Alabama 21, October 19, 2022

By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT

In an effort to prepare the campus for future construction, crews in East Alabama are carrying out a four-phase, $7.5 million demolition at Auburn University. The teardown of the Hill Residence Hall complex began in spring 2022 and remains ahead of schedule.

“The complex was built between 1962 and 1967,” said

Kelly O’Neal-Young, Auburn construction project manager.

“Given the age of the complex, the university determined that investing in a major renovation of the residence hall buildings would not be cost effective. The Auburn University Campus Master Plan recommends that once the halls are demolished, the site will house future academic buildings.”

The job site is located in the southeastern section of cam-

pus, at the corner of Samford Avenue and Duncan Drive. A total of 11 of the complex’s 14 buildings are being taken down, with the work taking place in separate stages, so as not to cause any major disruptions.

Due to the demands for student housing, Auburn University worked very closely with Student Affairs and

Gov. Ivey Praises Mobile Leaders for Reigniting

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey praised Mobile and Baldwin County leaders recently for reigniting the Interstate 10/Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project — an effort that she declared “dead” just three years ago.

AL.com, a statewide digital news service, reported that Ivey recognized the two metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), on

opposite sides of Mobile Bay, for adding the newest version of the I-10 project into their short- and long-term plans and acknowledged that “progress is under way.”

The city and county planners voted in late July to add the project back into their plans. The votes occurred slightly less than three years after the Eastern Shore MPO (in

Baldwin County) voted to remove the earlier I-10 project from its agenda, creating an unusual high-profile dispute involving Ivey’s administration and a local government agency.

“I’m grateful to the MPOs for putting it back on the map,” she said Sept. 13 during her first trip to Mobile since the I-10 project

Project

was added back into the local plans.

The project, as proposed, includes the construction of a new 215-ft.-tall Mobile River Bridge, and a new 7½-mi. Bayway between downtown Mobile in the west, and Daphne on the eastern shore of the bay, followed by the demolition of the existing Bayway.

Auburn

Birmingham Hospital Gains Approval to Begin Construction

The Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority has received final approval from the board of trustees of the University of Alabama System to replace the current hospital in Birmingham with a modern medical clinic.

Construction on the new building should begin this winter, according to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) News service in September. The facility is planned to be built on the site of the former Cooper Green parking deck, which was demolished earlier this year.

The news source noted that the new five-story building will be 207,000-sq.-ft. in size and will be constructed at an estimated cost of $120 million.

The general contractor on the project is Birminghambased Brasfield & Gorrie. The architect is Gresham Smith in Charlotte, N.C.

Hospital to Be Built to 21st-Century Standards

Under an agreement between Jefferson County and the UAB Health System, the Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority was created to manage the proposed hospital in April 2020. The body will construct the 21st century facility to replace the current building, which dates to the early 1970s. The older building is costly to support and is no longer suited to the efficient delivery of modern ambulatory health care, the hospital system told UAB News.

“We are building a first-class medical facility to serve the residents of Jefferson County,” said David Randall, chief strategy officer of the UAB Health System and board president and CEO of the Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority.

“Jefferson County leadership and UAB are committed to providing the highest-quality health care for Cooper Green patients, and this new facility is an important step to achieve that goal.”

The authority exists to provide high-quality health care to

all residents of Jefferson County, regardless of their ability to pay for medical treatment, Randall added.

Cooper Green is a full-service ambulatory care facility that includes primary and specialty care clinics, urgent care, physical, occupational and speech therapy, laboratory services, imaging and pharmacy.

“We are excited to know that the next stage of Cooper Green’s long service to Jefferson County is moving forward,” County Manager Cal Markert said in a statement. “The collaboration between the county and the UAB Health System has brought us to this pivotal moment, and we’re thrilled we will soon be able to offer our patients a truly world-class medical facility.”

The building will feature ultramodern equipment and includes plans for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, which will ease scheduling for Cooper Green patients needing an MRI, and improved access to care.

“We will be offering services to our patients in the new facility in a more patient-centered manner than we have previously been able to provide in our current building,” said Raegan Durant, the medical director at Cooper Green. “But patients will also continue to see familiar faces among our staff. We will blend the best of the past 50 years of service with the benefits [that] the new facility will bring, as we look forward to the next 50 years of caring for our patients.”

