image Courtesy of Bill Kelton

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

WEESSTATBLRISHOEDC199L4LC

POWERSCREEN WESTERN

GL A DI ATOR

• PRECISION FINE GRADING • ABC PLACEMENT AND FINISHING • EARTHWORK , ALL PHASES • MATERIAL IMPORT/EXPORT HANDLING • DRAINAGE EXCAVATION • FULL TOPCON OR TRIMBLE CAPABILITIES

CONTACT TAYLOR WESTHOFF

Gladiator PT400 Jaw Crusher

Gladiator TP320SR Closed-circuit Impact Crusher

Gladiator MT1150 Open-circuit Cone Crusher

Gladiator MT1150SR Closed-circuit Cone Crusher

Gladiator MT1300 Open Circuit Cone Crusher

Gladiator H6203 Horizontal Screen

480-550-1815

PTWESTHOFF@WESTROCLLC.COM

Garrett 602-541-0554 Jon 602-541-5971 greerparts@hotmail.com

QUALITY HEAVY EQUIPMENT PARTS REASONABLY PRICED

Gladiator H8203 Horizontal Screen

NEW, USED, AND REBUILT

E M AD IN TH

E USA

KEYSTONECONCRETELLC.COM O: 480-835-1579 SITE CONCRETE DEVELOPMENT BIDS@KEYSTONECONCRETELLC.COM THIRTY SIX

Gerald McCarthy 602-772-1419 Adam Barber 480-321-9185 POWERSCREENWESTERN.COM

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA People Bill says the Bechtel manager looked directly at him and asked what he intended to do. “I replied that I’d get the sirens off the site,” he says. “I then rounded up every truck I could find, and we had a convoy heading out the gate at the end of shift looking like the Beverly Hillbillies with equipment hanging over the sides of flatbeds and a small trailer towed by our 950 wheel loader.”

Other notable projects that Bill helped build are the mile-long bridges on Loop 202 in Tempe, Phoenix’s Deck Park Tunnel on Interstate 10, 15 miles of State Route 87 south of Payson, the Arizona approach to Hoover Dam Bypass, Burro Creek Bridge on U.S. Highway 93, Telluride’s airport runway, and grading the airport at St. George, Utah. One of his proudest moments was overseeing the massive earth-moving operations when building the Loop 101 freeway from 75th Ave to 35th Ave while working for M.M. Sundt, where he had a 14-year career.

Bill recalls that in his early days as a field engineer for Sundt, a pay estimate for

their subcontractors didn’t balance by one cent because of a rounding error caused by the limited power of the Lotus 123 software. “The division engineer sent the pay application back and told me to make it balance as an attempted lesson in accounting,” he says. “I taped a penny to the application and mailed it back to him. The General Superintendent came in to scold me but couldn’t help but laugh at my creative solution.”

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Bill’s love for construction extended to his personal life, with DIY home projects showcasing his innate builder’s spirit.

When he did take a break from construction, Bill, along with his wife and dog, embarked on adventures in their travel trailer.

Bill recently retired as general manager for Buesing Corp. But the construction industry will still benefit from his expertise, as he’ll become a consultant to share his experience with the next generation of builders. And his sense of humor, too.

Here’s a sampling of quotes, only sometimes original, that Bill communicated

with a dry delivery. Sometimes, they got him into trouble, but his bosses laughed so hard that they couldn’t bring themselves to reprimand him: • Traffic is like water; if you back it up far enough, it will find a way around.

• When managing work, if your head goes down, your ass comes up. (credit Ed Kelton) • We lose all our money within a foot of grade.

• A construction project is like flying a plane; takeoff and landing are the most important parts.

• The only thing more exciting than smelling dust and diesel smoke is making money while smelling dust and diesel smoke. (credit Bill Bickley) • Any dispute can be resolved when you take the “F” word out of the conversation: “Fault.”

Bill adds that he learned in advanced math that it’s best to reduce every problem to its simplest form to solve it. That works in life as well.

As Bill reflects on his career, he’s amazed at the industry’s technical changes, including adopting personal computers, fax machines, safety standards for heavy equipment, laser grade control, and GPS grade control. “The drafting courses I took in high school became obsolete with computer-aided drafting, and learning to use a planimeter became obsolete with computer takeoff software,” he says.

Bill adds that cell phones were rare in the business until the mid-1990s. “When I started using my Radio Shack TRS 80 in the late 1970s, I never imagined having anything resembling the power of today’s smartphones in the palm of my hand,” he says in amazement.

Images Courtesy of Bill Kelton

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

THIRTY EIGHT

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

LUKE M. SNELL P.E.

C

oncrete that floats sounds like an oxymoron. Everyone knows concrete is heavy and will sink like a rock. But, when students at the University of Illinois and Purdue made concrete canoes in 1971, it captured the nation’s attention. How can you make concrete float?

Using concrete to make boats is a concept that was used when steel was scarce during World War I. Twelve concrete ships were built that floated because they spread out their weight and displaced a large volume of water. Concrete ships are made by placing a thin cement sand mixture onto a wire matrix.

In 1990, my wife and I developed a teaching kit for grade school students where they made floating concrete. This project surprised the students and their parents because everyone visualized the heavy concrete used to construct buildings. By replacing the aggregates with a much lighter material, such as vermiculite or perlite, we made concrete lighter than water that floated.

Our kit was designed to teach science (why a material floats in water) and math (they had to weigh the samples each day and graph the results). Plus, it allowed the students to work with the most popular building material in the world – concrete.

Making concrete that floats may sound like a fun project for kids, but it does have practical construction applications.

Concrete that is light enough to float can also be used as insulation, created using perlite as an aggregate. Perlite concrete has about 20 times the insulation value of regular concrete.

Perlite is formed from siliceous volcanic rock. After this rock is mined and crushed, it is then flash-heated to over 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. The internal moisture causes the material to expand, a process similar to making popcorn, with the resultant material having a density of around 8 pounds per cubic foot. Perlite

ARIZCC.COM

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Practices

A CONSTRUCTION MAGIC TRICK: CONCRETE THAT FLOATS

Images Courtesy of Author

is fireproof, moisture resistant, and has a non-connected cell structure, making it an excellent insulation material.

Perlite is mined and processed in several Western states and can provide a relatively inexpensive insulating material easily placed on the job site. A typical mixture used as an insulator on roof decks is one cubic foot of cement (or one bag), eight cubic feet of perlite, and 16 gallons of water. Mixing instructions specify adding the cement and water together until a uniform slurry is achieved, then adding the perlite. Overmixing perlite can break it down, thus reducing its insulation ability.

Perlite concrete with this mixture design has a unit weight of about 22 pounds per cubic foot and a strength of around 100 psi; therefore, it cannot be used as structural concrete.

A stronger mixture is required for projects such as perlite concrete used for floor fills. Changing the mix from one part cement to four parts perlite would increase the strength to 350 to 500 psi. This floor fill will bond well to existing concrete and adds little additional weight.

While conducting concrete seminars in Mongolia, I visited a perlite manufacturing company. This landlocked Asian country has winter temperatures that dip to -50 F, so insulation is vital. They use perlite concrete blocks laid as a secondary nonstructural wall to provide insulation against the bitter cold.

Above: Concrete ship at Kiptopeke breakwater in Chesapeake Bay, 2019.

Bottom left: Perlite.

Bottom middle: Concrete magnets colored with fingernail polish.

Bottom right: Concrete magnets where color is added to the mixture result in a speckled appearance.

I had college engineering students use perlite concrete to make jewelry as part of a service project for hospice patients. The students liked using their newfound engineering skills to encourage the terminally ill. I’ve also led perlite concrete activities at a senior center for residents to make concrete refrigerator magnets.

Using perlite for crafts requires concrete to be extremely light yet strong enough to withstand regular use. A mixture of three parts perlite to one part cement created a floatable weight of 45 pounds per cubic foot and 500 -1000 psi strength.

Students were given the option of adding color while mixing the concrete. Perlite, however, will not absorb color and will remain white, resulting in a speckled appearance. Color is best created by painting the concrete creations with fingernail polish afterward.

While using perlite concrete to make crafts is a novelty, it is also a learning experience. We can develop concrete to meet our needs by altering the aggregates and the mixture.

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

WWW.SUNLANDASPHALT.COM

602.323.2800

HEAVY EQUIPMENT SALES, VALUE-ASSESSMENTS, INSPECTIONS, PURCHASING 2017 CAT M314F

2004 CAT 613CII

2000 KW T300 WT

2200 HRS $185,000

4300 HRS $180,000

NEW 4K TANK $74,500

CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE SERVICES » CRACK SEALING » SEALCOATING » ASPHALT REPAIRS » CHIP SEAL » MILLING/PULVERIZING

FORTY

» PAVING & OVERLAYS » EARTHWORK & GRADING » UNDERGROUND UTILITIES » CONCRETE STRUCTURES/ FLATWORK

CONTACT CHRIS LOHMAN @ 602.363.2396 CHRIS@SOUTHMOUNTAINTRACTOR.COM SOUTHMOUNTAINTRACTORCO.COM

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Practices

WHY THE ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSOR IS PUSHY MICHAEL BERNSTEIN

I

n my previous articles in Arizona Contractor & Community, I touched on aspects of a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, especially the factor of time.

A property visit is typically a one-day event at a facility that might have been operating for decades. The assessor has only a brief time to collect documents, make and record observations, digest the data, and produce a report.

What’s the likelihood that every process, every hazardous substance, and every structure that has ever been present are still there at the time of the property visit? Of course, it’s possible. But in reality, it’s unlikely. Substances and processes that may have been common in the past might now be prohibited by regulation. Or their use might have been discontinued for other reasons, the equipment removed, and the structure demolished. Think PCBs, DDT, asbestos, and chlorinated solvents.

This understanding of time and place cause the experienced assessor to view certain features and operations with a degree of interest and caution that other parties may see as personal mistrust and an undue level of suspicion. And the small budget means the assessor has little time, which is expressed in their request for immediate accommodation – a brusqueness that other parties may find rude. Nonetheless, the assessor might need to insist, especially if they have been inhospitably received by persons who have something to hide or are hostile to environmental work in principle.

A case in point was the author’s assessment of an industrial trade school that dated to the 1960s. Skills formerly taught included using chromic and mercuric acids for plating and etching. The property managers resented my persistent snooping for plans, which I tried to do politely.

ARIZCC.COM

When my prodding finally produced the old plumbing plans, I saw that a “dilution tank” (more appropriately, a neutralization basin) for treating acidic wastewater was depicted beneath a steel cover in the driveway, where I found it. The contents and integrity of the system were unknown, and chromium and mercury are USEPA Priority Pollutant Metals. I could easily have assumed the cover was associated with a utility meter box, and a Phase I investigation doesn’t require the assessor to lift covers and observe what’s beneath. This system required further research. In the absence of those plans, I would not have caught it.

A dry cleaner in a shopping center that dated to the 1970s initially used fuel oil in an underground storage tank to fire the boiler. The building was later converted to natural gas. The situation appeared to be nothing more than an abandoned fuel oil UST – until I lowered my tape into the tank to see if fuel oil remained. When the tape came up, it wasn’t oily but wet and smelled of dry-cleaning solvent. The proprietor didn’t want to pay to dispose of his contaminated separator water properly and feared getting caught and fined if he poured it down the sink to the city sewer. Putting it into the UST, whose integrity was unknown, was very convenient. That’s why he didn’t like my repeated questioning about the fate of his separator water. The property owner was alarmed by my discovery. The lender and the potential buyer didn’t like it too much, either.

Building managers are often displeased when the assessor insists upon viewing the pits for hydraulic elevators.

The agreement with the elevator contractor might stipulate that the contractor provides all services. Even if a key to the

Images Courtesy of Author

Above: A clean elevator pit with no drain or sump.

Below: Oily water in an elevator pit with a covered sump pump in the corner.

pit door is available, the building manager might not be allowed to use it. The service call can cost hundreds of dollars just for the door to open for a few minutes. But the assessor must see the pits, especially in older buildings.

