Projects Under Construction at Army’s Fort Gordon
By Irwin Rapoport
Construction crews from the 4k Global-ACC joint-venture JV LLC are working on two projects at the Army’s Fort Gordon southwest of Augusta, one of the largest American military installations.
The JV secured the contract for the $30,495,646 repair of the Willard Training Area (WTA), which is 56 percent complete, and the $23,103,757.43 Brant Hall renovation - Phase 1 project, which is 94 percent complete.
Fort Gordon (formerly Fort Eisenhower) is home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cyber Command and the Cyber Center of Excellence (CCoE), as well as the National Security Agency/Central Security Service Georgia Cryptologic Center (NSA Georgia or NSAG). More than 16,000 military service members and 13,500 civilian personnel are assigned to it.
The projects are being managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Savannah District.
“The Willard Training Area (WTA) is an outdoor training area with multiple buildings and is utilized by the Cyber Center of Excellence for tactical training,” said Stephen Montjoy, the USACE area engineer for Fort Gordon. “It is an outdoor training area that can simulate field conditions for the signal school and electronic warfare soldiers. Brandt Hall is a large facility with classrooms and equipment that will likely help signal soldiers train through real-world conditions.”
The Willard Training Area project is a designbid-build and general construction project, which
should be delivered in early January 2027.
The work includes infrastructure development, the repair of existing training facilities, demolition of structures no longer needed and the improvement of the parking lots and drop-off areas, as well as the establishment of logistic support areas for soldiers bivouacking on site. Additionally, it includes the construction of a tactical operations center with new overhead shelters, antenna pads and generator pads. Phase 1 of the Brant Hall Renovation should be completed by November. Crews are renovating a classroom wing of Brant Hall, which has three wings and a central interior training space.
JS Link to Invest $223M in Rare-Earth Magnet Facility
A major international employer is setting up shop in Columbus, Ga.
JS Link America, a U.S.-owned subsidiary of JS Link, a Korean company, said in a news release through the office of Gov. Brian Kemp that it will invest $223 million to create a rare-earth permanent magnet facility in the western Georgia city.
The facility is expected to have a production capacity of 3,000 tons, according to the company.
Rare-earth magnets are critical components for an array of manufactured products
including automobiles, wind turbines, elevators, home appliances and more.
JS Link America also plans to bring 524 jobs to Columbus.
Selvin Hollingsworth, chair of the Development Authority of Columbus, described those positions as “high paying,” with an average salary of $89,000 per year.
During its hiring process, the company will be looking for engineering, production, construction, administrative and management personnel, according to the news release.
“On behalf of Choose Columbus and the
economic development team, we are proud to have JS Link join our corporate community,” Hollingworth said. “This location will have a large impact on our entire regional economy, and we look forward to helping them establish and grow their U.S. presence in Columbus.”
Founded in 2000,
Link is a Korean
biotechnology company specializing in research and development.
The facility will be in a 130,000-sq.-ft. building at the Muscogee Technology Park. Operations are expected to begin there in late 2027.
The news is the first economic development announcement from Choose Columbus, a standalone organization focused on job creation, capital investment and business recruitment in the Chattahoochee Valley.
UGA to Replace Old Culvert Under Sanford Stadium
Since Sanford Stadium opened in 1929 on the campus of the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens, it has been reshaped, expanded and modernized into one of college football’s premier venues. In recent years, locker rooms have been rebuilt, concourses widened, lights upgraded and premium seating added.
But the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Sept. 17 that one original feature of the UGA sports venue has gone mostly untouched for nearly a century: a concrete culvert, which also houses a sewer line, buried beneath the stadium.
The culvert — which channels water from Tanyard Creek east into the Oconee River — was built the same year Georgia hosted Yale in the first football game at Sanford. Nearly 100 years later, it remains largely as it was.
That’s about to change, though, with a $14 million project set to overhaul the hidden infrastructure.
Athens-Clarke County and the UGA Athletics Association are preparing to repair and replace portions of the culvert and upsize the aging sewer line.
The work includes two phases. The first, recently completed near Oconee Hill Cemetery, replaced a segment that collects sewage from more than 1,300 acres, includ-
ing downtown Athens and much of the University of Georgia campus.