Among the facility’s other amenities are an expanded rehabilitation suite that will include a covered outdoor section for developing better outdoor skills such as navigating curbs and ground surfaces of various heights.

A separate phlebotomy and injection clinic will streamline laboratory visits and improve the process of vaccinations. The clinic areas will be designed to support team-based, multidisciplinary care, making clinic visits more centralized for the comfort of the patients, UAB News noted.

In addition, the medical center also will incorporate natural light throughout the building in stairwells and waiting areas. Oncology infusion suites in the hospital will have windows in each treatment room.

Other amenities planned for Cooper Green are a gift shop, and different food service options are being explored as well.

Cooper Green to Offer Range of Services

The new medical center in Birmingham will house several other professional and community services, including Cahaba Dental, the Recovery Resource Crisis Center, UAB Community Psychiatry and the UAB School of Nursing PATH clinic.

Cooper Green was first known as Mercy Hospital when it opened in 1972 as a 319-bed acute care hospital, owned by Jefferson County to offer medical services to all area residents. Three years later, it was renamed to honor former Birmingham mayor Cooper Green.

The Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority is now an affiliate of the UAB Health System.

According to UAB News, Cooper Green will continue to operate normally as an outpatient and urgent care clinic at 1515 6th Avenue South during the construction of the new facility.

Hoover High Breaks Ground On Performing Arts Center

In the Birmingham, Ala., suburb of Hoover, school and city officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 29 for a new $15.4 million performing arts center at Hoover High School.

Dozens of people gathered at the site of the future 36,000-sq.-ft. facility, which is being built right next to the new band room at the school, near Buccaneer Stadium, the Hoover Sun reported, which added that the project should be finished in 2024.

A hallway will connect the band room to the performing arts center that will feature a 940-seat auditorium, a full theatrical lighting and sound package, and an on-site scene construction workshop, among other amenities.

The current theater at Hoover High seats 270 people, which theater supporters say is much smaller than those at other large schools in Alabama and not big enough to accommodate the crowds that Hoover fine arts performances would likely draw.

School officials told the Sun that they would like to have an auditorium that seats a

full grade level at the high school, which currently has an enrollment of approximately 2,900 students.

In addition, the local news source learned

from school sources that 47 percent of the students at Hoover High are involved in fine arts programs.

“The community is excited about it, and

our students are excited,” Hoover High Principal John Montgomery said in a press release. “This is something they’ve needed for a long time. Our kids are great performers. They win national and state competitions, but they don’t have a place here to perform, so for us to have a first-class facility for them to perform in for the community is going to be such a blessing.”

Dalton Dismukes, a performing arts student at Hoover High, said that having the new center that showcases the hard work he and his fellow students put in will be such a gift.

“We’ve had to perform our band concerts in gyms [and] we’ve had to find churches that would allow us to use their space to perform concerts, and now to have a center specifically for these performances will be such a wonderful opportunity,” Dismukes said.

The Sun noted that Trussville, Ala.’s Blalock Building Co. won the contract to build the center on Aug. 1.

UAB photo Construction of the new, five-story Cooper Green facility will begin this winter.

Photo courtesy of Sherea Harris-Turner/Hoover City Schools Hoover school and city officials participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new $15.4 million performing arts center at Hoover High School.

Ala.

Celebrates 2022 40 Under 40 in Construction Winners

Alabama AGC celebrated future leaders of the construction industry on Sept. 15 at Back Forty Beer Company with the Top 40 Under 40 event.

Partnering with Business Alabama, Alabama AGC honorees gathered with friends and family to recognize the efforts and professional success made in the field. Guests enjoyed food and fellowship as winners were announced while interacting with members of the state’s largest and oldest general construction association.

The 2022 class varies from project managers, engineers, accountants and safety managers representing the best of the nonresidential construction industry. This group of individuals sets the tone for the future leadership of Alabama’s billion-dollar economic engine. Alabama AGC is pleased to highlight the work these young people have accomplished.

“Alabama AGC inducted its first 40 Under 40 class in 2018 to recognize young leaders across the state. Honorees are selected based on high-level leadership, professional excellence and commitment to the industry. It is a real honor to host such a unique event to celebrate the next generation of leadership in the construction industry,” said Evans Dunn of Dunn Construction in Birmingham and current Alabama AGC President.

For more information, visit alagc.org/events/top-40under-40-2020.

