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Birmingham Begins Improvements to Viaduct to Ease Flooding The city of Birmingham has started fixing a dangerous problem spot on its south side. The 6th Avenue South CSX Viaduct is in a flood-prone area and cars and trucks passing underneath it have dealt with high water at the intersection for years.

However, on Aug. 24, Birmingham began a construction project in and around the viaduct designed to offer some relief to motorists. Work is under way to ease flooding underneath the structure, which carries a CSX rail line over 6th Avenue

South. It involves installing approximately 4,000 linear ft. of storm sewers. The project also will include work at the street’s intersections at 7th Avenue South and 8th Street South. see VIADUCT page 10

Page 2 • September 9, 2020 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Ben E. Keith Patiently Awaits Its ‘Gateway to the Southeast’

ESI Group USA photo

Construction crews on the approximately $100 million Ben E. Keith Foods project are developing a greenfield site to accommodate the facility that also will serve as the company’s Southeast regional headquarters.

By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT

A new food distribution center under construction in New Brockton will allow for future expansions up to 1 million sq. ft. when it opens next year. Construction crews on the approximately $100 million Ben E. Keith Foods project are developing a greenfield site to accommodate the facility that also will serve as the company’s Southeast regional headquarters. “When Ben E. Keith purchased Kelley Foods in 2016, we knew this area would become a prime focus for growth,” said David Werner, vice president of marketing of the Fort Worth, Texas-based company. “This brought us into a part of the country that we had not been before, and we quickly realized the potential for the region. We had developed a plan that would allow us contiguous growth and made perfect sense. We call it our ‘Gateway to the Southeast.’ “We are a full-line food service distributor, which simply means we carry everything a restaurant, school or healthcare facility might need. Our customer is any place where you can get a prepared meal. Our market area for this facility will service all of Alabama, the Florida panhandle and western Georgia.” Construction consists of refrigerated and dry storage areas, a two-story office building, a truck maintenance building, truck docks and associated light and heavy-duty paved areas. Werner said Coffee County is an ideal location for the new structure. “The area is a prime central location, with easy access to interstates,” he said. “Coffee County has been very good to work with,

ESI Group USA photo

Currently, the contractor has about 65 workers on site working normal daytime hours.

As part of the construction effort, and a true partner in our ongoing 100-percent LED lighting in both business. They have been with interior and exterior will be us each step of the way, and installed. Lighting controls shut off when the land became available, lighting based on occupancy senwe knew we had found our sors, saving electricity. home.” Regarding WMS systems, “Ours A groundbreaking for the is a home-grown warehouse manroughly 400,000-sq.-ft. facility agement system that controls and took place last fall. tracks our inventory,” said “The support of the local govMarkham. “From the time a prodernment, local businesses and uct is received into our facility to the our customers was phenomepoint it’s delivered to our cusnal,” said Werner. “The crowntomers, we can track the location, ing achievement was being able date codes, rotation, movement and to have Governor Kay Ivey temperature of all our products. attend and say a few words, and “The restaurant-style kitchen is show the support of the state of set up for our customers to see and Alabama. This further confirmed our commitment to the ESI Group USA photo cook/grill/bake new items that they area.” The most challenging part of the construction involves proj- may want to include on their menu or compare products for them to Werner noted that watching ect safety, contractor scheduling and quality control. make a decision on what to carry. the work take place is extremely All these components make up for a gratifying. customer standpoint, the facility will be a great customer experience.” “Although we have had a lot of rain, we showcase of the company’s capabilities. ESI Group USA was given authorization continue to see progress. We also understand “We will have extensive meeting rooms, a that this is a long project, and we have full test kitchen and the latest in technology to begin design and construction work in learned patience as we build our new ware- and sales support. We routinely have daily August 2019, with construction procurehouses. We currently have three major tours and meetings to show off our new ment starting in October. Currently, site expansions or new facilities going on simul- home, and it never gets old seeing the excite- paving is taking place, along with building foundations. Site storm drainage systems taneously, and we realize it is a marathon, ment of a new beginning.” not a sprint. Seeing those walls go up, and Roy Markham, Ben E. Keith Foods vice and underground utilities have already been the excitement grow, is very rewarding. president of operations and transportation, completed. Construction milestones include structur“Ben E. Keith has been in business for said the design phase was an integral part of al steel erection, building enclosure and roof 114 years, and in every location where we the building process. operate, we see a sense of not only pride, but “We chose building materials that are low membrane, interior specialty concrete floors, ownership of the brand. We strive to be a maintenance, long lasting, energy-efficient mechanical/electrical/refrigeration systems, vibrant part of the communities where we and sustainable for the future,” Markham office finishes and employee welfare areas serve, and we have already seen that pride said. “Our above-standard choices not only and material handling equipment and storgrow in Coffee County.” are more economical in the long run, but we age racking installations. Werner said that from an employee and also want to be great corporate citizens.” see EXPANSION page 8