The second, beginning in 2026, will replace 1,000 ft. of pipe directly beneath
Sanford Stadium, enlarging the line’s diameter from 18 in. to 30 in.
On Sept. 16, Athens-Clarke County Commissioners unanimously approved a
memorandum of understanding with the athletics association to allow the project to move forward, according to the Atlanta news source.
Construction is slated to begin next spring and wrap up by the end of 2026.
In addition, Athens-Clarke County will reimburse the UGA Athletic Association for the sewer portion of the project, which is anticipated to be about $12.8 million.
“At this time, we do not expect this project to have any impact on football or stadium operations” in 2026, a UGA spokesperson told the Journal-Constitution.
Sanford Stadium’s original location — a natural valley between North Campus and the Science Campus — was chosen in the late 1920s in part to reduce construction costs. Stands were built into the hills alongside Tanyard Creek, with the concrete double-box culvert constructed to let water flow beneath the stadium.
The total price tag for the original stadium was $360,000 (about $6.6 million in today’s money) for a capacity of 30,000. Major expansions began in the late 1940s. Now, nearly a century later, Sanford holds 93,033 fans, the ninth-largest stadium in the country.
Construction Starts On $80M Expansion of Northside Hospital
Officials of Northside Hospital Forsyth in Cumming, Ga., gathered Aug. 13, 2025, to celebrate the groundbreaking of a major expansion at the hospital campus.
Construction has started on a new medical office building and a parking deck at the site, located north of Atlanta.
Once complete, the four-story, 120,000-sq.-ft. medical office building will be the sixth such structure on the Northside Forsyth campus. When operational, the building will increase support of hospital services and physician practices in pulmonology, colorectal surgery, imaging, neurology, thoracic surgery and other treatments.
A parking deck designed to hold nearly 900 vehicles also will be included as part of the project, and the site will offer a direct connection to nearby Deputy Bill Cantrell Highway.
Atlanta Business Chronicle reported that the entire effort will cost $80 million.
“Now we arrive at today and the
groundbreaking of the 2500 Medical Office Building,” said Northside Forsyth CEO Lynn Jackson after recounting the long history of growth at her hospital’s campus.
She said the new building “is definitely marking a bold step forward” with construction of a facility larger than the original hospital itself.
“For more than 20 years, Northside Hospital has kept its promise to strengthen healthcare across our region, to grow with our community and to anticipate the needs of tomorrow,” Jackson said.
“This new medical office building is more than just bricks and mortar as we build it. It will be a place where patients are going to find answers, families hopefully will find comfort and our incredible physicians and staff will deliver our very best work.”
Charlie Dickhaus, senior vice president of Realty Trust Group in Atlanta, said the project is unique in that it results from a partnership of Healthpeak Properties, a
Denver real estate investment trust and eight physician investor groups.
“It really speaks not only to the commitment Northside has in the community but to the physicians and the commitment they have in the community,” he said.
According to Dickhaus, the Northside Forsyth medical office building is already 98 percent leased more than a year before its
completion. Currently, the building and parking deck are expected to open in the fall of 2026.
“To have a building that is that full before it even gets completed is a testament to the entire team that has worked on this for the last couple of years,” he said.
The project helps Northside Forsyth keep pace with the growth of one of the fastest-growing counties in Georgia.
Since the hospital first came to Forsyth County in 2002, it has grown from a 41-bed facility to one that currently numbers 407 beds and had more than 800,000 patient encounters in 2024, according a news release from the facility.
Alex Warner, president and CEO of the Forsyth County chamber of commerce, said the hospital has a “halo effect” with job growth and by providing healthcare options to enhance the community.
“It all has to do with Northside and the fact that they continuously reinvest in this community, and we cannot thank them enough,” he said.
“We are the anchor point now for multiple international businesses and when they’re looking to locate from across the pond to the United States, they’re looking for a safe community, quality school systems, a quality place [for] their employees to live in and thrive in. A [top] healthcare system has everything to do with us trying to recruit these businesses.”
UGA photo Stanford Stadium at crowd capacity in 2024, versus Florida.
Northside Hospital render
A rendering of the building expansion to Northside Hospital in Forsyth County, Ga
Despite Setbacks, Rivian to Build Georgia Plant in 2026
Electric vehicle (EV) startup Rivian Automotive Inc. held two ceremonial events to christen the forthcoming construction of its long-delayed $5 billion manufacturing facility, located an hour east of Atlanta.