I’ve seen cases in which we discovered a significant loss of hydraulic fluid into the pits, which can also suggest the possible leakage of fluid to the subsurface. I saw a sump pump that discharged oily water from the pit directly to a creek, resulting in a sheen still visible far downstream – a definite regulatory violation. If old enough, hydraulic fluid might also contain PCBs. Hydraulic elevator systems in some newer buildings in California include holding tanks specifically so that oily drainage from the pits isn’t discharged to the city sewer. And, in the big picture, a few hundred dollars is peanuts; management’s objection to the cost will be seen as petty and obstructive.

(Pro Tip: photos of elevator pits are best taken when the pit light is turned off and only the camera flash is used.)

I’m writing today from the Philadelphia suburbs. Regarding the Phase I assessor’s tact or lack thereof, Ben Franklin’s Poor Richard says, “Suspicion may be no fault, but showing it may be a great one.” But he also says, “There’s none deceived but he that trusts.” As for the property owner, manager, or occupant, Poor Richard says, “Men take more pains to mask than mend.” In the final account, his best adage for all parties might be, “Dirt may stick to a mud wall but not to polished marble.”

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

16+ LOCATIONS & NOW OPEN IN CHANDLER

197 E WARNER RD. CHANDLER, AZ

DELAWARE

COUNTRY CLUB DR.

WARNER RD.

FEATURING: » » » » »

15+ premium brands Huge inventory of top-quality equipment 24-hour emergency service Complimentary operator training Easy app to call-off & manage all rentals

1-800-RENT-CAT | CatRentalStore.com/Empire LOOP 202

LOOP 101

PRICE

3RD ST.

SMITH

McCLINTOCK

RIO SALADO

UNIVERSITY

YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL TOOL NEEDS •Tools and Accessories •Tool Repair •Family Owned and Operated 480-968-0123 www.FisherTools.com

BRANDON GALLIMORE Land Surveying Services Construction Staking

7777 N 70TH AVE GLENDALE, AZ 85303

O. 623.466.6640 I F. 623.879.0611 C. 623.707.7067 I E. BRANDON@METROAZ.NET

FORTY TWO

NEVER MISS A NEWS UPDATE GET YOUR NAME ON THE LIST ARIZCC.COM/NEWS JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

JERRY SMITH

F

eats of fantastic construction often bring to mind towering skyscrapers, structures clinging to cliff faces, or infrastructure routes that race through harsh landscapes. Another category of construction innovation is the incredible projects that recreate habitats of rare species in a way that allows visitors to stand in awe of Earth’s natural wonders.

Each year, over 700 million people visit zoos and aquariums worldwide, enjoying the antics of over 730,000 animals from 8,500 species and marveling at their beauty, power, and grace. Innovative habitat creation requires a special kind of expertise, and it provides a rare peek into and appreciation of the animal world that most humans would never otherwise get to experience.

Here are some tips on designing and building these places and how construction workers can pursue jobs at hotels, zoos, and aquariums and work on unique structures like animal exhibits.

Keeping People and Animals Safe is a Priority Most modern aquariums, zoos, and artificial aquatic environments rely on acrylic because of its unique properties. It is much stronger and more impact-resistant than

Images Courtesy of ASI

ARIZCC.COM

glass, which is essential in settings where animals might interact with the enclosure.

For example, polar bears weigh over 1,000 pounds and have a paw swipe force of just under 60,000 lb-ft per second. That kind of strength requires the safest enclosures available in case of accidental impact underwater and on land!

Acrylic handles impact and sustained pressure, so it is the material of choice for immense tanks that house perpetually moving animals like sharks and stingrays. A marvel of construction engineering, acrylic could hold back the ocean if the calculations were correct.

Visibility and Flexibility for Spectacular Experiences Acrylic has excellent optical clarity; it allows a high degree of light to pass through without significant distortion. This transparency will enable visitors to observe animals without visual barriers or distortion, enhancing educational and entertainment experiences. Acrylic is long-lasting and easier to maintain because it’s inherently resistant to UV radiation and many chemicals.

Acrylic can be easily molded into various shapes and sizes, allowing for more creative and naturalistic enclosure designs.

It is lighter than glass, which makes it easier to handle and install. These factors can reduce construction and installation costs and minimize the structural load on the enclosure’s support system.

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Practices

BUILDING NATURE INTO AQUARIUMS AND ZOOS

Design and Construction Process Designing and building animal enclosures is a complex process that requires careful planning involving animal welfare, safety, and visitor experience. The stages will vary depending on the size of the project, the type of animals, and the education, research, and conservation goals of each project.

In general, the Concept and Planning stage determines the enclosure’s purpose, size, shape, and location within the zoo.

The Site Assessment and Preparation stage considers the needs and requirements of the animals, assessing pre-existing topography, soil conditions, drainage, and infrastructure. Architects, landscape designers, animal behaviorists, and habitat construction experts will collaborate in the Design stage to identify natural behaviors, habitat features, and enrichment opportunities while considering visitor and staff factors like viewing angles, barriers, and interactive spaces.

Habitat designs will also typically incorporate quarantine and biosecurity measures to manage animal health and security systems to monitor and manage animal behavior and visitor interactions.

Material Selection will maximize durability, safety, comfort, and visual appeal.

The Engineering and Construction stage involves developing detailed plans with structural elements, water systems, heating and cooling systems, and other necessary infrastructure, then excavating, building foundations, erecting structures, and installing barriers. The Evaluation stage thoroughly tests all enclosure elements, including walls, water systems, and enrichment structures, to ensure they function as intended before introducing animals gradually to their new habitat.

Above: Jerry Smith.

Left: American Sealant employees installing custom acrylic panels at the penguin exhibit at the Columbia Park Zoo in Lafayette, Indiana.

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

FORTY FOUR

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Throughout the process, collaboration between zoo staff, animal scientists, architects, engineers, and habitat construction experts is crucial to creating a successful and enriching animal enclosure that meets the needs of both the animals and visitors.

Training and Education for Aquarium Construction Animal enclosure, zoo, and aquarium construction involve a combination of education, training, and experience. Courses in architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, construction management, environmental science, or biology can provide education and training. Courses and certifications specific to zoo and aquarium design, animal behavior, animal husbandry, and conservation biology enhance

understanding of the unique requirements of designing and building animal enclosures.

Experience in this specialized construction field can be gained through internships, co-op programs, or entry-level positions with architectural firms, construction companies, or organizations involved in zoo and aquarium construction. Hands-on experience provides practical knowledge and skills. Having experience as an assistant at a zoo or aquarium offers insight into the industry’s daily operations, animal care, and facility management requirements.

Experts in habitat design and construction will be members in good standing of relevant professional organizations and associations, such as the Association of Zoos

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Practices

Left: Repairs at an aquarium tank at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas.

Below left: American Sealant employees polish an old, murky acrylic panel at the Alaska Sea Life Aquarium in Seward, Alaska.

Below: A custom-made acrylic tunnel is lowered into an exhibit at the Houston Zoo, which allows visitors to walk through it and uniquely experience wildlife.

and Aquariums (AZA) and the Aquarium and Zoo Facilities Association (AZFA).

Internationally recognized experts in this industry will have built a portfolio of successful, high-impact projects worldwide and glowing client testimonials.

Working in constructing animal enclosures, zoos, or aquariums requires a genuine passion for animal welfare and conservation and a dedication to creating safe, enriching environments for both animals and visitors. Some spectacular animal enclosures, aquatic habitat re-creations, and commercial water features in Arizona rely on the durability, design flexibility, and aesthetic appeal of acrylic panels and local construction-maintenance experts like American Sealants, Inc.

Jerry Smith, the owner and president of American Sealants, Inc., has 17 years of experience in the habitat construction industry, specializing in acrylic and glass exhibit panel installation. His Grand Junction, Colorado-based company, has completed over 800 zoological and aquatic projects for clients, including SeaWorld, Disney, Bass Pro Shop, the St. Louis Zoo, luxury hotels, and the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas.

Images Courtesy of ASI

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

23

PUBLIC ONLINE AUCTIONS HELD MONTHLY PREVIEW EVERY MONDAY - FRIDAY 7AM-4PM CONSIGNMENTS WELCOME Western Sales Management 1616 S 67th Ave Phoenix, AZ 85043

623-936-3300 wsmauctioneers.com info@wsmauctioneers.com

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Back When

JOY’S BUFFET - WHERE THE CAT GOT “ON” YOUR TONGUE BILLY HORNER

J

oy’s Buffet in Downtown Prescott encouraged some patrons to leave their mark—literally. Ranchers burned their cattle brands onto its wooden front door with piping-hot branding irons heated using a blowtorch for this ceremonial task.

One of the first brands imprinted was Rezzonico and Clay Floyd’s Yavapai BAR. This branding tradition was launched in 1952 when local contractor W.J. “Bill” Henson purchased Joe’s Place at 120 North Cortez Street. In partnership with restaurant manager Joy Claridge, Henson

renamed it Joy’s Buffet. The pair relaunched the business as a cowboy-friendly establishment known for its gratis offerings of an unusual delicacy: mountain lions.

In an era before prey-predator relationships were well understood, Henson procured cougars with assistance from renowned hunter Giles Goswick from the nearby town of Mayer. That year, Goswick and his son, George, killed a staggering 28 lions, which brought their lifetime total to 777 unlucky big cats. Jimmy Bennet, an esteemed grill master from Winslow, prepared the cougar meat. Joy’s Buffet offered it free of charge to patrons since selling wild game species to the public was prohibited. Pianist Patsy Walker provided the entertainment at this carnivorous café.

Over the years, the business underwent several transformations. In 1957, Henson changed the name to Lido Buffet, and the mountain lion meals ceased. In 1992, it became Lyzzard’s Lounge, which still serves adult beverages to patrons looking for an alternative to Whiskey Row. But Joy’s Buffet and its complimentary cougar meat, which reportedly tastes like lean pork, still lingers on the tastebuds of a few longtime Prescott residents.

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

FORTY EIGHT

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

PRESCOTT FRONTIER DAYS: A CELEBRATION OF COWBOY COMPETITION AND CULTURE

D

DOUGLAS TOWNE

riving into Prescott, it seems incongruous that this booming city sprawling with strip malls and trophy homes could be the home of “The World’s Oldest Rodeo.” Polo seems more appropriate for the upscale community than bronc busting, but first impressions can be misleading. One can still find vestiges of Prescott’s founding, based on gold mining and ranching, when it was the state’s Territorial Capital.

The most prominent connection occurs every Fourth of July when the city hosts Prescott Frontier Days. The event began in 135 years ago and has proved a boisterous occasion both inside and outside the rodeo grounds for contestants and spectators alike. “I loved going to the Palace Bar on Whiskey Row on the Fourth of July weekend,” Joe Agnew says. “There was great music, along with an occasional disagreement breaking out. There is nothing like experiencing professional cowboys coming to town in the early 1960s.”

All these years later, Prescott Frontier Days remains a big deal in a city where many residents’ strongest connection to livestock is purchasing T-bones at a supermarket. But Prescott continues to embrace its rodeo heritage that began long before Arizona became a state, and the event’s intriguing history provides insight into its continued unrivaled popularity.

Local merchants launched Prescott’s first rodeo in 1888, offering prizes to winning competitors. The town was in its last year as Arizona’s Territorial Capital, and horses for the event were borrowed from the cavalry at nearby Fort Whipple. Juan Leivas, a 20-year-old cowboy from the Date Creek Ranch southwest of Prescott, was the event’s “Best All-Around Cowboy” and won a saddle, bridle, and spurs valued at $125 as well as a wood-mounted, sterling silver engraved plaque now displayed at Prescott’s Sharlot Hall Museum. Leivas died a few years later in a horse accident.

Ranching was dangerous even for such a skilled cowboy.

The rodeo was an outgrowth of cattle roundups that ranches held twice a year to brand calves or separate steers for the market, according to sharlothallmuseum.org.

Left: Prescott Frontier Days Parade float on Cortez Street, north of Gurley Street, 1952.

Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Cowboys debated who was most skilled in roping cattle or riding horses, and rodeos helped settle such disputes. But Prescott Frontier Days festivities initially featured competitions among other occupations, including firefighters and miners performing hard rock drilling.