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 9, 2020 • Page 3

Atlanta, GA 404.469.7210 Birmingham, AL 205.841.6666 Madison, AL 256.350.0006 Mobile, AL 251.633.4020 Montgomery, AL 334.262.6642 Oxford, AL 256.832.5053 Tuscaloosa, AL 205.848.4147 Pensacola, FL 850.479.3004

Page 4 • September 9, 2020 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Alabama State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Ala. AGC Donates High-Tech Simulator to Skills Academy

AGC committed $100,000 to buying equipment, including the simulator, and wrote the grant as part of the ongoing relationship with RC3.

Alabama Associated General Contractors, Alabama AGC, is helping pave the way for the construction industry’s future. In 2019, Alabama AGC held a significant role in launching the Hoover city school system’s Skills Trade Academy at the Riverchase Career Connection Center (RC3), a program designed to advance youth education and fill worker shortages in the construction industry. Alabama AGC worked with the Hoover School System for more than two years to start the skills trade program. In the month of July, Alabama AGC purchased and donated one of two virtual reality simulators to RC3. The simulators help train individuals to operate construction equipment and handle any situation confidently and safely. AGC committed $100,000 to buying equipment, including the simulator, and wrote the grant as part of the ongoing relationship with RC3. The second simulator was purchased through a grant provided by the Alabama Craft Training Board — a state board that provides funding for craft training in Alabama. Alabama AGC drafted the bill that was ultimately passed by the Alabama legislature to create this board. On July 29, Tractor Equipment Company delivered the two virtual reality simulators to the Riverchase Career Connection Center. Komatsu Worksite Virtual Reality Simulators use the latest virtual technology, paired with near real-time machine controls, to offer the highest quality training experience at an affordable price. The advanced technology caters to the needs and learning styles of the operator, while allowing them to see, hear and perform real tasks in a controlled environment, all while assessing the operator’s skill level. Bill Caton, chief operating officer, said “The simulators are the latest step in AGC’s effort to provide construction students at RC3 the best educational opportunity available within our challenging and rewarding industry. Our contractors have been directly involved in every step of development for the program, from conception to funding to design of the instructional environment.” For more information, visit https://www.alagc.org. 

Work Begins to Upgrade U.S. Highway 82 Near Tuscaloosa The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has begun the first of a pair of road improvement projects this year on U.S. Highway 82 in Tuscaloosa County. Work got under way Aug. 31 to resurface a 5.34-mi. stretch of U.S. 82 on the city of Tuscaloosa’s south side between Greenwood Circle and Duncanville Middle School Road. The goal of the $5.97 million project, an ALDOT spokesman said, is to improve mobility and safety. Tuscaloosa’s S.T. Bunn Construction Co. Inc. is the contractor for the highway improvement, which is expected to continue until spring 2021. Morning motorists are being warned of delays as the road resurfacing continues. The contractor is not allowed to block lanes before 9 a.m. so as to reduce the travel impact on school and work traffic, said ALDOT spokesman John D. McWilliams. Gas Tax Fuels Both Enterprises North of town, a larger project on U.S. 82, known locally as McFarland Boulevard, will