Alabama AGC Top 40 Under 40 Winners

• David Albertson, 35; Hurst Construction LLC

• Christopher Ammons, 26; Ammons & Blackmon

The 2022 class varies from project managers, engineers, accountants and safety managers representing the best of the nonresidential construction industry.

Construction LLC

• Rachel Barns, 34; Safety Plus Inc.

• Wes Bowlin, 32; Brasfield & Gorrie

• Ryan Brooks, 34; Wiregrass Construction Company Inc.

• Grant Davis, 29; Doster Construction

• Randy Denham, 38; Caddell Construction

• William Drennen, 35; T. E. Stevens Company Inc

• Bennett Dulaney, 36; S&ME Inc

• Luke Dyas, 38; United Rentals Trench Solutions

• Greg Elmore, 29; McElhenney Construction Company

• Jonathan Elmore, 33; Marathon Electrical Contractors

• Michael Garber, 35; Fite Building Company

• James Griffith, 33; BL Harbert International

• Spencer Harris, 34; Travelers

• Jackson Hill, 34; BL Harbert International

• Landon Hoppe, 39; Caddell Construction

• Joe McAleer, 34; Bayou Concrete

• Carly Miller, 33; Bradley Arant Boult Cummings

• Josh Miller, 39; Wiregrass Construction Company Inc.

• Justin Morris, 35; Morris Builders LLC

• Bryan Myers, 36; Brasfield & Gorrie

• Manny Norrell, 29; Doster Construction

• Hector Orozco, 34; Dunn Construction Company

• Stephen Padgett, 30; Davison Fuels & Oil

• Scott Patrick, 35; Compass Industrial

• Chad Peed, 39; C&H Construction Services LLC

• Chance Pierce, 31; Cunningham Delaney Construction LLC

• Matthew Pillsbury, 32; Pate Landscape Company

• Lee Pittman, 30; Pittman Tractor

• Taylor Reeves, 24; S&S Sprinkler Co. L.L.C

• Kara Rider, 38; Goodwyn Mills Cawood

• Colin Rutledge, 38; Dunn Building Company LLC

• Brian Scivley, 34; T. E. Stevens Company Inc.

• Phillip Simmons, 34; United Rentals

• Ben Sims, 38; Bailey-Harris Construction Co.

• Preston Smith, 33; Capstone Building Corp.

• Chris Thompson, 36; Rabren General Contractors

• Chad Yeager, 39; Johnson Contractors

Officials Now Focus On Funding for Interstate Project

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“It’s a really important project that we need completed,” Ivey explained.

Project On ‘Solid Footing’ in 2022

The governor singled out Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson and Fairhope City Council member Jack Burrell — the respective chairs of the two MPOs — for guiding the process. She had, shortly after declaring the earlier project “dead,” called on local leaders to devise a plan they could support and pitch it to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) for consideration.

The state agency and the two MPOs have been working together to craft a new project for the past several years, according to AL.com.

“This project has local, regional and national importance,” Ivey noted. “It makes our businesses more competitive and makes our roads safer and efficient for our residents.”

Burrell, who chairs the Eastern Shore MPO, said he was glad that Ivey acknowledged the project’s revival and said there were “no repercussions” lingering from the dissolution of the earlier I-10 project three years ago.

“[The ALDOT] and the MPO are on very solid footing,” he said to AL.com.

Officials Feeling ‘Optimistic’

Ivey’s administration butted heads with Baldwin County mayors and council members in August 2019, amid concerns over the state’s approach over building the new bridge and Bayway through a public-private partnership arrangement financed largely with $6 one-way tolls, or $90 per month passes.

The Eastern Shore MPO, in a unanimous vote and following months of public outrage over tolls, removed the project from its Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP), which was critical because projects not included on that plan cannot receive federal funding.

It was then that the governor declared the project dead.

The revised project, though, estimated to cost $2.7 billion, is no longer organized through a public-private concern, and the tolls are lower than the 2019 plan. Currently, plans call for motorists with an ALGO Pass will be charged a $2.50 toll for a one-way trip over the new infrastructure. A $40 monthly discount also is available.

For those without an ALGO Pass, a oneway trip over the new infrastructure will cost $5.50. Motorists also have the choice of taking a free route off I-10, through the Wallace Tunnel and along the Spanish Fort Causeway.