The rodeo was held at Forbing Park, located off Iron Springs Road, with the arena just a roped-off area to keep livestock from escaping, notes worldsoldestrodeo.com/ history/. The early rodeos included bull riding, steer wrestling, bronc riding, and barrel racing. Today, enhanced safety and animal welfare measures are in place. Team roping, where two cowboys bring down a steer, one by roping its horns and the other by its hind legs, is a more recent addition.

Crazy events like the Wild Horse Race and Wild Cow Milking Contest were discontinued long ago.

The event wasn’t called Prescott Frontier Days until 1913, when it was Left: Prescott Chamber of Commerce President G.W. Bill Bartmess during Prescott Frontier Days Parade, 1952.

Below: W.J. Henson (center) with announcer Jack Weldon (right), at Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo, 1957.

Right: W.J. Henson, captain of the Sheriff’s Posse (at left on the horse) at Gurley and Montezuma streets, during Prescott Frontier Days Parade, 1955.

Lower right: Pooper scoopers at Cortez and Gurley streets during Prescott Frontier Days Parade, 1952.

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

FIFTY

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

relocated to its current site, now known as the Prescott Rodeo Grounds. It was officially referred to as a “cowboy tournament” until the term “rodeo,” which means “to round up” in Spanish, was adopted in 1924.

The World’s Oldest Rodeo has had some exceptional years, including the unveiling of the Buckey O’Neill Roughrider statue in 1907, the planting of the Statehood Tree, an Arizona oak, in 1912, favorite son, Governor Tom Campbell, attending in 1921, and Phoenix contractor Andy Womack’s first appearance as a rodeo clown in 1950.

Other noteworthy occasions include 1909, when the soon-to-be-silent film star Tom Mix competed, honing the cowboy skills that he showed off throughout his movie career. Four years later, he starred in The Sheriff of Yavapai County, filmed near Prescott. This movie was a springboard to more than 30 Westerns filmed in the area.

Mix lived at the Bar Circle A Ranch, now the Yavapai Hills development.

In 1933, humorist Will Rogers made a memorable offer at the rodeo. After thanking participants for an exciting day, Rogers tendered a $100 prize for a special calf-tying contest, which was a lot of money Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Left: Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo, 1924.

Above: Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo spectators, 1952.

Right: Prescott Frontier Days Parade, 1952.

Below: Arizona Governor Hunt (in white cap) at the Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo, 1910.

Bottom left: The Bucking Bronco competition at Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo, 1900.

during the Great Depression. Twenty ropers participated, with each having a chance at a single calf. Six succeeded, and competitors with the three fastest times split the money.

Another highlight was rodeo legend Larry Mahan winning the All-Around Championship in 1973. By 1977, he was semi-retired and only entered select rodeos in his favorite event, saddle bronc riding.

After competing in the event at Prescott Frontier Days, Mahan dusted himself off, grabbed a microphone, and commentated on the other rodeo events for ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

But many believe the apex of Prescott Frontier Days came in 1971 when the

movie, Junior Bonner, directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Steve McQueen, was filmed at the rodeo and parade, marketing the event worldwide.

Stuart Rosebrook, editor of True West magazine, writes how his father, Jeb Rosebrook, who wrote the movie’s screenplay, came to Prescott as a nine-year-old boarding student to attend fourth grade at the Orme School in 1945. “The changes he witnessed [returning in the late 1960s] while driving into the historic Yavapai County seat from Cordes Junction through Mayer, Humboldt, Dewey, and Prescott Valley made a strong impression on him, especially the development of the wideopen spaces of the Fain Ranch. The Junior

Bonner screenplay reflected my father’s love of Prescott and Yavapai County, its history, culture, and people.”

According to Rosebrook, William Pierce, a well-connected local businessman involved in the rodeo and with the Arizona Film Commission, was invaluable to the movie. “Pierce recognized the locations my dad wrote about in the script, and he opened doors to secure all the film’s locations.” Besides the Prescott Rodeo Grounds and Frontier Days Parade, they included Courthouse Plaza, Whiskey Row, and the Palace Saloon.

Many recall the making of Junior Bonner, like Randy Nissly, who worked in Prescott at a summer camp. “They were

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

FIFTY TWO

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

filming at a house on the southwest corner of South Marina and Carleton streets,” he recalls. “I was with three giddy girls, and they were very excited to see Steve McQueen sitting in front of the house shirtless in a genuine Hollywood-style movie star chair with his name embroidered on the back. One of the girls approached him and asked if any autographed pictures were available. He sent us to a production trailer, and the girls got pictures. I was too cool for that, though.”

The spirit of Prescott Frontier Days is perhaps best captured by the late U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, whose uncle, Morris Goldwater, was a former Prescott mayor and helped launch the event. In the foreword to Danny Freeman’s book, The World’s Oldest Rodeo: 100-Year History 1888-1988, Barry Goldwater, who served as the Grand Marshall in 1964, writes that back in the day, cowboys seldom left their ranches, so it was a big deal to come into Prescott for the Fourth of July, relax, renew friendships, and enter the rodeo to maybe make a little extra money. “No one ever won big, and if they won expenses, they figured they were ahead.”

But Goldwater lamented that the local rodeo lost something as it became more professionalized. Cowboys no longer made regular stops every evening on Whiskey Row to visit and enjoy themselves.

“The next day, if a cowboy lost, he’d say, ‘Well, Joe didn’t drink as much as I did last night.’”

Left: Junior Bonner movie poster starring Steve McQueen, 1972.

ARIZCC.COM

FEEDERS UNLOADERS AVAILABLE FOR RENT OR PURCHASE IN STOCK MESA, AZ Aggregate Machinery Specialist 3038 N Maple Ave Mesa, AZ 85215

480-730-1212 ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Canyon at dawn on a Sunday morning is an exhilarating experience for cyclists – even more so for the occasional longboarder.

Early travelers passed through the Canyon on a narrow, bumpy wagon road.

Today, SR 89A is a busy transportation corridor. The story of a wagon road that became a State Scenic Highway is a fascithe Canyon is a refreshing change from the nating chapter in the history of Oak Creek vast, barren expanses of the Grand Canyon, Canyon.

Painted Desert, and Monument Valley.

By the numbers, SR 89A in Oak Creek A “TOLERABLE FAIR” WAGON ROAD Canyon is a two-lane, 15-mile asphalt road The first wagon roads in Oak Creek from Oak Creek Vista (elevation: 6,400 feet) Canyon and Sedona were built with hard at the top of the Canyon to Midgley Bridge manual labor. In loose soil, a horse-drawn (elevation: 4,500 feet) on the northern out- blade could be used. Otherwise, roads skirts of Sedona. The road winds down two were scratched out with pick and shovel. miles of switchbacks to Pumphouse Wash Dynamite was the power excavator of its Bridge from north to south. From there, it day. levels off to a gentle, 12-mile descent to Wagon roads followed the terrain Sedona. Sailing down the upper end of the to avoid creating steep grades. Creek

OAK CREEK CANYON’S STATE ROUTE 89A: A HISTORY OF ARIZONA’S FAVORITE SCENIC ROAD TOM PICKRELL

S

tate Route 89A in Oak Creek Canyon was the first road designated as a “scenic highway” by the Arizona Department of Transportation in 1984.

Thirty years later, an ADOT poll of its social media followers voted it the “State’s Best Scenic Drive.” These titles are the gold standard for Rand McNally and lovers of the open road.

Oak Creek Canyon is a place of majestic canyons, unique geology, lush flora, and flowing streams. For travelers exploring Northern Arizona’s beautiful landscapes,

FIFTY FOUR

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Images Courtesy of Author

Above and right: State Route 79 in Oak Creek Canyon, 1930s.

Top right: Midgley Bridge postcard, 1939.

crossings, undesirable but unavoidable, would have to be rebuilt after the annual spring flood and heavy rains. When completed from top to bottom, the Canyon’s first wagon road had 15 crossings.

The Canyon’s first settler and wagon road builder was 37-year-old John James Thompson. An Irish immigrant, Civil War veteran, cowpuncher, and ferry boat operator, Thompson came to the Arizona territory to prospect for gold. But he soon set his sights on a more abundant commodity: Federal land open for settlement.

Thompson built the Canyon’s first homestead cabin in 1876 on an 80-acre, sunny, flat expanse near a spring four miles up Oak Creek from present-day Sedona.

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

The land was easily farmed because the Yavapai grew vegetables there until a U.S. Cavalry patrol forced them to return to the Indian Reservation at Camp Verde.

Thompson called his homestead “Indian’s Garden Ranch,” later shortened to “Indian Gardens.”

By 1887, Thompson had built the Canyon’s first wagon road, described as “tolerable fair” by his son, Albert, from present-day Sedona to Indian Gardens.

After a spring flood destroyed segments of the road, Thompson and others rebuilt it on higher ground from 1889 to 1894.

A ROAD TOP TO BOTTOM In the early 1900s, the Canyon began to be shaped by commerce, which made constructing a single, reliable road from top to bottom inevitable.

In 1907, Frank Pendley homesteaded 50 acres below Slide Rock and planted the first successful apple orchard in the Canyon. As the trees matured, he built an extraordinary irrigation system that diverted water a mile upstream and delivered it to the orchard through two tunnels and a flume suspended 80 feet above the creek in the sandstone cliff. The orchard thrived.

One year, workers harvested 8,000 bushels from 750 trees and delivered them to Flagstaff, Jerome, Camp Verde, Phoenix, and Tucson markets.

At the top of the Canyon, fishermen and tourists from Flagstaff arrived by horse-drawn coaches or surreys and zigzagged down a trail to camp, picnic, and fish along the creek.

In July 1914, Oak Creek was bridged for the first time, where the waters pass through a narrow, red rock gap at Slide Above: Midgley Bridge, 1939.

Below: Oak Creek Canyon postcard.

Images Courtesy of Author

Rock. The Oak Creek Bridge was the last link that completed the road from top to bottom, opening the Canyon to travel from Flagstaff to the Verde Valley.

TOURIST DESTINATION Oak Creek Canyon’s rugged beauty and America’s fascination with the Wild West put it on the Northern Arizona travel destinations list with the Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest National Parks.

In 1925, Carl Mayhew, a Flagstaff photographer, bought a property at the confluence of Oak Creek and its West Fork. The property was once the homestead of Jesse Jefferson “Bear” Howard. As his nickname

suggests, Howard was a game hunter and trapper. He earned a living by selling bear meat to a Flagstaff butcher and the railroad and collecting bounties for mountain lions, bobcats, and other predators that preyed upon cattle and sheep.

Mayhew incorporated Howard’s cabin into the two-story Oak Creek Lodge, a small but charming hotel that catered to wealthy visitors wanting to experience the outdoors in rustic luxury. Among its most notable guests were Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, and Walt Disney.

Oak Creek Lodge and the publicity it garnered marks the Canyon’s transition to a popular tourist destination. More cabin-style hotels followed, including two classic Oak Creek accommodations of the period that remain open: Todd’s Lodge (now Orchard Canyon on Oak Creek) (1927) and Don Hoel’s Cabins (1945).

At the Creek’s headwaters in Sterling Canyon, a fish hatchery was built in 1925 and later acquired by the State Game & Fish Department. Today, Canyon anglers might find three types of trout on their hook: brown, rainbow, or Gila.

TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR In the 1920s, the network of major roads connecting the states and major cities became the national highway system supported by the U.S. and state highway departments. Highways in the system were assigned numbers. The Oak Creek Canyon Road was first designated State Highway 79 in 1927. In 1941, it was re-designated

FIFTY SIX

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Left: SR 89A switchback repair, 2023.

Above: SR 89A Pumphouse Wash Bridge repair, 2023.

Images Courtesy of Fisher

U.S. Highway 89A, an alternate route of U.S. 89 from Prescott to Flagstaff via Chino Valley to Ash Fork, where it went east on U.S. Highway 66 to Flagstaff. The route was designated SR 89A in 1993.

