State Supplement sponsored by:
ALABAMA STATE EDITION
A Supplement to:
SHIP WITHIN 48 HOURS
®
October 16 2024
SAME DAY PARTS AVAILABILITY 24 HOUR TECHNICAL SUPPORT BACKED BY A 75 YEAR BUSINESS Thousands in Service!
Vol. XXVI • No. 21
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
Affordable Price. Premium Service.
CALL 800-367-4937
Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
*On approved credit • Financing Available
Dionne Whetstone photo
The first few months of work mostly involved excavation.
By Cindy Riley
A long overdue project in Montgomery, Ala., is beginning to take shape. Work has begun on a $325 million effort that will provide state lawmakers with a new space that better suits their needs. “We’ve been making the best of this time-worn building for 40 years,” said Patrick Harris, secretary of the Alabama Senate. “The original plan was for this former State Highway Department building to be a temporary home to the legislature. The new facility will, by design, allow the CEG CORRESPONDENT
citizens of Alabama better access to their elected officials and increase transparency in the state’s legislative process.” Lawmakers moved out of the Capitol in 1984. The redesignated structure was modified enough to be functional; however, in 2020, the Legislative Council, through the Department of Finance, commissioned a facility assessment. Overall, the building was found to be below average and was in the poorest condition of any structure in the capitol complex. According to Harris, the 10-year facility renewal costs
were estimated at nearly $51 million, and by 2023, that number had exceeded $70 million. These costs did not include any cosmetic or functional improvements. In addition, the assessment noted possible asbestos and biological concerns. “Separate from the condition of the building, there are small committee rooms that do not accommodate large groups for public hearings and a number of access issues for persons with disabilities,” said Harris. see LEGISLATURE page 6
Birmingham Water Works Plans $85M in Repairs to Lake Purdy Dam A dam that supports one of metro Birmingham, Ala.’s major drinking water sources will undergo an $85 million overhaul after years of leaking millions of gallons of water each day. The Birmingham Water Works Board (BWW) in mid-September approved construction contracts for work on the more than 100-year-old Lake Purdy Dam in Shelby
County. The board voted 7-1 to grant a $78.7 million contract to Thalle Construction Co., located in Hillsborough, N.C., and $6.8 million in management fees for Arcadis, an engineering firm with an office in Birmingham; Schnabel Engineering in Glen Allen, Va.; and Birmingham’s A.G Gaston Construction.
“Our end goal is to always make sure we are providing safe, affordable, quality water to our customers,” Tereshia Huffman, chair of the BWW board told AL.com. “This dam is old, and it was time for us to put in an intentional effort to make sure we got the funding.” She added that the project will improve the dam’s structural stability and address
water leaks at its foundation. The Lake Purdy Dam was built in 1909, and its impoundment of the Little Cahaba River created the reservoir in 1923. Six years later, the dam was raised by 20 ft. to bring the lake to its current 990 acres just above the confluence of the Little Cahaba and Cahaba rivers. see DAM page 6