Bradley Byrne, president and CEO of the Mobile Chamber of Commerce, told AL.com that the recent momentum on the project has him feeling “as optimistic as I have ever been” that the road and bridge effort will be finished.

He credited local officials with reassessing the 2019 project design and putting out a different plan that “looks like one that will work.”

“No, we don’t have the ball across the goal line yet, but we have everyone working on it and in every way that you can think of,” Byrne explained. “It’s a long build out on a project that size.”

Focus Now On Securing Federal Mega Grant

An ALDOT official said the project’s next big milestone is for the state to oversee the registering of companies to send “joint venture proposals” for the design and construction of the overall project. A well-attended industry forum supplying details about the project was held in August at Mobile’s GulfQuest Maritime Museum.

Alabama officials are hopeful, too, that a federal $500 million Mega Grant is awarded for the project by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). The program, created in April, is available for large projects

through the Bipartisan Infrastructure package signed by President Biden last year.

Tony Harris, a spokesperson of ALDOT, said he expects the USDOT will announce Mega Grant award recipients before the end of the year.

“We are still in the hunt and in the game (for the grant),” he said.

The I-10/Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project’s financing, which critics have called a “house of cards,” is dependent on the potential of receiving federal grants, primarily the Mega Grant.

It relies heavily on bonding which would be repaid through toll revenues. Financing includes $1.2 billion through bonding and another $1.1 billion through federal loans under the Transportation Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act (TIFIA).

In addition, the project will get at least $250 million in direct state funding and $125 million from a federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant awarded for the project in 2019.

Once the road/bridge project bonds are repaid, ALDOT vows to remove its tolls, according to agency officials. The toll revenue, according to the transportation department, cannot be used on anything other than repaying debt.

New, Upgraded Facilities at Wheeler NWR to Open Soon

]The renovated waterfowl observation building and a new outdoor photography blind at the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Visitor’s Center, near Decatur, Ala., should open in November after undergoing more than seven months of construction, a park official told the Decatur Daily.

A new hiking trail to the east of the center also is on track to open next month, but a park official told the Decatur Daily that renovations on the visitor center off Alabama Highway 67, southwest of Decatur, will not be completed before spring 2023.

The renovations and construction began last March as part of a $5.4 million project paid for by a federal grant approved almost four years ago, according to Wheeler NWR Manager Ricky Ingram. He said the project’s contractors have been battling supply chain issues while trying to finish work by next month.

“It’s been very hard to get some materials timely,” he explained to the Decatur Daily. “For instance, windows for this visitor center … from the date of ordering, you’re six months out with windows and doors. Contractors are all booked up because this is a booming area, and then you throw in all the COVID-19 stuff before that. We’ve had a lot of delays but we’re going pretty good now.”

Recently, a construction crew was seen performing siding work on the new 500-sq.-ft. outdoor photography blind with 13 windows overlooking fields stretching for multiple acres. The blind is found just south of the visitor center.

“They’ve been doing finishing touches on the photo blind and that’s really going to be something our wildlife photographers will be interested in because it will provide a covered blind that doesn’t have glass in the windows, essentially,” said David Young, a Wheeler NWR park ranger.

Ingram said the photography blind will be able to hold up to 30 people at one time.

“All these fields out here will be full of cranes around

November so that’s why we’re shooting to open some of these facilities on Nov. 1,” he said. “I can’t promise anything, but that’s what we’re hoping.”

Ingram added that previously, wildlife photographers did not have a proper location to take photos of birds and other animals at the refuge. He said he hopes the new photography

The refuge’s visitor center itself will not be open until “possibly” next spring, he said, along with a new outdoor education pavilion that will be built near the welcome center’s parking lot.

“That will be used for school visits and environmental education programming,” Young explained.

According to Ingram, Wheeler NWR’s renovated visitor center will feature a more spacious bookstore than before, and a large handicapped-accessible ramp is slated to be paved leading up to the front door. The building also will have an indoor classroom remodeled to be bigger to allow staff to instruct more groups of students in tandem with the addition of the education pavilion.

“We’ll have our staff taking school groups outside here for various programs and things,” he noted. “We can have one group in the indoor classroom and one group in the pavilion, and we’ll be able to give more in-depth instruction to the students with an extra classroom.”