During the 1930s, ADOT launched an extensive program of modernization of the SR 89A that, in its words, “left no doubt Arizona valued its tourist business and roads were essential to its prosperity.” SR 89A was paved with asphalt, and three bridges were built: Pumphouse Wash Bridge, Oak Creek Bridge, and Midgley Bridge.

The completion of Midgley Bridge in 1939 was a capstone event for SR 89A. With a single 300-foot span, the bridge replaced nearly a mile of crooked road up one side of Wilson Canyon and down the other. Before a crowd of 2,000, including Arizona Governor Robert Taylor Jones, the

ARIZCC.COM

bridge was dedicated in honor of Major W.W. Midgley, a vocal advocate for improving roads in Northern Arizona.

Over the years, retaining walls, each with a different masonry style, have been added along the switchbacks to limit rocks from spilling onto the roadway. A modern retaining wall worth stopping to admire is located across the road from the West Fork Trail parking area. It is sculpted and colored to match the Canyon’s sandstone.

ADOT earned national recognition for this wall that passersby see but often do not recognize.

Today, Oak Creek Canyon is the primary route of travel between Flagstaff and Sedona. SR 89A drivers are a mix of daily commuters and tourists. And there are lots of them. ADOT traffic studies indicate that more than 5,000 cars and trucks pass through the Canyon daily.

In response to concerns from the Canyon’s residents, Sedona took measures to keep traffic flowing. It added a second lane to SR 89A and fencing to keep jaywalkers from stalling traffic southbound from the Canyon. Slide Rock State Park’s waiting line is patrolled to stop cars from blocking the roadway. And further up the Canyon, guardrails prevent people from parking and “bear-sliding” down to the creek.

A nuisance yet to be addressed is road noise: the sounds of car radios, down-shifting semis, and motorcycles that spoil the Canyon’s tranquility. Perhaps this problem will lessen with the rise of the electric car.

The Canyon, fortunately, has guardians looking out for its future. Now that SR 89A is a state scenic highway, ADOT is one of them.

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

WHAT LEO SCOTT DID ON HIS HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER VACATION - BUILD A HOUSE DOUGLAS TOWNE

“L

ife’s not easy, so get tough and learn to be good at whatever you do.” Leo Scott’s father gave him this sage advice about working construction at age 12 after he complained about how difficult it was to stock bricks, get the mortar mix correct, and keep the masons’ mud boards full. The youth received the message loud and clear.

Five years later, during summer vacation before his senior year at Paradise Valley High School in 1964, Scott launched a project that would be unthinkable today.

He and his brother purchased a vacant lot in their neighborhood, built a spec house, and sold it. “We were lucky, but that house is still standing, with some changes,” Scott

says. Here’s the behind-the-scenes story of how Scott accomplished that impressive feat as an entry into the construction field.

Scott’s construction education started after his father, Earl Scott, who farmed near Yates Center, Kansas, located about 100 miles east of Wichita, developed arthritis in his hands along with respiratory issues. These conditions made operating farm equipment difficult,” Scott says.

“When I was nine years old, we sold a large portion of the family farmland, house, barn, and outbuildings, and we moved to town. My dad went to school to become an insurance agent and, within a year, bought a Farmers Insurance office in nearby Chanute, Kansas.”

His father met two brothers, Ivan and Max Larue, who were World War II veterans and master carpenters; they started a small side business called Earl Scott Construction. “I worked after school, Saturdays, and during the summer, where I learned to operate a pick, shovel, and wheelbarrow,” Scott recalls. I also learned to mix mortar for brick veneer. Keeping the masons’ mud boards full and stocking brick was a tough job for a kid. I was always in trouble for not getting the mortar correct.”

But Scott, taking his father’s admonition to heart, persevered. He learned to nail one-by-material on floor joists for subfloor sheathing. He also helped the carpenters frame exterior and interior walls, squaring and leveling walls and openings for doors and windows. “In those days, we didn’t use trusses, so I learned how to frame the roof rafters and ceiling joists by using a framing square to lay out the roof’s pitch,” he says. “I wasn’t allowed to operate any power saws yet, so I made my cuts with a handsaw.”

Top left: Earl and Rosemary Scott.

Top right: Looking northeast at the corner of Wagoner Road and 41st Street with new roads paved by Vinson Construction Co., 1961.

Left: The Scott family home at 4109 East Wagoner Road in Scottsdale, 1960.

Below: Earl Scott’s contracting license, 1969.

Images Courtesy of Leo Scott

FIFTY EIGHT

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Above and right: Scott family home at 4109 East Wagoner Road in Scottsdale, 1960.

Lower right: Paradise Valley High School, 1976.

Below: Paradise Valley brochure, 1959.

Scott learned the proper way to hold a hammer and how to nail and became adept at nailing off roof sheathing. He used one-by-6 and one-by-8 fir material boards nailed on a 45-degree angle for wall and roof lateral strength. “No plywood was used for framing on my dad’s jobs because they didn’t think it was structural,” Scott says. “I learned to install tar paper, roof flashing, and how to drop roofing nails between my first two fingers and avoid smashing my fingers too often.”

“I was a kid learning to be a carpenter’s helper, laborer, and trying to stay out of trouble,” Scott says. “My dad’s carpenters had lived through the Depression, the Dust Bowl, and World War II, so they were serious men and wanted to ensure everything was done according to their standards. They could do any construction-related trade and were true craftsmen.”

Scott’s father and his foreman, Ivan Larue, finally decided Kansas was too cold, wet, and windy. “My father’s health wasn’t improving, and both moved to Arizona with their extended families in 1960.

The pair bought two residential lots one mile north of Bell Road on 40th Street, where the Marino family had started a subdivision served by a water company. “The Marino’s were from the South, so many of the streets were named after the Civil War commanders, such as Robert E. Lee,” Scott says. “We built homes for my family and our foreman on those two lots on East Wagoner Road when development began in the area. My father and Ivan built three more homes on the south side of Wagoner Road and several more in that neighborhood.”

Scott’s father earned his contracting license and built houses in the area with Larue. Scott improved his carpentry skills and learned how to pour and finish concrete. “I was the cleanup guy on the jobs and made many trips to the dump,” he explains. “I continued to work after school and on weekends.”

After graduating from the eighth grade at Sunnyside Elementary School on Greenway and 32nd Street, Scott attended Paradise Valley High School, whose mascot was a Trojan. “There was nothing on the main entry showing the mascot, so my friend Fred and I drew a large Trojan head on a piece of sheet metal in shop class. We

cut it out and painted it, and the school maintenance crew hung it on the face of the school.”

Many students he met there became lifelong friends, and some of their fathers worked for Earl Scott. And he excelled in classes that would help his career, including woodshop classes. “I had been exposed to table saws, joiners, planers, and sanding machines on my father’s jobs, so building furniture came easy,” he says.

Scott also took drafting classes, which led to drawing his dad’s house plans, which he describes as reasonably simple. “A rectangle with a carport on the end, with a storage room in the carport for the water heater, washer, and dryer,” he says. “The houses and roofs were wood framed with no trusses yet, with three-tab asphalt shingles. Most houses had painted wood siding and single-pane, aluminum windows, although our home and the Larue home were masonry.”

In 1963, his father’s company shifted operations to Bullhead City. “There was a great demand and no licensed contractors there at that time,” Scott says. Scott was left at home with his older sister doing odd jobs, including reading water meters, mowing yards, and house painting. “I

Images Courtesy of Leo Scott

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

needed the money to keep my old car running and to buy gas,” he explains.

Scott says his father always said you could will yourself to be successful despite your circumstances. “He was not a carpenter but could do an adequate job framing.

But he did have a talent for forming, pouring, and finishing concrete. He taught me that trade, and I, too, thought I was very proficient in concrete work.”

The following summer, before Scott’s senior year of high school, his father created a project for him. “My older brother, David, who had been in the military, wanted to come to Arizona and learn a trade,” he says. “With help from our father and Western Savings & Loan, we borrowed money to purchase a lot in our neighborhood and build a spec house.”

Scott designed a three-bedroom

house constructed with slump blocks and a 1 ½ car garage, fireplace, and oak kitchen with vanity cabinets. His father said no one would buy the house because those amenities weren’t wanted. “I told him I thought the market was changing, and folks from the Midwest and East Coast were used to these features,” Scott says. “So, he gave in, thinking this would be a good lesson for me if I failed.”

Scott’s brother was nine years older.

“We didn’t know each other that well,” Scott says. “He was a fast learner and hard worker but didn’t like taking orders from me.”

The brothers dug the footings by hand, forming and pouring the concrete slab.

They helped their father’s subcontractors with the plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and masonry and assisted with the under-slab

plumbing. They mixed mud and hauled the block for the masons, framed the interior walls, stick-built the roof, installed the insulation, hung the drywall, and paid a drywaller to tape and texture the walls and ceilings. They performed the trim work, hung the doors the old-fashioned way, with jams and trim, cut in the hinges, and painted the interior and exterior. They installed the cabinets and built Formica tops on the job site.

“We did everything we could do ourselves to save money,” Scott says. “We paid the bills with the help of our stepmother, Rosemary, who kept the books on a yellow business pad.”

Then, to their father’s surprise, the house sold. “We each made $1,100, Scott says. “What a summer and what an education we both got.”

MADCO RENTALS

ARIZONA’S NEWEST WATER TRUCK RENTAL FLEET 4,000 Gallon Water Trucks | Skid Steers Rentals

We are here to bust the dust Give us a call today!

480.280.0364 madcorentals.com

By Appointment Only 704 W Happy Valley Rd, Phoenix AZ 85085

SIXTY

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

www.camsaz.com

602-331-5455

22035 N. BLACK CANYON HWY #B PHOENIX, AZ 85027

OUR BUSINESS IS TO KEEP YOUR BUSINESS COOL! ROC #111880

TUSCON

(520) 682-2158

SIERRA VISTA

(520) 378-2321

GLOBE

(928) 425-5775

YUMA

(928) 343-4150

PHOENIX

(602) 416-2652

FLAGSTAFF

(928) 526-5250

PRESCOTT

(928) 443-9207

CAMP VERDE

(928) 567-0893

BULLHEAD

(928) 763-1022

A GLOBAL READY-MIX, AGGREGATES, ASPHALT, AND CEMENT SUPPLIER

CEMEXUSA.COM ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

THE KID CONTRACTOR COMES TO TOWN: LEO SCOTT’S PRESCOTT CAREER DOUGLAS TOWNE

W

hen Leo Scott relocated to Prescott in 1972, he recognized that businessmen were skeptical of newcomers, especially a 25-yearold construction upstart. “I was asked to a meeting with some important men in the local construction industry,” he recalls.

“They sat me down and gave me their terms for letting me work in their town.”

Scott says they told him to “be honest, be fair, and do a good job,” or they would ask him to leave. “In today’s world, that would be unusual, but these men had the town’s best interest in mind, and I could appreciate that,” he says. “Many years later, a subcontractor told me the local

construction guys referred to me as the ‘Kid Contractor’ or the ‘Cowboy Contractor.’”

Scott’s arrival in Prescott occurred after stints in three other Arizona communities. During his senior year, his parents moved from Paradise Valley to Bullhead City, since contractors were in short supply in that booming town along the Colorado River across from Laughlin, Nevada. Scott stayed behind and graduated from high school but continued working for his father on holidays and the following summer.

“Dad had three floor plans that he built in Bullhead City, and the only choices customers had was reversing the plan from left to right,” Scott says. “My father

didn’t want to redraw the plans, so I had to flip them over and hold them up to the sun to lay out the house and framing detail. After helping his crew build a few of these houses, I decided to redraw the floor plans in the correct direction to avoid any confusion.”

Scott then attended what was then Arizona State College (now NAU) in Flagstaff. His father was not supportive.

“He told me that I already had a trade and knew a lot about construction and that most people going to college had no idea or goals for a real career and were just wasting their time and money,” Scott recalls.

“I told him he was probably correct, but I Top left: Leo Scott running a troweling machine.

Top right: Leo Scott celebrates his final project in 2002 Bottom left: The remodeled Durango Bagels store in Downtown Prescott, 1995.

Below: The Antelope Hills Golf Course Clubhouse in Prescott, 1993.

