ALABAMA STATE EDITION
231
65
72 Florence
2
Huntsville
20 Decatur
72
565 59
43
A Supplement to:
231
431
31
5
Gadsden
78 59 Anniston
20
Birmingham Bessemer
82 Tuscaloosa
65 280
20 82 Auburn
80
85
Selma
Phenix City
Montgomery
82
June 22 2013 Vol. XXV • No. 13
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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
Dothan
65 98
Mobile
10
Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
Brookwood High School Construction Continues By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
Construction is under way at the new Brookwood High School near Tuscaloosa, Ala. Planning for the $34 million school began years ago, and is slated to open in January 2014. “The new Brookwood High School will consist of four buildings that will contain classrooms, a gymnasium, cafeteria, a career tech center and administrative offices,” said Sharon May project manager and estimator of construction manager Hall-Taylor Construction Co. Inc. “The buildings are one and two story slab-on-grade structures with CMU walls and brick facades.” The project is being constructed on a roughly 75-acre site just east of the existing Brookwood Elementary School on Alabama Highway 216. The land, of varying topography, contained heavy vegetation consisting of small pine trees and undergrowth. Most of the larger tress had been removed during logging activities several years ago. Cuts of up to 30 ft. (9.1 m) and fills to 20 ft. (6.1 m) were required to prepare the site for construction. A new four- lane access road and a two-lane perimeter road have been constructed to provide access to and around the new school. Site work construction began in February 2012. Construction on the buildings began in late July 2012. RaCON performed the site clearing and demolition, grading, paving and site utilities. “For the site clearing and demo, we used Caterpillar 330 and 345 excavators and Euclid and Volvo off-road trucks,” said Chris Poling, project manager of RaCON Inc. “The grading was accomplished with Cat 631E and 631G scrapers pushed by Cat D9L and D9N dozers. The site utilities were installed with Cat 328 LCR and 314 LCR excavators with Cat IT38 loader and tool carriers and D3/D4 dozers in support and backfilling. With the negligible profit margins available in today’s economy, the correct fleet of equipment for the job at hand means everything. An unbalanced fleet can break a job in short Crews spread topsoil at the site.
Cuts of up to 30 ft. (9.1 m) and fills to 20 ft. (6.1 m) were required to prepare the site for construction.
order.” One of the main challenges on the project involved constructing the roadway. “We had to place large fills in areas that were previously wetland and bottom land. This involved careful timing to enter these areas during the driest part of the year, as well as the use of under drain, geotextile fabrics and using the proper soil types for the fill.” The weather also has played a factor. “It seemed that, starting in December, the rain pattern was relentless,” said Poling. “It hampered production greatly.” According to May, building construction began with Building C, which is a one- story career tech center and will contain the ROTC, welding lab, agri-business classrooms, kitchen lab and health sciences. The exterior shell is near completion, with windows currently being installed. An HVAC duct is being run along with plumbing lines and sprinkler system. Sheetrock is being installed, with first block fill and finish coat being applied to block walls. The metal roof system is currently being installed on see BROOKWOOD page 2