not begin construction until later in the fall, at the earliest, according to ALDOT. First announced in April 2019, proceeds from the new Alabama state gas tax increase will go toward an estimated $35 million expansion of McFarland Boulevard. The project began with ALDOT purchasing about $750,000 worth of rights-of-way for the expansion of U.S 82 between Alabama State Route 69 and Rice Mine Road. This stretch of U.S. 82 accommodates about 50,000 vehicles per day and crosses into both Tuscaloosa and Northport. The road improvements are expected to include an additional travel lane in each direction, turn lanes where needed and an overall vehicle access management upgrade of the roadway. ALDOT said that, when complete, this part of McFarland Boulevard will resemble the roadway improvements that have been added to nearby U.S. 43 North between U.S. 82 and SR 69 North. “This has been on the shelf for several years, but we couldn’t get to it for lack of funding,” McWilliams said in 2019. “This is

ALDOT photo

Work has begun on a project to resurface a 5.34 mi. stretch of U.S. Highway 82 in Tuscaloosa County between Greenwood Circle and Duncanville Middle School Road.

now something we want to move forward with.” The larger McFarland Boulevard work was on the original slate of projects included in the “Transforming Tuscaloosa” sales tax reformation legislation adopted by the Alabama Legislature in 2015. This law overhauled the county’s sales tax structure to

make permanent the one-cent temporary sales tax for schools and combine it with the existing countywide two-cent sales tax. The legislation also reallocated 90 percent of these funds to a variety of governments and institutions while directing the remaining 10 percent to the Tuscaloosa County Road Improvement Commission, which the Transforming Tuscaloosa legislation created to oversee the management of these funds for road projects. But the law also required that a number of these projects — including those like the McFarland Boulevard expansion project — be completed before any proceeds from the new tax structure could be directed to other highway projects. The Rebuild Alabama Act that was signed into law last year and started at six cents in September 2019 will gradually increase the state’s fuel tax to 10 cents per gallon over the next three years. By that time, governments in Tuscaloosa County are expected to receive an additional $2.28 million dollars in gas tax revenue for various transportation infrastructure projects. 

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 9, 2020 • Page 5

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Crews Regrade Approximately 450,000 Cu. Yds. of Soil EXPANSION from page 2 have to handle a lot of this dirt twice. After drain and excavated approximately 700,000 According to Craig Bonelli, ESI Group all the deep storm drain was laid, we were cu. yds. of unclassified materials. Approximately 450,000 cu. yds. of existUSA senior project manager, most of the site able to keep laying the remainder around the ing soils were regraded to balance out the preparation consisted of some clearing on site without a problem.” Said Bonelli, “At the same time all the high and low areas and achieve a level site the east and west side of the project. “There were maybe four acres total of storm drain was being installed on the site, and proper drainage to surrounding clearing. All the debris from the clearing there were three pond areas that had to be stormwater detention ponds. Buildings will be constructed with slabs areas was stockpiled and burned on site. excavated. The weather had made a turn for the better. We were able to use all means of on grade, structural steel frames and lightThere was no haul off of debris.” Stripping of topsoil also was necessary. equipment on site at the time to perform this weight insulated metal wall panels. Freezer Approximately 30,000 cu. yds. had to be work. After all storm drain was laid and floors will be insulated and contain a heating excavated and stockpiled in order for exca- pond areas complete, there was still a lot of grid to prevent freezing of soils below. The most challenging part of the construcvation on cut-to-fill areas to start. After all work that had to be performed. A lot of the excavation on cut-to-fill areas has been per- storm and pond work was going on, and tion involves project safety, contractor formed, the topsoil will be placed on future there was a lot of cut-to-fill excavation tak- scheduling and quality control. Winter building areas and slope areas around the ing place for the building and parking areas. weather in 2020 was anticipated, and site Crews laid approximately 9,000 ft. storm grading and stormwater drainage systems site. were accelerated to complete in “There was a lot of excavation late fall. This year’s rainfall has on this site,” said Bonelli. “The been well above normal, and project was a challenge up front. caused some delays in forming When work began, there were a and pouring foundations and lot of rain events that made perpaving. forming the work almost imposA variety of equipment is being sible. Therefore, we had to make used on the project. A 140 Cat some changes. For example, you motor grader is needed for mainalways want to move the bulk of taining road areas and fine gradyour dirt in cut areas before laying subgrade and stone areas, ing any storm drain. The only while 627 and 631 Cat scrapers problem was that, on this site, we are utilized for moving cut to fill were not able to do so because of excavation onsite. wet conditions. Other heavy machinery “There was a good deal of includes a John Deere 470 excastorm drain on this project, as vator for installing storm drain well. Around 30 feet of it was in and loading trucks, a Cat D6 very deep cut areas, so we deciddozer for clearing and blading ed to keep everything on schedule by using excavators and off-road ESI Group USA photo excavation areas, a Cat D8 dozer trucks, and move this dirt to A new food distribution center under construction in New for pushing scrapers while excastockpile areas on site. The only Brockton, Ala., will allow for future expansions up to 1 mil- vating cut to fill areas, a John Deere 952 tractor for maintaining problem doing it this way is you lion sq. ft. when it opens next year.