Images Courtesy of Leo Scott

SIXTY TWO

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Above: Aubrey Apartments in Prescott, 1994.

Top right: Willow Springs Girl Scout shelter, 2000.

Right: Farmers Insurance District Office in Prescott, 1998.

Bottom left: A house in Forest Trails neighborhood in Prescott, 1993.

Bottom right: Leo Scott as Frontier Days Chairman, 1975.

needed to learn more about construction engineering, including why we did things a certain way and if we were doing the construction correctly.”

Scott used the money he had saved from his jobs to pay for college. He took what could be considered construction management classes, including engineering math, drafting, surveying, and art rendering, which improved his drafting skills.

Scott also worked nights at a 24-hour service station on Route 66, having learned auto repairs from caring for his father’s construction trucks. He later worked at the Southwest Sawmill for JELD-WEN. “We

used wood molding machines to make window frames, muntins, sills, casing, door jambs, and thresholds,” he says. “All this from Ponderosa pine, logged in the forests around Flagstaff.”

By this time, Scott was married and had started a family. They moved to Bullhead City, and Scott joined his father’s construction crew, working alongside carpenters he had grown up with. Then came a detour where Scott built and ran a service station called Scott Brothers Richfield (later Shell) with his brother David in the booming town.

“After three years, I wanted to get back into construction,” Scott says. “But I didn’t want to live in the hot desert climate, and we visited Prescott. We liked the climate and the small-town atmosphere; not many towns in Arizona have a historic downtown like Prescott. I also wanted a more wholesome place to raise my family than existed along the Colorado River in Bullhead City.”

Leo sold their home and his half interest in

the service station to his brother. His father would continue working there until he retired in 1981. He once told Leo that he had built over 1,500 homes and commercial buildings in the Bullhead City area. Earl Scott passed away the following year.

In 1972, Scott received his contractor’s license and relied on acquaintances to connect him with Prescott locals who needed construction. His first jobs were building bunkhouses and repairing barns for ranchers north of Chino Valley. “But it was a long way from town, and with no cell phones, I was out of touch with my family for long hours,” he recalls. “I decided to get a loan and build a spec house.”

Scott teamed up with an old friend, Jim Butcher, from Bullhead City, who had worked on the original flagstone patios and walkways at Yavapai College. The house they built impressed realtors and investors, and he built several more houses and apartments. “Eventually, I created enough

Images Courtesy of Leo Scott

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

of a local resume that I had the chance to bid on local construction projects with some architects and lot owners,” he says.

As a contractor, Scott learned the value of good relationships with suppliers and subcontractors. He joined organizations, including the Yavapai County Contractor’s Association, the Chamber of Commerce, the Yavapai County Fair Board, and the Prescott Jaycees. “Back then, the Jaycees ran the Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo, which I appreciated both for its historical and economic importance,” he says.

“Being involved in these groups helped promote my business and gave me credibility as a business owner.” In 1975, Scott became the Frontier Days Chairman for the rodeo and events.

“My father thought I should look for people who could do the quality work I demanded while using my business skills to create more work,” Scott says. “But for me, there was a lot of satisfaction in working alongside my crew and making our customers happy with the results.

Scott took classes at Yavapai College to better understand building codes, where he met and worked with construction officials from nearby communities. “It made getting my permits for any project much easier, as I understood the codes and could discuss any questions with the plan’s examiner,” he says. “There were often ‘grey areas’ of a plan, and I was always willing to find an acceptable solution to their concerns.”

These relationships resulted in Scott’s selection to join the “Advisory and Appeals Board” for the City of Prescott and, later, for Yavapai County. “The board would review citizens’ requests for some special consideration on a project or to approve a deviation from the code due to an unusual situation,” he says. “These boards also reviewed the current building codes

and approved any changes to the codes for submittal to the City Council and the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors.”

Scott gradually built more complicated homes, including on hillsides, boulder piles, mountain tops, and forested areas where the goal was to preserve the natural landscape. He tackled commercial projects, including the clubhouse at Prescott’s Antelope Hills Golf Course and the Community Medical Center (now the Chino Valley Building Department) for the Town of Chino Valley. Scott also constructed Yavapai Credit Union and Western Ranch Store in Prescott Valley, Prescott Investor Services in Prescott, Hope Chapel along Arizona State Route 69, and worked at two local Girl Scout camps, Camp Maripai and Willow Springs, where be built dozens of cabins, project shelters, bath and shower buildings, and administrative centers.

Scott says of the latter job, “They were special people who worked tirelessly for the good of the camps and the Girl Scouts organization.”

Scott’s company grew, and he kept employees for many years. “I knew that they were a large part of my success, and I always thanked them for their hard work and dedication,” he says. “They were always conscious of the quality of our projects, and I could trust them to look after the jobs when I wasn’t there.” Most important was his wife, Lori, who ran his office, kept the books, paid the bills, and stayed up late working on bids with him.

In 2002, Scott retired in Prescott after 30 years of working on over 350 projects, everything from small to extensive remodels, new home construction, and commercial jobs. “I was tired of the constant stress and wanted more free time to take care of our rental properties,” he says. “I still get asked my opinion on construction-related issues and try to help folks when possible.”

Scott believes that much of today’s construction is not up to the standards he was trained to follow. “But I’m sure the old timers who trained me thought using trusses instead of stick framing a roof or buying pre-hung doors would all be taking a shortcut, so I try to keep an open mind,” he says. “I do believe that in many cases, especially during these busy building times of late, real craftsmen are in short supply and are not even sought out. Houses are often built with pre-framed walls; all the workers need to know is how to assemble the puzzle. No real framing ability is needed.”

Scott ends with a nostalgic lament.

“Maybe that is progress, but I‘m glad I learned the craft from men who knew the how and why for every aspect of the building process.”

Above: A hilltop house built by Leo Scott in Prescott, 1995.

Below: Leo Scott doing carpentry for a house project.

Images Courtesy of Leo Scott

SIXTY FOUR

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

602.282.4007 Marrsconstruction.com

Utilities Private / Municipal

Earth Work / Excavation

Paving

Marrsconstruction.com ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Images Courtesy of Helen Stalnaker

In 1921, three years after World War I ended, Henson’s family relocated to Jerome, Arizona. There, his younger sister, Adele, lost her life in a tragic automobile accident. This event would steer Henson into a career in improving the state’s infrastructure.

Henson’s first job was with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co., where he worked for five years. “He then out, a youthful Henson defied minimum became a foreman for Atkinson, Kier age restrictions and joined the U.S. Navy. Brothers, Spicer Company, a large conHe was a non-commissioned officer and tracting firm from Corpus Christi, that almember of the Navy’s boxing team. lowed him to carve a niche in the industry,”

PIPELINES AND ROADS:

PRESCOTT CONTRACTOR BILL HENSON’S TRANSPORTATION LEGACY BILLY HORNER

H

elping build Coolidge Dam on the Gila River and Route 66 east of Flagstaff and, later, elected president of the Arizona chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America is a notable resume for any construction guy. But these accomplishments only begin to tell the story of Prescott contractor William “Bill” Henson.

“He’s an unsung hero in the Arizona construction industry,” Helen Marie Stalnaker, his adopted daughter, says. A Prescott resident, Stalnaker shares fond memories of her father’s involvement in highway construction and his impact on the local community.

Henson was born on March 31, 1899, in the south Texas town of Benton, one of seven children of William T. and Mattie A. Henson, of Scandinavian and Pennsylvania Dutch descent. When World War I broke Top left: Bill Henson.

Top right: Bill Henson and his brother, Joe, (l-r) at a jobsite building, 1940s.

Right: Henson Construction’s Euclid scrapers during road construction, 1953.

SIXTY SIX

Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Stalnaker says. The firm helped build the Coolidge Dam on the Gila River from 1924 to 1928 for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

“He told us during the project that rather than move or relocate the graves around Geronimo’s early campsite that would be later flooded, they built concrete slabs over them,” Stalnaker says.

Henson then became a general superintendent for Pearson & Dickerson Contracting, a road construction outfit based in Riverside, California. The company opened an office in Prescott in the 1930s and transferred staff, including

Henson and Helen Brown. “They wound up getting married in Siver City, New Mexico,” Stalnaker says. “Helen was described as ‘the most elegant woman of her time,’ and known affectionately as ‘Duchess’ by Henson employees.”

After ten years with Pearson & Dickerson, Henson, his wife, and his younger brother, Joe C. Henson, founded W.J. Henson Construction Co. in 1941. The Prescott company started with a single Caterpillar crawler and 40 employees. The company gained traction, especially after Pearson & Dickerson’s local office closed

Above: Equipment operator Ike Farnsworth running a Caterpillar D8 bulldozer on a Henson Construction project, 1954.

Below left: Henson Construction’s International TD-18 bulldozer working on U.S. Highway 70 near Bylas, 1956.

Below: Bill Henson as a Yavapai County Sheriff’s Posse volunteer, 1956.

and liquidated all their construction equipment. “My father remained good friends with the owners of Pearson & Dickerson,” Stalnaker says. “When they retired and liquidated their equipment, he got first dibs on all equipment and employees.”

Images Courtesy of Helen Stalnaker

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Above: Henson Construction working on Arizona Route 69 near Fort Whipple Veterans Hospital east of Prescott, 1951.

Top right: W.J. Henson aggregate advertisement, 1956.

Below: Susan Margaret and Helen Marie Henson (l-r) in front of a Mack truck in Prescott, mid 1950s.

Henson Construction’s first big project as a heavy contractor was building a pipeline from Burro Creek to the Bagdad Copper Mine, located west of Prescott and owned by John C. Lincoln at the time.

By 1949, Henson’s leadership propelled his company to new heights, and he had become a significant player in the contracting industry. Sporting his signature white fedora, Henson managed a million-dollar business of 150 employees and an annual payroll of $350,000. The company’s projects included the FlagstaffWinslow highway grading and the drainage section for Prescott’s Fort Whipple traffic interchange and portions of the Prescott airport.

Henson and his wife also found time to start a family unconventionally. “My parents were very loving people and adopted both my sister and me [Susan Margaret and Helen Marie],” Stalnaker says. “Our adoptions were arranged through a local attorney, John Franks, whose wife, Lena, was my adoptive mother’s closest friend.”

Stalnaker doesn’t know how the birth families came to be in contact with Franks, but he met with her biological mother and grandmother, who were from Chicago and staying at the Castle Hot Springs resort. “My grandmother was horrified by her daughter’s illegitimate pregnancy and quietly took her away from Chicago,” Stalnaker recalls. “That’s the way it was done in those days. Franks also met with my sister’s biological parents, John and Mary Lou Allen, though I don’t know where or when.”

According to Stalnaker, Henson cherished his family life, and the couple

provided a loving home to their adopted children that showcased their compassion and empathy. “They took us boating on Lake Mead,” she says. “We had two boats named after my sister and me.”

Henson, a longtime Associated General Contractors of America member, was elected president of the Arizona chapter in 1953. “The AGC was very important to him,” Stalnaker says. “He and my mother attended the national convention in New York City, where they also had professional pictures taken. They also dined at the Westward Ho in Phoenix to celebrate the election.”

As Henson Construction traveled further for projects, Henson acquired two company aircraft, a Beechcraft and a Piper Cub. “His company became one of the first Prescott business firms to utilize a full-time pilot and company aircraft,” Stalnaker says.

The company operated a sand and gravel crushing plant along Granite Creek, just north of Prescott, along U.S. Highway 89. In 1957, Henson Construction expanded the operation to include a transit-mixed concrete plant.

Perhaps the most remarkable project under Henson’s stewardship was constructing 21 miles of highway through the

Images Courtesy of Helen Stalnaker

SIXTY EIGHT

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation east of Globe. The segment of U.S. Highway 70 linked the communities of San Carlos and Bylas. This impressive undertaking took three years and involved grading, drainage, and surfacing.

Henson was active with philanthropic causes, including serving as president of the Yavapai County Fair Association, where he played a pivotal role in Prescott’s annual Frontier Days celebration. His love for horses and expertise in horse racing made him an invaluable asset to the county fair, and he also was a member of the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Posse.