Young told the Decatur Daily that a new hiking and biking trail is planned to be built on existing roads at Wheeler NWR and should open shortly after the observation building and photography blind are finished. The winding 5-mi. trail, located east of the welcome center near the main entrance, will be paved with fine gravel to make bike travel smoother.

blind will attract more photographers and enthusiasts to the 35,000-acre refuge situated along both the north and south banks of the Tennessee River. The park sees an average of 600,000 visitors a year.

Work to Take Place at Several Sites

Young told the Decatur newspaper that the refuge’s main goal was to have the observation building, photography blind and trail open in time for the annual Festival of the Cranes on Jan. 13-15, 2023 — a celebration of the thousands of sandhill cranes and about a dozen whooping cranes that winter at Wheeler NWR each year.

During the construction and renovation at the wildlife refuge, according to Ingram, the Flint Creek Nature Trail boardwalk and fishing pier on the other side of Ala. 67 from the visitor center will each remain open.

In addition, he said all trails at the refuge are currently open except for the Atkeson Cypress Trail beside the Wheeler NWR visitor center. He did not yet know when that trail will reopen, but the parking lot at the center is slated to be accessible in November.

“Basically, the rest of the 35,000 acres is open for hiking, canoeing, boating, and bicycling just like it is every year,” Ingram explained.

Ecore Plans $25M Manufacturing, Recycling Facility in Ozark

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced recently that Ecore International plans to invest $25.5 million to open a manufacturing and recycling facility in the city of Ozark.

The small, southeast Alabama town will see Ecore build a plant that will create 84 jobs, Ivey said.

Based in Lancaster, Pa., Ecore specializes in transforming reclaimed materials into high-performance flooring and surface products, according to Made in Alabama, the state’s Department of Commerce online news site.

The privately held company is the largest converter of reclaimed rubber in North America, and its largest raw material is scrap truck tires.

“Ecore International is a great addition for Alabama’s business community, and its decision to locate an advanced manufacturing and recycling facility in Dale County will have a major economic impact on the rural area,” Ivey explained. “This project in Ozark will bring good manufacturing jobs to

the citizens there and spark new opportunities throughout the region.”

As part of the project, Ecore is buying an existing building in Ozark, which it will equip to reclaim the rubber from used truck tires and use the rubber to manufacture flooring and surfacing products.

The facility’s new full-time positions will pay an average annual salary of nearly $42,500, according to Made in Alabama.

Ecore CEO Art Dodge noted that his company is pleased to be partnering with Ozark, Dale County and the state to build and establish the world-class manufacturing and recycling plant.

“Since its inception, Ecore has transformed over two billion pounds of rubber waste into surfaces that make people’s lives better,” he said. “All Ecore manufacturing facilities are certified ‘Zero Waste,’ amplifying the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

“Ecore invests in more than its facilities — we invest in our people and in our com-

munities because we believe that when our people and our communities prosper, we prosper,” he added.

Sustainability

In 2021, the company upcycled more than 100 million pounds of truck tires — equivalent to approximately one million truck tires destined for landfills or illegal dumps — into high-value manufactured products shipped nationally and internationally.

Among the markets for Ecore products are nursing homes, hotels, fitness centers, recreation centers, retailers and schools.

“Ecore is a champion of sustainability, with a primary goal of creating products that improve lives and the environment,” explained Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “Its new tire recycling and manufacturing facility in Dale County will help this impressive company extend its mission while also providing good-paying jobs for citizens there.”

Alabama Hopes for Major Rural Impact

Officials in Alabama and Dale County said Ecore’s plans to invest in Ozark should have a major impact on the region.

Brenda Tuck, Rural Development manager of the state’s Department of Commerce, said Ecore’s recycling facility project joins a list of leading-edge operations that have found rural areas of Alabama to be attractive places in which to move.

Since 2020, projects valued at more than $3 billion have landed in the state’s more sparsely-populated counties, according to Made in Alabama data.

“Companies from around the world are discovering that Alabama’s rural communities are an ideal location to bring their gamechanging innovations to life,” Tuck noted.

“The simple fact is these areas can offer growing businesses significant advantages that will magnify the impact of their investment and provide a launchpad for growth.”

“All these fields out here will be full of cranes around November so that’s why we’re shooting to open some of these facilities on Nov. 1.”