The company hosted a community event Sept. 14, 2025, and a formal groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 16 with stakeholders, media, and government officials, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. The roughly 2,000-acre project site along Interstate 20 bolster promises by Rivian leaders to begin vertical construction of the factory in 2026, following multiple delays and setbacks.
“The governor remains excited about the generational opportunity Rivian’s commitment will bring to hardworking Georgians,” a Kemp spokesperson said in a statement.
A Rivian spokesperson added that the company was “excited to welcome our future neighbors” at the Sept. 14 event, which featured vendors, food, live music and offroad-course rides in its vehicles.
“We look forward to continuing our work with our partners and surrounding communities as we strive to provide thousands of new, good-paying jobs in this fast-moving industry,” said Rivian.
Rivian Factory Construction Back On Track
Since its announcement in late 2021, Rivian’s plans for a manufacturing plant in Georgia have resembled a roller coaster ride.
The company first announced plans to open the factory near the community of Social Circle in southern Walton and Morgan counties in 2024, but the project was pushed back and ultimately paused indefinitely as Rivian sought to cut costs, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Aug. 18.
Still, Rivian said it would fulfill its promises to open the plant and meet its commitment to employ 7,500 workers.
Company officials have said that a $6.6 billion federal loan approved days before President Joe Biden left office last January would help accelerate the Georgia facility’s launch.
At the time of its announcement, the Rivian factory represented the state’s largest-ever economic development project. Since then, Hyundai has announced and opened an even
larger EV factory near Savannah.
In their efforts to recruit the Rivian plant to the Peach State, state and local officials offered the company a $1.5 billion incentive package which requires the automaker to build its promised manufacturing facility and meet hiring requirements in order to see the bulk of those financial benefits and tax savings.
Similarly, Rivian must break ground on its factory to tap into the federal loan, the Journal-Constitution added.
The loan’s approval by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office has been criticized by some Georgia Republicans and allies of President Donald Trump, including members of his campaign’s transition team. Georgia’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, lobbied for many of those clean energy incentives, including Rivian’s loan.
“The loan is set up as more of a project finance instrument,” Claire McDonough, Rivian’s chief financial officer, told the Atlanta newspaper in July. “So, it does require Rivian to have broken ground and continue to invest in the site before we’ll have a timeline for an initial [loan] draw out
of the facility, which is really by design.”
The factory’s site has been graded and is undergoing utility installation. Vertical construction is planned to begin on an unspecified date next year, with vehicle production projected to start by 2028.
Rivian has said the Georgia factory will be the home of expanded production of its upcoming R2 crossover automobile.
“The work that we’ve been doing over the course of the last handful of years is to ensure that we can reduce the timeline between [the Georgia factory’s] start of construction and [beginning] of production for future vehicles out of the site,” McDonough said.
Jerry Silvio, chair of the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties, and one of the local officials who helped manage the Rivian project, congratulated the company on its latest plans.
“There is no question about the project’s future — it is secure,” Silvio said in a statement. “And we are charging ahead to deliver jobs, growth and opportunity for our communities.”
JS Link Expects New Facility to Begin Production in 2027
FACILITY from page 1
“It takes the whole community working together to showcase what the community has to offer to a new business or a new manufacturing facility,” said Missy Kendrick, who was chosen as the inaugural president and CEO of the group earlier this year.
Local officials described JS Link’s arrival in Columbus as a “perfect fit” for the greater Chattahoochee Valley.
Pace Halter, chair of Columbus 2025, an economic development plan developed by the Regional Prosperity Initiative Inc., told the Ledger-Enquirer that JS Link’s arrival is “checking a lot of boxes” for the greater economic vision in Columbus.
“The majority of that plan, in one way or
another, is centered around development,” Halter said. “Economic development creates investment. It creates jobs, and jobs employ our community. [Those jobs] will allow people to pull themselves up if they are below the poverty line. It is about how we make our region more prosperous, and creating jobs, this number of jobs that are high paying, is a perfect fit for that.”
Halter outlined how JS Link fits in with the manufacturing industry in Columbus. Beginning in 1828, the city became known as a textile hub powered by the Chattahoochee River. Eventually, it grew be become one of the South’s largest industrial complexes.