In the mid-1960s, Henson’s construction company ceased operations. His wife, Helen, died in 1965, and four years later, Bill Henson and his brother, Joe, both passed away.

“My father’s story is about determination, vision, and community spirit,” Stalnaker says. “From the roads he paved to the lives he impacted, Henson’s contributions continue to shape the landscape of Prescott and beyond.”

Prescott resident Pat Mackin also uniquely honors Henson. On special occasions, he drives a vintage W.J. Henson Construction truck.

Top left: Helen and Bill Henson attending an annual AGC convention in New York City, 1954.

Above: Bill and Helen Henson with Helen Marie (all seated); Bud Sweeney, Elks Club mixologist; and Miss Turf Paradise, Kitty Brandt at Turf Paradise opening, 1956.

Left: Bill Henson with a co-worker (r-l) aboard the Helen Marie at Lake Mead, 1950s.

Below: Pat Mackin with his W.J. Henson Contractor Sterling truck at the Watson Lake Car and Truck Show, 2016.

Images Courtesy of Helen Stalnaker

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

SALUTING ARIZONA’S BUILDERS: EDWARD S. KELTON

E

dward S. Kelton was a man who never let a mishap impact his enthusiasm for completing a construction job or having a good time. During his 84 years of living, he rolled a pickup down a canyon, was run over by a semi-tractor, and crashed both his helicopter and airplane.

The latter accident occurred during a fierce thunderstorm when a downburst slammed his plane into the runway in Cottonwood, Arizona.

“I was working in Prescott when I learned of Ed’s airplane crash, which happened when he was 75 years old,” says his grandson, Bill Kelton. “When I visited him the next day in the hospital, he was already sitting up in bed telling me how he was planning to buy a new airplane with more horsepower to avoid a similar problem in the future.”

Edward Kelton was born in 1915 in Arkansas and moved to McNary, Arizona, with his family in 1923. At 18, he married Pearl Rose Nelson, and together they had three sons: Robert, Ronald, and Eugene.

During World War II, Kelton worked as a journeyman electrician and yard supervisor at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California.

In 1950, the Kelton family returned to Arizona, where Ed worked construction with John C. Kelton and Sons for six years alongside his father, John C. “Bud” Kelton, and his older brother, Andrew Jackson Kelton. In 1957, the company was reorganized as T.M.K. Construction Company, with the initials representing its three owners: Phil Tovrea, Jr., Frank Maddox, and John C. Kelton.

That same year, Kelton launched Edward S. Kelton Contracting (ESKCO), assisted by his wife, sons, and eventually, some grandsons and cousins. The company became one of the larger contractors in Arizona. “My earliest memories include operating equipment and driving pickups as soon as we could reach the pedals,” Bill Kelton says. “My youth and ambition led me to leave ESKCO in 1979, after a conflict where I was sure that I was much smarter at the age of 20 than my 64-year-old grandfather.”

By the time he left, Bill Kelton had worked on many ESKCO projects, including Bel Air Estates at 35th Avenue and Bell Road, Scottsdale Airport, and jobs in Ahwatukee. But his most vivid memory was grading the site for the Westridge Mall at

75th Avenue and Thomas Road. His grandfather gave him a crew and told him, “You got the job; now get out there and build it.”

ESKCO operated until Ed Kelton retired in the late 1980s to fly airplanes and perform small grading work around his home in Camp Verde. He died in 2000.

Phil Berger, who passed away in 2023, recalled Kelton as a good guy with an unforgettable personality. Berger flew for ESKCO from 1965-1980 and said in 2017 that Kelton piloted his planes and helicopters illegally for years on a student’s license, which a friend of Kelton’s would renew annually. “Finally, his buddy passed away, and Ed was forced to take a twoweek class to get his license.”

After Berger had moved to another company, he saw Kelton’s plane at the Flagstaff airport. He asked his former boss who was flying since he had heard Kelton had recently had quadruple bypass surgery and was not medically cleared to pilot the plane. “Who do you think?” Kelton replied.

“Me! To heck with them, what will they do, tell me I can’t fly?”

These two characters are the subject of one of Bill Kelton’s favorite stories, back when Berger was the utility superintendent for his grandfather in the 1970s. “Phil was doing inventory for a job where we might need to blast some rock,” Bill says.

“In those days, explosives storage was casual, and we had a ‘powder box’ setting in front of the shop office in the yard. Phil unlocked it to find, to his horror, several

Left: Ed Kelton in his ESKCO company plane, 1971.

Below: Ed Kelton with grandsons.

Right: Ed Kelton with his oldest son, Bob Kelton (r-l), late 1950s.

Image Courtesy of Phil Berger

Images Courtesy of Bill Kelton

PAGE

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Image Courtesy of Phil Berger

Above: Phil Berger, Ronald Kelton (Ed’s son), and Ed Kelton at London Bridge, 1971.

Right: A belly dump truck being loaded at ESKCO’s aggregate operations, 1960s.

Image Courtesy of Bill Kelton

sticks of dynamite were leaking nitroglycerin. This development made them very dangerous, and Phil gently closed the lid.

My grandfather was going to just take it out in the desert and burn it, but we were fortunately able to convince him to let the sheriff’s bomb squad handle the situation.”

A final tale about this memorable contractor also belongs to his grandson. Bill Kelton recalls an unforgettable flight from Albuquerque to Phoenix’s Deer Valley Airport that spotlights Ed’s sink-or-swim teaching style. Bill was learning to fly and had never piloted a plane cross-country

ARIZCC.COM

before. “We took off in his Cessna 172, and Ed told me to take us home after he helped me navigate out of Albuquerque’s control space,” Bill says.

Navigation was limited to VOR and compass at the time, as GPS was decades away from reality. “VOR, being a vector-based aid, required me to fly toward St. Johns and then make a turn and follow the vector toward Phoenix,” Bill says. “I had studied cross-country navigation in ground school but had never actually done any, so as we approached St. Johns, I looked over to my grandfather for instruction, but he was

reclined and sound asleep. My 18-year-old ego would not succumb to fear, so I made the turn and hoped like hell that I would see Phoenix in the next couple of hours.”

But Bill did a proper turn, and Ed woke up as the plane was over Roosevelt Lake.

“We landed successfully at Deer Valley,” Bill says. “I went home and was sick from stress for the rest of the day.”

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

535 N 51ST AVE PHOENIX, AZ 85043

PARTS - SALES - SERVICE

FULL SERVICE SHOP PARKING AND STORAGE TRAILER SALES PARTS AND REPAIR

(602)415-0222 Superstition Trailers in Phoenix, AZ, have mechanics specializing in heavy and light trucks, trailers, and semi equipment.

We are trained to handle everything from oil changes and engine rebuilds to delicate aluminum welding.

Our shop is open late and on Saturdays.

We are your one-stop truck and trailer shop!

JOBSITE TECHNOLOGY ASK US ABOUT › Trimble Grade Control Systems › Paving Solutions › GPS & Total Stations

› Site Hardware › UAV › Support, Repair & Training

SITECH SOUTHWEST 602-691-7501 | sitechsw.com 1835 S. MACDONALD DR. STE 101 | MESA, AZ 85210

SEVENTY TWO

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Sales@korfab.us 602.309.2009 www.KorFab.us 23724 N. Central AVE

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

OLD SCHOOL EQUIPMENT:

FIRST CATERPILLAR NO. 16 GRADER IN ARIZONA BILLY HORNER

I

n the 1950s, the Caterpillar Tractor Company received requests from contractors for a bigger motor grader.

The manufacturer introduced the No. 16 motor grader at the 1963 International Construction Equipment Exposition and Road Show. A year later, this machine would be the largest grader unit available to contractors worldwide.

The 46,500-pound grader was 31 feet long and 9 feet 10 inches wide, nearly twice as large as Caterpillar’s No. 12 grader and bigger than No. 14, which were the standard machines for most contractors then.

The No. 16 featured upgraded mechanical controls and a hydraulic booster, with a top road speed of 31 mph. Also introduced in 1963 was the rear ripper option for motor graders, which came standard from the factory on later model No. 16 machines. The No. 12 graders were gear-driven with no hydraulics, with some models equipped with a front scarifier.

The Isbell Construction Company was one of Arizona’s premier heavy contracting firms in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The

PAGE

company sent two representatives, Jack Ward and Furman Byars, to the show. They surveyed manufacturers’ latest models and options and purchased the new No. 16 motor grader and 988-wheel loader.

Isbell Construction’s first No. 16 arrived by rail in Kingman from Peoria, Illinois. Their $4.3 million Interstate 40 realignment contract with the Arizona Highway Department was in full swing southeast of Kingman, extending east 11.6 miles. The new high-production No. 16 was ideal for the project, assisting with speedy haul roads and working with Isbell Construction’s massive battery of 15-plus scrapers and haul trucks. The new I-40, a four-lane divided highway project, was completed in 1966.

Byars’ son, Burton Byars, recalls, “I went with him to see the No. 16 operate soon after they got it. Somewhere northeast on I-40, like Holbrook or Chambers, it knocked down a 5-foot windrow at 20 miles an hour. There was a lot of excitement about the machine, and it did not disappoint.”

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Left: Caterpillar’s No. 16 motor grader manual, 1964.

Below: The first Caterpillar No. 16 grader in Arizona being delivered by rail to Isbell Construction in Kingman, 1964.

Right: Isbell Construction’s Caterpillar No. 16 motor grader working on the I-40 project in Northern Arizona, 1964.

ARIZCC.COM

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Images Courtesy of Byars Family

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

CONSTRUCTION AND LANDSCAPING EQUIPMENT RENTAL SPECIALISTS EARTH MOVERS Backhoes, Mini Excavators, Excavators, Wheel Loaders, Skip Loaders, Skid Steers, Motor Graders, Trenchers AERIAL EQUIPMENT Telehandlers, Boom Lifts, Scissor Lifts WATER EQUIPMENT Water Towers, 500 Gallon Water Wagons, 2000 Gallon Water Trucks, Hurricane Pumps TRAILERS Dump Trailers, Equipment Trailers

FORREST EQUIPMENT RENTALS BRIAN COLLINS

Vice President of Sales 602-620-2383

bcollins@forrestequipmentrentals.com

MANNY UCHIDA

Branch Manager 602-831-8000

info@forrestequipmentrentals.com

16835 W OLIVE AVE, WADDELL, AZ 85355 |

MAINTENANCE Chippers, Sod Cutters, Stump Grinders, Backpack Blowers CONSTRUCTION Compressors, Jumping Jack’s, Plate Tampers, Concrete Saws, Rollers ELECTRICAL Generators, Light Towers

FORRESTEQUIPMENTRENTALS.COM

Leaders In The Aggregate Industry

#1 ASTEC Dealer In USA RANKED BY SALES, SERVICE AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

EQUIPMENT | SALES | RENTALS | PARTS | SERVICE

ARIZONA OFFICE (623) 594-5401 5 Locations: NV | NV | UT | AZ | CA SEVENTY SIX

www.goodfellowcorp.com JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

attached to the curved frame, while Building on the Past panels plywood walls with inset doors and win-

1946 – PRESCOTT’S SEMI-CYLINDRICAL PUBLIC HOUSING DOUGLAS TOWNE

A

fter achieving victory in World War II, many veterans returned stateside and settled in Arizona with the hope of starting a new life in the Southwest.

These servicemen had experienced the state’s desirable climate during their military training. They encountered a significant challenge, however: there was a severe shortage of available housing for them and their families.

To address this issue, the Federal Public Housing Administration contracted with the Del E. Webb Construction Co. in 1946 to build temporary housing for almost

PAGE

dows cover the ends. Adding a wood floor and insulation created an inexpensive, spacious dwelling. Del Webb could construct these simple curved shelters using six employees in about five hours.

It’s unknown when Prescott’s public housing Quonset huts were removed, but locals likely repurposed some for commercial or agricultural purposes. These unique structures can still be seen around Arizona, often hiding behind a false-front building.

1,000 individuals and families in six Arizona cities, including, in descending order of the number of units, Tucson, Tempe, Phoenix, Prescott, Nogales, and Casa Grande.