the job, a Cat 815 roller for compaction of materials placed, and a Cat D3 dozer used for water and sewer backfill areas. Additional equipment includes a Kobelco 210 excavator for ditch excavation and compaction of ditch line, a Cat 323 excavator for laying water and sewer line and a Volvo L90 loader for loading materials on site. Main materials include industrial refrigeration systems, building energy management and control systems, prefabricated Insulated metal wall panels and specialized hardened concrete floor systems. “Early on, when ESI began to mobilize the site, Mother Nature provided a wealth of rain that left site work unable to continue. While time had been built into the schedule, our onsite construction manager worked hard to coordinate subcontractors to make up any lost time.” Currently, we have about 65 workers on site working normal daytime hours. This will increase as the project moves into further development with an expected total of 125 during peak construction periods. Wisconsin-based ESI Group USA is a design and construction company specializing in distribution, process and automated food facilities. ESI combines the three major components of design, engineering and construction management to bring a project together. “ESI’s founding partners all worked in areas of temperature-controlled construction and saw the industry moving to a designbuild delivery approach in the late 1980s,” said Bonelli. “Being in business for the last 28 years, there really isn’t anything we haven’t come across and found a solution for.”  CEG

ESI Group USA photo

A groundbreaking for the roughly 400,000-sq.-ft. facility took place last fall.

Approximately 450,000 cu. yds. of existing soils were regraded to balance out the high and low areas and achieve a level site and proper drainage to surrounding stormwater detention ponds.

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 9, 2020 • Page 9

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New $500M Electric Arc Furnace to Allow Russo Construction Mill to Produce Slabs of Steel On Site to Fix Dangerous A $500 million electric arc furnace at the AM/NS Calvert Mill in Mobile County, Ala., is expected to add 300 jobs and a major new capability for the former ThyssenKrupp plant. ArcelorMittal, which now operates the facility in a partnership with Nippon Steel Corp., has announced plans to add the electric arc furnace, or EAF, capable of producing 1.5 million metric tons of steel annually. That’s enough to build 214 Eiffel Towers and get more than a quarter of a way complete on another one, according to Alabama Power. Most importantly, it will allow the mill to produce slabs of steel on site. Currently, those slabs are imported from Brazil. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, calls for more future automotive steel used in the United States to be produced in North America. “An electric arc furnace at Calvert makes strategic sense as it allows our asset to be more reactive to the local market as well as being in line with the USMCA,” said Lakshmi Mittal, chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal. “Furthermore, it aligns with our ambition of producing smarter steels for a better world.” The Alabama EAF is expected to take two years to complete and will create more than 500 on-site construction jobs. “The addition of an EAF at AM/NS Calvert presents a transformational opportunity for what is already widely considered to be the world’s most advanced steel finishing facility,” said Brad Davey, CEO, ArcelorMittal North America. “A new EAF at AM/NS Calvert will further secure ArcelorMittal’s leadership in the North American automotive market.” The steel slabs produced at the EAF will be used at