JS Link’s investment in Columbus is reminiscent of that rich history, Halter
explained.
“This is a nice addition to the ongoing manufacturing industry that has existed for decades, … arguably centuries, in Columbus,” he said. “This is a wonderful city for manufacturing. We’re built for it.”
The city’s rich history of manufacturing was a part of the pitch to get JS Link to set up their facility in Columbus, according to Hollingsworth, with its workforce and community being the other major selling points.
“One of our big secrets here is that we’ve got Fort Benning,” he said, referring to the massive U.S. Army post on the south side of Columbus. “You’re talking about people that are leaders, who are the best of the
best, and you’re adding that type of talent to the local market every day.”
Hollingsworth also emphasized that JS Links’ job opportunities fill local and national needs.
“In any community, you’re as strong as your middle class, and these will be very good jobs for our middle class,” he said.
Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson echoed those sentiments.
“These are the kind of jobs we need in Columbus,” Henderson told the LedgerEnquirer. “We want to make sure that if somebody is employed, they are employed to the point where they can afford [their] mortgage plan or the car payment. And to have over 500 jobs making an average of $89,000 is significant.”
Rivian photo
The Rivian R2 will be manufactured at the new Georgia plant.
Rivian photo
A photo from the official groundbreaking, Sept. 16, 2025.
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USACE Savannah Oversees Two Projects at Fort Gordon
The renovation includes upgrading interior finishes, power provisions and network capabilities (36,255 sq. ft.); adding one elevator and shear wall support to exterior walls for lateral stability improvement; replacing the roof with a new ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) roof system, including new insulation and roof-mounted training equipment; replacing mechanical equipment in the central mechanical room; servicing the renovated wing with full replacement in Phase 2; installing new chilled water and high-temperature water mains from street loops to the main mechanical room for mechanical renovation; and upgrading and expanding the outside training area with modern field equipment connections and new drainage features.
“Major phased interior renovations present unique challenges when fitting new/upgraded equipment into existing spaces while keeping operability of unrenovated spaces,” said Montjoy. “Classrooms and field communication laboratories [are being] upgraded to 21st-century capabilities. No longer used and outdated infrastructure [are being] removed to make way for new equipment and connectivity improvements.”
Both projects were designed by HDR, which is being managed by the USACE.
“There were some construction challenges with the existing conditions of the buildings at the WTA,” said Montjoy.
“Most of the buildings were beyond their anticipated lifespan.”
Solid progress is being made at the WTA, which covers approximately 60 acres.
Georgia Power is installing a new underground power loop across the training area, replacing the overhead system.
“This [underground power loop] will provide a more resilient and secure power feed that is resistant to storms and is more sustainable,” said Montjoy. “The primary power infrastructure improvements were completed in May.”
This installation required a fair amount of earthwork, using excavators, dozers and loaders.
New sanitary sewers and water mains are being installed by Augusta Utilities Department.
“Nothing was out-of-the-ordinary -- it was standard construction,” said Montjoy. “There was a lot of coordination between Georgia Power and the Augusta Utilities Department. They [Augusta Utilities] put in concreteencased duct banks and new piping, and Georgia Power put in the electrical duct banks.”
Surface drainage was installed via ditches, along with swales. Much of the new infrastructure was installed near the upgraded roads.
In addition, two concrete pipes were replaced under the access roads.
A Terex hydraulic boom crane was used on the Brandt Hall renovation.
The Terex crane lifts the new HVAC system onto the roof of Brandt Hall. New piping outside Brandt Hall awaits being covered.
ARMY from page 1
see ARMY page 8
Excavation Under Way for Willard Training Area Project
The existing gravel road is being repaired, expanded and rebuilt in certain places. It follows the perimeter of the training area, which is approximately 7,800 ft. long. The road is wide enough for two small personal vehicles and for one larger vehicle, such as a Hummer.
That work had crews using vibrator roller compactors, including small remote-controlled compactors.
“There was an existing road gravel road which was in a state of disrepair,” said Montjoy. “There was a lot of rutting and washouts, making it hard to traverse. We cleaned that up. We leveled the base of the road and are putting in new stone for the entire road.”