Prescott’s emergency dwellings consisted of prefabricated Quonset huts that were assembled on South Cortez Street.

These huts were named after their original use at Quonset Point at the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center in Rhode Island in 1941.

Quonset huts have a semi-cylindrical Below, right: Del E. Webb Construction cross-section covered in corrugated galva- building a public housing project on South nized steel. The walls and roof are metal Cortez Street in Prescott, 1946.

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

EIGHTY

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

PREMIER LUBRICANT & FUEL DISTRIBUTOR SERVING ARIZONA & SOUTHERN NEVADA

USED OIL RECOVERY SERVICES

602-759-5559 | NEWWESTOIL.COM ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

W

Architect’s Perspective:

ith this issue focusing on Prescott, it is essential to prominently feature an architect many of us know as “Mr. Prescott,” William T. Otwell, FAIA. He has well-earned this title for consistently giving so much to his community and our profession over the past 50 years.

Otwell is a native Arizonan, born Doug Sydnor, FAIA October 1, 1950, and raised in Phoenix. He Doug_sydnor@outlook.com attended Arizona State University, earning his Bachelor of Architecture in 1973. The following year, Otwell moved to Prescott Prescott office, and Hugo Olsson, AIA, man- Code Committee, Charter Member of the to work for George Allan, AIA, of Allan and aged the Phoenix office.

Prescott Energy and Resource Conservation Olsson Architects. The firm had offices in While in Prescott, Otwell worked for Commission, and Charter Member of the Prescott and Phoenix; Allan managed the Michael Frerking on Arizona’s first modern City of Prescott Preservation Commission. solar home. They recycled a commercial That same year, Otwell was part of greenhouse and an Eller outdoor billboard a delegation to the People’s Republic of for a metal roof and beams. This ground- China that delivered solar design presentabreaking project also introduced Otwell to tions to universities. Otwell’s honors have making adobe blocks onsite, which fore- included the 2010 Arizona Main Street told his growing interest in historic pres- Individual of the Year, 2011 Prescott Area ervation. He later served as an Assistant Leadership Man of the Year, and the 2011 Director of Planning for the City of Prescott. Arizona Culture Keeper.

In 1979, Otwell received Arizona arOtwell has completed over 1,000 projchitectural license #12645, established ects in Yavapai County and has worked Otwell Associates Architects, and joined in Casa Grande, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, the American Institute of Architects. Five Kingman, Phoenix, Seligman, Wickenburg, years later, he added his Utah architectural and Yuma. Outside Arizona, he’s providlicense #1610. ed architectural services in Las Vegas, By 1984, Otwell served as Chairman Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco, and of the Yavapai County Building Code Virginia.

Advisory Board, Arizona Historical His firm specializes in historic preserAdvisory Commission Historical Building vation, solar and energy-efficient design, and preservation of natural site features.

Historic preservation services include resLeft: Bill Otwell. toration, rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, Below: Kingman Powerhouse.

William T. Otwell, FAIA: Citizen Architect

Images Courtesy of Bill Otwell

EIGHTY TWO

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Images Courtesy of Bill Otwell

Top: Sam Hill Hardware Store.

Above: Prescott College Sam Hill Gallery.

and complete reconstruction, often involving renovations and additions to existing structures. Related design services have involved Existing Historic Building Condition Reports, Americans with Disabilities (ADA) improvements, and Historic Building Preservation Plans and Design Guidelines.

Otwell’s services are adaptable to various building types and consist of hotels, courthouses, post offices, museums, ARIZCC.COM

municipalities, theaters, and schools. A sampling of Otwell’s work includes the following three projects.

The Kingman Powerhouse, completed in 1907, is a cast-in-place concrete structure that is one of the earliest in Arizona.

The walls were board-formed with horizontal planks and left fully exposed. The northwestern Arizona city renovated the building into the Kingman Visitor Center in 1995. Complementing the center is the Carlos Elmer Gallery, which features work by this local artist. The project received

the Outstanding Project Award from the Arizona Department of Commerce in 1999.

The Prescott College Sam Hill Gallery rehabilitated the Sam Hill Hardware Store, an all-brick structure with gabled ends, which opened in 1903. The loft-like interior with tall volumes celebrates the exposed wood roof structure. The gallery is conducive to rotating visual arts exhibitions, as the art can breathe in this generously sized open space. Construction, including the clean-up of the structure and new improvements, was completed in 2004.

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

The Prescott Post Office and Federal Courthouse opened in 1931 and was recently rehabbed into professional offices and a multi-use event space. The job required the restoration of all interior base finishes of the floors, walls, ceilings, and doors. The original 5/8” thick natural cork flooring in a checkerboard pattern of contrasting colors was discovered and restored to its natural glory during the work.

Wherever the original details, finishes, and craftsmanship could be returned to their original condition, they were, which included some impressive gold leaf work on the doors. The project was completed in 2022 and won the Arizona Historic Preservation Honor Award that year.

Otwell has worked on these projects and others that have received nine prestigious Governor’s Heritage Preservation Honor Awards since 1987. In addition, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has honored him with the AIA Arizona College of Fellows Chairman’s Award in 2012, the 2016 AIA College of Fellows, and the AIA Grand Canyon Firm of the Year in 2019.

Semi-retired, Otwell is now consulting with other architectural firms

for programming, design, and historic preservation projects. In recent years, his clients have included the General Services Administration (GSA) on Building Conditions Assessment Reports and Historic Building Preservation Plans for Federal Courthouses in the Pacific Rim region. Perhaps most impressively, Otwell recently constructed, from adobe blocks manufactured on-site, an archives storage facility for his work.

When I think of Bill Otwell, the description of “Citizen Architect” comes to mind, as throughout his professional life, he has been equally immersed and impactful with his extensive civic engagements

Left: Prescott Post Office and Federal Courthouse, 1931.

Above: Prescott Post Office restoration, 2022.

Below: Otwell Archives.

and practice of architecture. He also had a special calling to focus on historic preservation, which is vital in retaining our best buildings for future generations to learn and be inspired. Arizona is most fortunate to have had this architect continually remind us of our rich and varied architectural heritage over the past five decades.

Douglas B. Sydnor, FAIA: is Principal at Douglas Sydnor Architect + Associates, Inc. and author of three architectural books.

Images Courtesy of Bill Otwell

EIGHTY FOUR

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

DIGGING THROUGH THE ARCHIVES: HENRY “FURMAN” BYARS: CONSTRUCTING A SMOOTH GOLF SWING BILLY HORNER

H

enry “Furman” Byars, Jr., general manager of Isbell Construction Company who worked at Kennecott’s Ray Mine in Arizona, viewed the massive mine in a unique way. Besides the source of copper ore destined for Kennecott’s smelter, it also served as his personal driving range. “He tirelessly practiced his swing, driving balls into the open pit mine,” recalls Burton Byars, his son.

EIGHTY SIX

Byars’ unique golf practice facility, where he was always guaranteed to make a hole-in-one, came via a path that found him working around the West in positions of significant responsibility early in his career.

Born on March 9, 1918, in Mangum, Oklahoma, and raised in Reno, Nevada, Byars’ life was intriguing. His high school job with Isbell Construction would be

pivotal and shape his future, as he married Evalyn, the Isbell family’s eldest daughter, in 1937.

During World War II, while being called for the draft, an unexpected encounter with the highway patrol redirected his path in 1944. “Dad, Mom, and I (when I was three years old) were on the way from Ely to the draft board in Salt Lake City,” says their daughter, Sherrie Byars. “C.V. Isbell, his uncle, had gotten Dad a deferment for critical civilian work and contacted the Nevada Highway Patrol to pull us over and direct us back to Ely. I guess C.V. knew our car’s make, model, and license plate number.”

At age 25, Byars headed Isbell Construction’s strip-mining operations at the Ruth Copper Mine just east of Ely, Nevada. Nevada Consolidated Copper

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Images Courtesy of Byars Family

Top left: Byars with his camera at Ray Mine, 1949.

Above: Photograph by Byars of the Isbell crew with a Northwest shovel at the Ruth Copper Mine in Nevada, 1944.

Top right: Byars practicing golf at Ray Mine, 1950.

Middle right: Roy Isbell, Evalyn Byars, Ara Isbell, and Furman Byars (l-r) at a conference in New York City in 1950.

Right: Filtration system atop a Bucyrus Erie shovel loading material into a Wabco Haulpak mining truck, 1963.

Company owned the mine and became a subsidiary of Kennecott Copper in 1932.

C.V. Isbell had shown that highway equipment could cut costs in open-pit mining and had convinced Consolidated Copper to move material with a truck and shovel rather than on rail cars in open-pit mines.

Roads could be built on steeper slopes than ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

was possible with railroad tracks, thereby allowing excavation of deeper pits.

In Ely, Byars’ interest in photography blossomed from the influence of his in-laws, Guy and Lucille Isbell. The couple installed a darkroom in their basement where Byars honed his skills, developing large negatives that would become part of his treasured collection.

Isbell Construction later expanded to Arizona to capitalize on the booming copper mining industry. Byars moved to Ray, Arizona, to supervise the company’s strip-mining operations at the Kennecott open-pit mine. There, he also ventured into sports, particularly baseball and golf.

The local Ray-Sonora Tiger ballfield was subpar, so Byars hired a groundskeeper.

“The Phoenix A1 Queens, a famous women’s softball team, was invited to play at Ray Field by Isbell Construction and stayed at the hotel that the company owned,” Burton Byars recalls.

Byars later moved to Phoenix to lead Isbell Construction’s new heavy construction division. He oversaw projects, including Above: The AGC pin badge of Mr. Furman Byars.

Top left: Don Hoffman of J.H. Welsh Co.; Marvin Redburn Sr. of Redburn Tire Co.; Neil McGinnis of Neil B. McGinnis Equipment Co.; and Furman Byars of Isbell Construction Co. (l-r)., at Phoenix Country Club AGC golf tournament, 1965.

Left: Baseball game at the Ray-Sonora Tiger ballfield, late 1940s.

Bottom left: Burton Byars in a new Euclid S-18 push scraper purchased by Isbell Construction, 1955.

Images Courtesy of Byars Family

EIGHTY EIGHT

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

Show Low Creek Dam in 1952 and the Kingman-Ash Fork Highway Road project in 1953-54. He became an active Associated General Contractors (AGC) member and was elected president in 1961.

Golf remained a passion for Byars throughout his life. He showcased his skills by becoming the president of the Arizona Country Club, owning a golf course in Flagstaff, and hitting six holes-in-one during his career. The instruction books he read, authored by golf legends Sam Snead and Ben Hogan, paid off.

When Isbell Construction closed and liquidated its assets in 1966, Byars joined Morrison Knudsen and worked to complete the Arizona projects that his former company had started.

He later moved to San Diego to work for John Mabee, a developer who started Big Bear Markets, owned an insurance company, and was a thoroughbred horse breeder. The firm, with Byars as the director of construction, built strip malls featuring Big Bear Market as the anchor tenant.

In 1971, Byars oversaw the construction of the Golden Eagle Farm, a thoroughbred horse breeding operation, in nearby Ramona. He continued working for Mabee Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Top left: Isbell Construction using a Barber Greene laydown machine while paving U.S. Highway 66 west of Ash Fork, 1953.

Above: Byars and Jack Ward from Isbell Construction, along with Jack Whiteman with Empire Machinery Co. (l-r), at an equipment expo with a new Caterpillar 631 scraper, 1963.

Left: Caterpillar D7 bulldozer assisting a Northwest shovel, which tipped over during operations at Ray Mine, 1949.

until he retired in 1991. Byars died in 2001 in San Diego.

Beyond his professional career, Byars enjoyed his hobbies. Golfing and photography became integral aspects of his life, allowing him to find joy and fulfillment amidst his busy schedule. His ability to balance his passion for work and personal interests exemplifies the essence of a welllived life.