AM/NS Calvert’s existing hot strip mill, which produces a broad spectrum of steel grades required for the industries the plant serves. AM/NS CEO Jorge Oliveira said. “For many months, we have discussed this opportunity and identified the need for our facility to offer our customers shorter lead times and order flexibility to compete with the mini-mills in our targeted markets. This investment is not only positive for our company but also for the community.” “Alabama has a long heritage in steelmaking, and the decision by AM/NS Calvert to invest more than $500 million at its Mobile County mill represents another important development in the history of the industry in the state,” Gov. Kay Ivey said. Alabama officials characterize the EAF as a major enhancement to the state’s already $4.2 billion AM/NS Calvert plant, located 35 mi. north of the city of Mobile. The plant is a major employer in the northern part of the county. The Alabama Department of Commerce worked with the company to develop the EAF, along with the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, state and local officials, and Alabama Power. Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood, who represents the district where the AM/NS Calvert facility is located, said, “This means good jobs and a significant investment in our county. We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with one of our best corporate citizens.” The expansion builds on other economic development successes in the area that also includes aerospace and other advanced manufacturing and distribution. 

Lawrence County OKs Rebuild Alabama 2021 Funding to Improve Rural Roads The Lawrence County Commission recently approved a Rebuild Alabama 2021 road improvement plan for the county, to be funded from state revenue following the increase in the state’s gas tax revenue passed in 2019. The Rebuild Alabama Act Annual (RAA) Grant Program has been administered by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) for transportation infrastructure projects of local interest since it was passed last year. Lawrence County Engineer Winston Sitton said the new monies for 2021 will include the construction project along County Road 434, which was approved under the Rebuild Alabama 2020 plan. Sitton told the commission the project has seen several bid-letting delays by the ALDOT, which he said has stalled the work since its approval. “This is the longest I’ve ever had a project take, by far,” Sitton said. “We’re getting ever so closer. I feel like we’re right here, and I sure hope it is approved. It won’t be this year though, because we won’t have an October letting. My hope is for a November letting.” Lawrence County’s road department sought to begin construction on the roadway that connects State Route 20 and SR 24 in the Caddo community in 2019, with a projection that it would be completed by early 2020.

Sitton estimated the project to cost $900,000, with $720,000 coming from federal funds and $180,000 in county funds, an 80/20 match. The project includes the improvement of County Road 434, including a $300,000 Norfolk Southern railroad crossing installation for a gravel portion of the roadway, which will also be straightened and paved once completed. In addition, he explained the 2021 Rebuild Alabama plan also includes a resurfacing project along County Road 236 from its intersection with SR 101 to the SR 33 intersection, north-northwest of Moulton. “This is the oldest, worst shape road we have right now,” he said. According to Sitton, $369,719 became available for Lawrence County in fiscal year 2020 after a six-cent-per-gallon statewide fuel tax was added to revenues in October 2019. This year, an additional two cents per gallon was implemented in the tax increase, with plans to add another two cents per gallon in 2022. He estimated $616,199 should be available to the county from the gas tax increase next year and will continue to receive $400,000 annually in federal aid money, which began after the new tax was implemented for 2020. 