For the road work and underground infrastructure installation, crews encountered mostly sandy soils and some red clay, which were easy to compact.
The contract calls for the construction of nine shelters on concrete pads; two are 30-ft. by 30-ft., and seven are 36-ft. by 42-ft. The pads can used to simulate field conditions, so soldiers can place tents, if needed.
For 22 other structures, crews have torn out old infrastructure that has rotted-out elements and rusted studs inside the walls.
“Before you go install the new gypsum drywall, you have to put in new electrical infrastructure with receptacle boxes, wiring and all that,” said Montjoy. “You also put in the air-conditioning and HVAC ducts above the ceilings. We’re about 75 percent complete for the building and nearing completion, possibly within the next few months. Then the drywall can be installed. “
Crews used manlifts and a skid steer for the interior operations and pipe-bending tools and lifts to get above the ceilings.
Montjoy said that the Brant Hall renovation is proceed-
ing on schedule.
“It looks like we are going to finish on time,” he said. “We have some engineering challenges that have delayed the construction, and we had to issue some extensions for the engineering changes,” he said. “However, that’s normal. Any time you do a renovation to a building, you expect there will be some changes and conditions that could not be foreseen.”
Another part of the construction includes the trusses supporting the wing at Brandt Hall, which were in poor condition.
“We ended up putting in a large dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) on top of the roof,” said Montjoy. “We built a structure to support it, which ties into the existing roof, and we had to reinforce the trusses underneath the heavy new unit. We ended up doing some adjustments to the trusses to stiffen them, providing more load-bearing capacity. Originally, we did anticipate increasing the strength of the trusses but not as much as we ended up doing.”
A large hydraulic boom crane lifted the new air-conditioning unit, as well as materials for the truss operations.
The new EPDM roofing system was installed at the same time as the DOAS.
Additionally, the installation of the new two-floor elevators proceeded smoothly. The elevators were supplied by TK Elevator.
ARMY page 10
The job site outside Brandt Hall
Excavators, Skid Steers On Site for Brandt Hall Earth Work
The Brandt Hall work includes a fair amount of earthwork and the installation of underground infrastructure -- chilled water and high-temperature water mains from street loops to the main mechanical room and upgrading and expanding the outside training area (OTA) by installing modern field equipment connections and new drainage features.
“We did a lot of excavation, including trenches, to expose the existing piping and rerouting it with the new two-pipe system,” said Montjoy. “We also did a lot of pipe work in the interior of the facility. The pipe work went from the street all the way into the building, replacing all of the existing supply piping.”
Excavators dug between eight to 10 ft., with most of the connections being approximately 30 ft. long. Adjacent to the trenches, excavators tore up sections on either side for about 4 ft.
“We had to replace a lot of the existing utilities,” said Montjoy. “We cut the water and then installed the new infrastructure up to the tie-in points over the July 4th [2024] holiday weekend. This required a fairly big coordination effort and, due to all the heavy equipment being used, safety meetings were critical.”
W. J. Griffin Electric of Massachusetts performed the electrical power work. Blueridge Tech of North Carolina was brought in as a mechanical subcontractor. Other subcontractors include Thomson Roofing, Knight Construction & Associates, Metit Commercial Flooring and Dorsett Controls.
The Brandt Hall work had crews using JCB 510-56 and 509-42 telescopic handlers; a Cat excavator; a Takeuchi TB216 skid steer and a mini-excavator; a Komatsu PC200LC excavator; Genie articulated boom lifts; Skyjack SJ11 electric scissor lifts; a Terex hydraulic boom crane; and other Genie and Skyjack equipment.
For the Willard Training Area, crews used Cat skid steers – two 239 and one 299; a Cat 336 excavator; a Cat D3 dozer; a Cat 926 wheel loader; a Cat 730004A off-road truck; a Cat 140H motor grader; a Cat C564B vibratory roller; a JLG AE1932 scissor lift; a MEC 19-ft. scissor lift; and a JCB 50742 forklift.
A JCB 507-42 telescoping handler assisted with the assembly of the metal buildings. CEG
(All photos courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.)
This is a view of the Brandt Hall mechanical room where new chilled water and heating piping was installed to support the wing’s heating and domestic water systems.
New features for Brandt Hall included chilled water and high-temperature piping.
ARMY from page 8