Images Courtesy of Byars Family

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

BID RESULTS SEP OCT 2023

JANUARY 1954

Stormwater Services Various City Locations BCAC Underground $138,274 11/1/23

Scott Street CDBG Second Bid KE&G Construction KEG $345,167 11/13/23

City Park PRV Waterline Replacement Western Grade $436,230 11/21/23

Ultra Clean Express Rinse N Ride Gilbert Shrader & Martinez Construction $12,000,000 11/2/23

Casas Adobes Catalina Mill Pave PRPP FY24 Southern Arizona Paving $3,136,700 11/15/23

Asphalt Street Repairs FY24 BNR Paving Sierra Enterprises $190,946 11/27/23

Sams Club Whiting Turner Contracting Co $65,000,000 11/2/23

St Johns Shooting Range Water Retention Blue World Construction $387,144 11/16/23

Somerton Heights DPE Construction $641,300 12/1/23

(CMAR) North Wastewater Treatment Plant Achen Gardner Construction $8,000,000 11/6/23

Safford CDBG Sidewalk Improvements Ron Cox Builders $299,991 11/16/23

Maricopa Anderson Rd Combs Construction $1,639,635 12/1/23

Pavement Raising Under Seal Services Lot 1 Uretek USA $2,390,235 11/7/23

Grant Road Phase 3 4 Palo Verde Venice Granite Construction $54,620,421 11/17/23

Mohave Mountain View McCormick Construction $2,050,457 12/1/23

Prop 411 Package 9 Barrio Nopal Elvira KE&G Construction KEG $7,852,468 11/7/23

Maricopa Sossaman Rd Pulice Construction $38,549,000 11/17/23

DeConcini Park BPR Inc $2,068,500 12/5/23

ADA Compliance Program FY24 WYCO Engineering Construction $64,072 11/8/23

Gila Bend Lukeville Sunland Asphalt $6,097,000 11/17/23

Airport Pavement American Road Maintenance $2,395,350 12/5/23

Frye Road Protected Bike Lane Granite Construction $12,541,741 11/8/23

Winslow Kayenta Coyote Wash Vastco $3,995,708 11/17/23

Northwest Wastewater Redpoint Contracting $24,903,768 12/5/23

Williams St Alley Waterline Replacement Standard Construction Co. Inc. $512,667 11/8/23

Mountain View Park Renovations Desert Services International $758,181 11/21/23

Avenue B 24th Street 16 DPE Construction $4,284,500 12/7/23

ASPHALT BUSTERS

Daily Const. Co., Tucson $51,969 Sam Hughes Elementary School New Additions Pioneer Constructors, Tucson $219,579 Mountain View Improvement District Paving L.M. White Const., Tucson $181,797 Speedway Park Improvement District Paving Superior Sand & Gravel Co., Phoenix $4,550 City of Phoenix Street Maintenance 35,000 Gals. Of Emulsified Asphalt Arizona Sand & Rock Co., Phoenix $18,740 City of Phoenix Council Paving Mardian Const., Phoenix $17,331 Septic, Cesspool Installation Camelback High School H.L. McCoy Const., Tucson $427,229 University of Arizona New Women’s Dorm House Royden Const., Phoenix $259,015 State HWY Commission 10.4 Mi SR73 Construction Isbell Const., Phoenix $177,475 State HWY Commission 8.3 Mi McNary-Eagar Construction

Asphalt Pulverizing

Setting the standard for soil stabilization and asphalt pulverization Experienced—over 30 years as a leader in our industry.

Lime Slurry Soil Stabilization Focused—soil stabilization and asphalt pulverizing are our only business.

Cost Effective—our knowledge of the specialized requirements of our region ensure the best possible job at the fairest price.

Cement Soil Stabilization

AZ ROC 327820 A

NINETY

For a bid on your next project, call Kim Crenshaw at 623-936-8800. Visit us online at asphaltbusters.com.

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

P: 623-847-3594 F: 623-931-3693 W: newwesternrentals.com 7909 W. Glendale Ave. Glendale, AZ 85303 Operators available upon request, small jobs such as jobsite prep, grading & Cleanup Light Towers Generators Earthmoving Equipment Aerial Equipment Track-Out Shakers Water Trucks Water towers & Backflows

TUC (520) 822-8333

PHX (602) 368-8797

TUCSON & PHOENIX LONG DISTANCE & LOCAL ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

&3 CAT CAT

73,000 lb 54,000 lb

328DL L CR 321DL CR

Options: Thumb, Hammer, Wheel

CAT CAT

631E 627K

34 yd 24 yd

Trimble-GPS available for certain models

PAGE

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

PLEASE PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS, THEY MAKE THIS PUBLICATION POSSIBLE! Arizona Materials 602-278-4444 arizonamaterials.com

P. 8

Earnhardt 480-926-4000 nobullfleet.com

P. 38

MDI Rock 602-569-8722 mdirock.com

Asphalt Busters 623-936-8800 asphaltbusters.com

P. 90

ECCO Equipment 602-276-2040 eccoequipment.com

P. 17

Metro Engineering & Survey P. 42 623-466-6640 metroaz.net

South Mountain Tractor P. 40 602-363-2396 southmountaintractorco.com

Baja Ready Mix 602-503-9391 readymixconcreteaz.com

P. 17

EES 480-809-4687 emergencyenv.com

P. 6

Metro Traffic Control 623-879-0610 metrotrafficcontrol.net

P. 10

Southwest Asphalt 480-730-1033 fisherind.com

BidJudge 602-456-BIDZ bidjudge.com

P. 57

Eagle Iron Works 480-730-1212 eagleironworks.com

P. 53

NCS 928-567-6585 networxcs.com

P. 14

Southwest Industrial Rigging P. 60 602-278-6281 swirusa.com

Blueline Grizzly 928-308-1901 bluelinerockgrizzly.com

P. 73

Elite Sports 602-899-9200 elitesportsbuilders.com

P. 17

NECA 602-263-0111 azneca.org

P. 28

Specialty Companies Group P. 11 623-582-2385 specialtycompaniesgroup.com

Branco Machinery 480-892-5657 brancomachinery.com

P. IFC

Empire Sales Center 520-582-2050 empirecat.com/eloy

P. 42

New West Oil 602-759-5559 newwestoil.com

P. 81

Statewide T&T 602-368-8797

P. 94

Buesing Corp 602-233-3339 buesingcorp.com

P. 4

Fisher’s Tools 800-390-4063 fishertools.com

P. 42

New Western Rental 623-847-3594 newwesternrentals.comw

P. 91

STS Materials 602-586-5909 stsmaterials.com

P. 20

CalPortland 602-817-6929 calportland.com

P. 10

Forrest Rents P. 76 602-620-2383 forrestequipmentrentals.com

Otto Trucking 480-641-3500 ottotrucking.com

P. 12

Sunland Asphalt 602-323-2800 sunlandasphalt.com

P. 40

CAMS 602-331-5455 cams-az.com

P. 61

GenTech 800-625-8324 gentechusa.com

P. 8

Pacwest Rentals 480-832-0855 pacwestrentals.com

P. BC

Sunstate Equipment 888-456-4560 sunstateequip.com

P. 32

Castle Hot Springs 844-276-8052 castlehotsprings.com

P. 22

GoodFellow 623-594-5401 goodfellowcorp.com

P. 76

Pacwest Trading 480-455-8800 pacwesttrading.com

P. 5

Superstition Trailers 602-415-0222 stlaz.com

P. 72

CED 602-437-4200 cedphx.com

P. 13

Greer Aftermarket Parts 602-541-0554 602-541-5971

P. 36

Powerscreen 602-772-1419 powerscreenwestern.com

P. 36

Trench-Ade 833-384-1176 trench-ade.com

P. IBC

Cemex 602-416-2652 cemexusa.com

P. 61

Herc Rentals 602-269-5931 hercrentals.com

P. 30

Preach Building Supply 602-944-4594 preachbuildingsupply.com

P. 3

TSR 602-253-3311 tsraz.com

P. 26

Core Machinery 800-989-7121 coremachinery.com

P. 30

Insearch Corp 480-940-0100 insearchcorp.com

P. 3

Reliable Portable Bathrooms P. 9 602-601-2222 reliableportablebathrooms.com

Vermeer Mountain West P. 40 480-785-4800 vermeermountainwest.com

Curry Fluid Power 602-661-6596 curryfluidpower.com

P. 7

Insurica 602-273-1625 insurica.com

P. 26

Reuter Fabrication 602-415-0449 reuterequipment.com

P. 13

Westroc 480-550-1815

P. 36

Curry Supply 800-345-2829 currysupply.com

P. 7

JS Cole 602-633-0990 jscole.com

P. 92, 93

RT Underground 602-622-6789

P. 10

WillScot 800-782-1500 willscot.com

P. 44

Custom Truck 602-527-4088 customtruck.com

P. 77

KE&G 520-748-0188 kegtus.com

P. 11

S&S Paving 602-437-0818 sspaving.com

P. 44

WSM 623-936-3300 wsmauctioneers.com

P. 46

DB Trucks 602-441-4187 db-trucks.com

P. 73

Keystone Concrete 480-835-1579 keystoneconcretellc.com

P. 36

Salt River Materials Group 480-850-5757 srmaterials.com

P. 80

Wyman 480-695-4636 wymanexcavating.com

P. 15

DCS 480-732-9238 dcscontracting.com

P. 13

Korfab 602-309-2009 korfab.us

P. 73

Shanes Grading & Paving 602-992-2201 shanespaving.com

P. 28

Diamondback Materials P. 13 623-925-8966 diamonondbackmaterials.com

Landco Power 480-788-1333 landcorental.com

P. 15

Shanes Hauling 602-992-2201 shanespaving.com

P. 30

DitchWitch 602-437-0351 ditchwitchwest.com

P. 16

Lang, Thal, King & Hanson 480-534-4900 lang.law

P. 53

Sharp Creek Contracting 602-437-3040 sharpcreek.com

P. 34

Dynamic Diesel 602-376-1448 dynamicdieselrepair.com

P. 15

Madco Rentals 480-280-0364 madcorentals.com

P. 60

Sitech Southwest 602-691-7501 sitechsw.com

P. 72

E&E Companies 480-251-8929

P. 22

Marrs Construction 602-282-4007 marrsconstruction.com

P. 65

Solterra Materials 602-531-0454 solterramaterials.com

P. 85

NINTY FOUR

P. 22

Sonsray Machinery 844-sonsray sonsraymachinery.com

P. 24

P. 14

FOR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES CONTACT BILLY HORNER 602-931-0069 BILLY@ARIZCC.COM

JANUARY FEBRUARY 2024

YOUR LOCAL SHORING SOLUTIONS PARTNER

Phoenix, Tucson and Prescott

(833) 384-1176

ALUMINUM HYDRAULIC SHORING | ALUMINUM HYDRAULIC MULTI-SHORES | ALUMINUM BUILD-A-BOX | STEEL FRAMED ALUMINUM SHIELDS | ALUMINUM END SHORES | TRENCH SHIELDS | MANHOLE BOXES | TRENCH BOX ACCESSORIES | STEEL CROSSING PLATES | CONCRETE BARRIER WALL | BLOWERS AND SIFTER SCREENS | CONFINED SPACE AND PIPE TESTING EQUIPMENT | CRANE TRUCK OR FLATBED DELIVERY AVAILABLE

PRSRT STD US Postage PAID Permit #1662 Phoenix, AZ

PacWest RENTALS HEAVY EQUIPMENT RENTALS AND SALES

Locally Owned & Operated Articulated Dump Trucks · Dozers · Excavators · Scrapers Motor Graders (grade control available) · Wheel Loaders Water Wagons · Water Trucks · Fuel & Lube Trucks Mechanics Trucks · Stand Tanks · Water Pumps · Compactors

James Bagshaw

Rental Account Manager jbagshaw@pacwestrentals.com

602-723-6838

Tyler Denton

President tdenton@pacwestrentals.com

Mike Rayala

602-541-3633

Field / Shop Supervisor mrayala@pacwetrentals.com

480-710-9358

Justin Peterson

Rental Account Manager jpeterson@pacwestrentals.com

480-737-4885

Bill Masters

Director of Service bmasters@pacwetrentals.com

480-684-4470

PACWESTRENTALS.COM | 1339 WEST SAN PEDRO ST, GILBERT AZ 85233 | 480-832-0855