Problem Flood Area VIADUCT from page 1

The work is being overseen by the city of Birmingham’s Capital Projects Division and the construction is in the hands of Russo Corporation, based in Birmingham. The project cost is $2,491,696. Heavy rains flooding the streets around the viaduct is not a new problem. “This has been an issue for decades,” explained Birmingham City Council Member Crystal Smitherman. “My own car has almost gotten stuck, so I personally have experienced the flooding. I really wanted to get this done.” Smitherman was elected to the council in 2019. Since then, she said that fixing the viaduct was something she was determined to see accomplished. “It is very unsafe to have flooding that is so high that your car gets stuck or you can't go through the viaduct,” she added. The six-month project will begin on 6th Avenue South at Alpha Street, continue east on 6th Avenue South before turning right onto 8th Street South and proceeding to 7th Avenue South. From there, the work will turn right on 7th Avenue South and run to its end approximately 350 ft. west of the 8th Street South and 7th Avenue South intersection. The estimated completion date of the full project is Feb. 19, 2021. The city cautioned, though, that project dates are fluid because of weather and unforeseen circumstances. Birmingham officials also say the upgrades will disrupt traffic flow in the area. The enterprise is being constructed in four uninterrupted phases. When work is finished on one portion of the contract, crews will start on the next the following day: • Phase 1 will require the closing of two lanes of traffic along 6th Avenue South. The current work that began Aug. 24 is scheduled to end Sept. 22, • Phase 2 will need two lanes of traffic closed along 6th Avenue South. Crews are set to begin Sept. 23 before ending Nov. 26, • For Phase 3, traffic is to be shifted to the west and north side of 8th Street South and 7th Avenue South. That portion of the project is scheduled to get under way Nov. 27 and finish Jan. 21, 2021 and, • Phase 4 also will need a traffic shift in order to proceed, this time to the west and north sides of 8th Street South and 7th Avenue South. Plans call for the contractor to begin this last part of the upgrades on Jan. 22 and complete the viaduct improvements a month later. Smitherman reiterated the great need for the 6th Avenue South CSX Viaduct upgrades by adding the city estimates about 60,000 cars travel under the structure regularly. “Six months of not being able to take this roadway is a great sacrifice” for motorists, she said. The city council member also said she is working to add some new features to the road tunnel under the viaduct once construction is done. “I am partnering with Alabama Power to put the multi-colored lights up that are similar to the ones by the viaduct at Railroad Park,” Smitherman said. 

Construction Equipment Guide • Alabama State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 9, 2020 • Page 11

Wetumpka High School Opens New Football Stadium By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT

A new tradition is beginning in Elmore County, Ala., as fans mark the start of the 2020 football season. Hohenberg Field, the longtime home for Wetumpka High School games, has been replaced with a highly anticipated stadium. The 5,000-seat facility and track are part of a sports complex featuring more than 10,000 sq. ft. of buildings, situated on a 40acre site. “Our old stadium was built in the 1930s, and over the years it had many upgrades,” said Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis. “The location was such that it could no longer hold the crowds we were getting. “The cost of the entire sports complex is $21 million, which includes our baseball and softball fields, archery range, fishing ponds, soccer fields, walking trail, rodeo, tractor pull and remote control plane takeoff and landing strip, along with our new football/track facility.” The football/track addition includes home and visitor side concessions, as well as TVs, restrooms, parking, locker rooms and a home and visitors side press box. “The synthetic football field gives us the opportunity to not have rain-out games, and the drainage will be excellent,” said Willis. “The track is a state-of-the-art facility, which will allow us to hold various types of events, such as high school, Division II, Division III, USTF and AAU. We are excited about the track, and the privilege it gives us for various events.” Construction for the Indians’ new home has been funded through bonding and continues to generate enthusiasm. “It’s exciting to see a project of this magnitude finally becoming a reality in a city that’s very sports and athletic minded,” said Willis. “Excitement from our young athletes has been over the top, and very much appreciated by all.

Mitchell’s Contracting Service photo

Regarding early work on the project, all the fill was available on site, so it was cut and shift mostly. Several thousand yards were transferred across the site. Excavation mainly involved footings and underground utilities. The property is fairly flat.

