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
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80
85
Selma
Phenix City
Montgomery
82
September 14 2016
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43 84 431 331
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Vol. XXIX • No. 19
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“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
Dothan
65 98
Mobile
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Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
Highly Anticipated Airport Terminal Opens in Ozark By Cindy Riley CEG CorrEspondEnt
After years of planning and discussions, a new airport terminal building in ozark, Ala., is finally opening its doors. A september ribbon cutting marks the end of construction on the highly anticipated project, which had to meet Federal Aviation Administration and Alabama department of transportation guidelines. GenCon Associates Inc. of dothan, Ala., began its work on the general aviation terminal for business use in late 2015. “We didn’t start until november, because of weather delays with the building pad preparation,” said Erik Vogt, GenCon vice president. “As the general contractor, we were responsible for insuring the new terminal for the city of
ozark was built per the plans and specifications. our municipal and utility division did the site utility work, which included sewer and water supply.” the current project has been carried out in phases, including taxiway grading/utility relocation/drainage, detention pond construction, taxiway/apron base construct, building the general aviation terminal, along with the entrance way/vehicle parking lot and paving of the apron. “this job went really smoothly, other than the weather. stephanie Blankenship, the airport’s director of aviation services, was a pleasure to work with. she was very professional, and had a keen eye for detail. We also had a very good on-site superintendent, ronnie peacock. stephanie and ronnie maintained good communication throughout the entire job.”
Ronnie Peacock, GenCon photo
The current project has been carried out in phases.
As the project progressed, workers focused on completing paving of the entrance way to the terminal from U.s. 231, the aircraft parking apron and vehicle parking lot. on the front end of construction, Vogt said the elements played a major role. “the building pad was being constructed by the initial site work contractor, and they were delayed because of weather. Because of this, we did get off schedule a little, but were able to get back on track after framing.” In addition to utilities, foundation and framing, crews were responsible for MEp rough-in, roofing, exterior masonry, MEp finish and interior finishes. GenCon equipment used on site has included a lull, a rubber tire loader, two 200size excavators, a bulldozer and compaction equipment. Main materials included 6-in. (15.2 cm) water pipe, 2-in. (5 cm) water pipe and 6-in. sewer pipe over 600 ft. (182.8 cm), with three manholes, as well as concrete, wood framing, masonry exterior clad, aluminum storefront and a standing seam metal roof. roughly 10,000 cu. yds. (7,645 cu m) of dirt was moved during construction. during the sewer installation, a large cut was present on a very visible portion of the job site right off of 231 north. the project also has personal significance for Vogt. “Having served in the Army national Guard for eight years, I have a deep passion for aviation. I met my wife while attending flight school at Ft. rucker. this project was a great way to get back in contact with some fellow aviators.” Blankenship, who also serves as executive director of the Aviation Council of Alabama, said, “the city of ozark made a commitment over 10 years ago to have a terminal built at the ozark Airport - Blackwell Field. the process began during the expansion of Bell Helicopter, which included the purchasing of a subdivision including a church and approximately 25 houses and the relocation of a city road. this acquisition was necessary to extend the runway length to its present length of 5,200 feet. It also included the relocating of a taxiway and large amounts of excess soil. that soil was relocated to the present terminal location, which raised the elevation it is today. this entire project, which included the Bell Helicopter expansion, was in excess of $28 million.” Blankenship said that funding for this type project is always a challenge for a city the size of ozark. “We have worked many years to show our city council, citizens, state of Aeronautics division, Federal Aviation Administration and our state and federal legislative delegation the need for such a complex located on ozark Airportsee TERMINAL page 6