Ricky Ingram Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge

Demolition Ahead of Schedule at Auburn University

Housing to provide adequate space during the school year of 2021/2022, summer 2022 and fall 2022. Seventy percent of the work is already finished, with phase 1 and phase 2 complete. Phase 3 starts later this month.

“The rewarding part of the Hill demolition project was the opportunity to learn a little more about the constructability of 1960 structures and underground utilities,” said O’NealYoung. “The most rewarding part is providing a new blank canvas for the future academic building that will be constructed.”

O’Neal-Young praised contractor SouthEast Demolition & Environmental Services Inc., which maintains offices in both Atlanta and Auburn.

“SouthEast Demolition understands how to demolish buildings within a tight area. Due to the complexity and sensitivity of this project, we appreciate their understanding and willingness to work with Auburn University.”

Prior to construction, a detailed pedestrian plan was planned, along with signage for the detour routes. O’NealYoung and consultant LBYD worked very closely with the contractor and all parties affected by the demolition to ensure the plan was executed and maintained.

Crews have a well thought out plan regarding how to approach the demolition of the buildings that are close to occupied structures. Signage has been placed in multiple areas around the site fence to help students navigate the construction site.

According to Lana Cavassa, president of SouthEast Demolition & Environmental Services, the demolition has gone extremely well.

“The biggest challenges on this demo project have been the older utilities that were underground, and not knowing exactly where they were located because they were installed prior to GPS and other technologies that we have today.”

SouthEast Demolition & Environmental Services photo

The teardown of the Hill Residence Hall complex began in spring 2022 and remains ahead of schedule.

The buildings are being brought down by heavy machinery, with a variety of equipment required to complete the work.

SouthEast Demolition & Environmental Services photo

The job site is located in the southeastern section of campus, at the corner of Samford Avenue and Duncan Drive.

Auburn University Facilities Management photo

Auburn University Facilities Management photo

SouthEast Demolition & Environmental Services said its newest addition has been a Doosan DX350, which has performed very well.

“It has been difficult to find large excavators, because everyone is so busy,” said Cavassa. “We were able to procure a Kobelco 500 with a processor that has been invaluable at this job site. We have three Cat 300 series excavators, a mini-excavator and skid steer on site, along with a Komatsu 400. Our newest addition has been a Doosan DX350, which has performed very well. It came to us without a belly pan, but that was an easy fit and weld for our mechanic R&D Equipment.”

Cavassa noted that workers have been able to recycle a large part of the debris.

“Our processor is able to break the concrete and brick down to small sizes and separate the rebar out from the concrete. The concrete and brick have been transported to yards via dump trucks, where it is later used for roadbeds and erosion control.”

Crews also have been mindful of the weather during demolition.

“We have been fortunate that no hurricanes have hampered our progress, and rain has been normal. We are very aware of lighting and thunder when we are on metal machines. When those conditions are present, we are off them, waiting for the storm to move through.”

As for any hiccups during demolition, “The only unexpected issues have been some contaminated soils under some old fuel tanks,” said Cavassa. “We knew they were there, just not how much soil has been impacted. We have worked closely with La Bella and

the Alabama Department of Environmental Management [ADEM] in removing all the contaminated soils.”

Cavassa said overseeing the work has been a truly rewarding experience.

“I was very happy to get the job at Auburn, not only to be a part of its future progress, but also because it’s where my son graduated. I’ve always loved the southern hospitality Auburn is known for. The engineer, Lee Tharp, and project manager did a terrific job of communicating with us and letting us address any issues we had with the job. I feel like we all worked together very well and produced a very smoothly run demolition job.”

While the teardown will result in future progress, it does bring about a mix of emotions.

“We have had a lot of alumni come on site who want a brick as a memento of their time at Auburn,” said Cavassa. “A lot of these dorms were the sorority dorms, so I’m sure there were a lot of memories made here.”

O’Neal-Young actually lived in one of the dorms during her time as a student and member of Alpha Xi Delta.

“It’s a bittersweet experience to be demoing the dorm that was really my home for four years, and where I spent time with my friends and sorority sisters.”

SouthEast Demolition & Environmental Services photo

A total of 11 of the complex’s 14 buildings are being taken down, with the work taking place in separate stages, so as not to cause any major disruptions.

Auburn University Facilities Management photo

The concrete and brick have been transported to yards via dump trucks, where it is later used for roadbeds and erosion control.