“The stadium is just the next stage taken in the development of our overall sports complex, touching the lives of the youth of our city, allowing each one to compete at the highest level,” said Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis.

Reaction has been fantastic from the fans, recognizing that this is an enhancement to the quality of life in our community.” From a practical standpoint, the LED lights will operate more efficiently. “Remote control will add to the savings of our utility cost,” said Willis. “The track is being built to the highest standards, with the latest upscale technology and electronics.” Mitchell’s Contracting Service Inc. of Catherine, Ala., served as the site contractor for the project. Frasier-Ousley Construction and Engineering Inc. was selected as the general contractor. “We are extremely pleased with our construction company and the quality of work that they have shown,” said Willis. “The materials they have used have been top-grade.” Frasier-Ousley President David Ousley noted that in addition to soggy weather conditions, challenges involved the short time frame to build and the delay of some materials due to the pandemic. Despite excessive rains during the first two months of construction, crews managed to keep the project on schedule. Final tasks called for painting structures, completing flatwork, installing the track surface and performing one last cleaning. Ousley said when building nine separate buildings, being on the same page was essential. “It’s coordinating all the trades and making sure we have all materials required. We’ve had a good team of workers, subcontractors and suppliers. Coordination between the project manager and onsite superintendent is key.” Constructing the track involved layout, grading, crushed stone, asphalt, rubber track surface and striping. Sports Turf Company Inc. from Whitesburg, Ga., designed and built the track and football field. Todd Wiggins, president of Sports Turf Company, said work began in April 2020. The company Mitchell’s Contracting Service photo The cost of the entire sports complex is $21 million, which includes baseball was responsible for the synthetic and softball fields, archery range, fishing ponds, soccer fields, walking trail, turf field and track and field rodeo, tractor pull and remote control plane takeoff and landing strip, along events, including the steeple chase and track surface installation. with the new football/track facility.

“The complication of the drainage system meant extra coordination between us and the general contractor to find a solution,” said Wiggins. “Good communication made the project successful, and this challenge minimal. Weather also plays a factor in all outdoor facility construction, especially when you are dealing with asphalt and track surfacing.” As for the most time-consuming part of creating the track, Wiggins said, “Putting in the asphalt and waiting for it to cure, which takes 30 days. Unsuitable soils that had to be remediated took its fair share of time, as well. Lead time on materials due to the pandemic also created delays.” Wiggins expressed a sense of pride in creating something that will serve so many for years to come. “Sports Turf Company has been a specialty athletics construction company for nearly 30 years. Sports Turf constructs the finest natural grass and artificial turf fields, tracks and tennis courts. The company has three certified field builders and two certified track builders, as recognized by The American Sports Builders Association [ASBA], making it one of the highest qualified athletics construction companies in the Southeast.” Musco Sports Lighting provided the lights for the project, which Ousley said was no small feat. “It’s a very complex task to set lights this tall. And they have a strobe feature that should be interesting.” The stands are aluminum seating that are assembled on site. Outdoor Aluminum provided the bleachers/press boxes. The nine different buildings constructed include the home concessions, visitors concessions, home lockers, visitors lockers, a VIP building and four ticket booths. Regarding early work on the project, all the fill was available on site, so it was cut and shift mostly. Several thousand yards was transferred across the site. Excavation mainly involved footings and underground utilities. The property is fairly flat. Ousley described the project as an ideal assignment. “Our team of dedicated employees, subcontractors and suppliers know what it takes to get the job done. We’ve been in business since 1961, and focus on publicly funded projects of this nature. We have worked on literally hundreds of projects with the architect, McKee and Associates.” Willis added, “The stadium is just the next stage taken in the development of our overall sports complex, touching the lives of the youth of our city, allowing each one to compete at the highest level. It’s important to us as city officials to be able to furnish an overall complex of this high standard.”  CEG

Page 12 â€˘ September 9, 2020 â€˘ www.constructionequipmentguide.com â€˘ Alabama State Supplement â€˘ Construction Equipment Guide

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