Georgia 04 2014

441

59

75

GEORGIA STATE EDITION

Cornella 19

A Supplement to:

Rome 85 27

Athens 441

Atlanta

20

Madison Augusta

85

20

Griffin 1

129

Milledgeville

75

La Grange

Macon

301

185 19

16

Dublin

Swainsboro Oak Park

Columbus

Statesboro

341 441 16

Lyons Americus

February 19 2014 Vol. XVI • No. 4

301

1

82

Dorchester

341

Cuthbert

75

Albany

84

Douglas Tifton

82

95

82

Blakely

Pearson 27

“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”

Savannah

McRae Cordele

27

84

Moultrie

19 319

84

Bainbridge

Valdosta Thomasville

Waycross Brunswick 82

1 441

Your Georgia Connection: Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479

Savannah’s Truman Parkway on Track to Open in March

By Eric Olson CEG CORRESPONDENT

Residents of Savannah, Ga., can now see the finish line on the long trek that has been the building of the Truman Parkway.

Almost unbelievably, Savannah’s business and political leaders first discussed the road project more than 40 years ago.

The fifth and final phase of the Harry S. Truman Parkway is heading into its final months over the construction’s most difficult stretch: from Whitfield Avenue west across wetlands to Abercorn Street on the city’s south side, a distance of 2.08 mi. (3.3 km).

Once completed, the 8.8-mile (14.2 km) long Truman Parkway will give motorists two lanes in each direction with a 24-ft. (7.3 m) raised median.

A massive pair of Manitowoc 4100 cranes that were employed to drive the bridge pilings.

see TRUMAN page 10

Advanced Rental Forms Beneficial Alliance With Yancey, Cat After spending years in the equipment rental business, Gary Bonds, owner of Advanced Rental Center in Canton, Ga., is confident his latest endeavor will be as successful as past ventures. His career began in 1975 as a sales rep of Wacker and his experience led him to start up his own rental company in 1986. At its peak, he sold the business in 1998 to a national rental company and retired. However, Bonds was not content to rest on his laurels and in 2005 came out of retirement and started over again opening Advanced Rental Center.

Bonds has come to understand that forming an alliance with a sin-

gle distributor-single manufacturer is necessary for meeting his rolling stock machinery needs. This, in his opinion, is the most effective way to buy and maintain a rental fleet rather than juggling multiple manufacturer lines. Years of searching for the distributor/manufacturer that could provide the best and meet his expectations lead him to work with Yancey Bros. Co. and Caterpillar corporate. After nearly a year, Bonds sees the alliance as a complete success.

Bonds said the rationale behind the business decision was pretty easy and was based on the “power of Yancey in the Georgia market.”

“Advanced Rental Center has always had the philosophy that we do things our way, Bonds said.

“We’re not saying it’s always the right or the wrong way, but it’s our way and that means it’s all about taking care of our customer and giving them a product that we can back and something that they can have confidence in to be a very good machine. That’s why we went with Cat.” Cat machines have been delivered on a regular basis to Advanced Rental since early 2013.

“The package started out with two Cat 252 skid steer loaders, see ADVANCED page 8

A wide variety of Cat mini-excavators are on the yard and available for rent.

Page 2 • February 19, 2014 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

NCCHR Transforms More Than Atlanta’s Skyline

By Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT

concrete structure and preparing to install steel structural components, as well as skin components to dry-in the building for subsequent finish activities.

Gibson said challenges have included the complicated and unusual design, unique geometry, sloping and curved exterior walls, along with coordination of base building design and installation activities with support for follow-on installation of interior exhibits. The fast-track nature of the project delivery has been a concern, from start on site to substantial completion allowing only 12 months. Work on site began in March 2013. Equipment used includes a bulldozer, excavator, sheep’s foot roller, smooth drum roller, backhoe, dump truck, a soil nail drilling rig and an augercast pile drill rig.

The structure is made of concrete and steel, curtain wall and punched openings, along with Trespa for exterior skin. The roof is a vegetative green roof assembly. Materials include 5,500 cu. yds. (4,205 cu m) of concrete, 380 tons (344.7 t) of resteel, 100 tons (90.7 t) of structural steel and solid phenolic resin wall panels.

Coordinating structural and architectural components with the geometry of the building, while also tying the building infrastructure to eventual exhibit components is no

Intended to serve as a global hub for the study of freedom struggles at the local, national and international levels, The National Center for Civil and Human Rights (NCCHR) is transforming Atlanta’s skyline.

Currently under construction, the $75 million facility will open to the public in May 2014, allowing visitors to learn about the past, while engaging a dialogue about the future.

“I can actually watch the progress out of my window, as our offices are located just two blocks away,” said Douglas Shipman, CEO of the center. “It’s been a widespread community effort to bring the Center to life, and I know many across Atlanta, and those nationally who support civil and human rights issues, are excited. We’ve projected 400,000 visitors our first year, and we expect the summer to be very busy, as is typical for our neighbors at the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola.”

Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the 42,000 sq. ft. (3,901.9 sq m) facility features a design that evokes the notion of two hands embracing a space for change. The NCCHR photo Crews use a crane to prepare to move materials from the lay-down area to the top exterior material will be Trespa, and will be of the structure. patterned to bring the walls of the structure to life from various angles. The small task; however, Gibson said the project total structure includes two outdoor has its advantages. courtyards and a public water fea“It’s exciting to be involved because of ture off the larger courtyard. the international exposure. The value and Organizers say the NCCHR will meaning to the community, plus being a high be a destination where visitors have profile location near other unique facilities access to interactive exhibits and a also makes it rewarding.” variety of educational activities.

The current peak in crew size is 50 workThe subject matter will focus on the ers on site. That number is expected to top civil rights movement in the United out around 150, with work sometimes States and human rights issues extended into the weekend. Planning activfrom a global perspective. ities to minimize the impact to neighbors is “The bulk of sitework and essential during construction. underground activities is 90 percent “Making sure deliveries and material complete on site,” said Bob load-out are scheduled for off-peak traffic Gibson, project manager of hours is key,” Gibson said. “Communication Cousins/Gude LLC. “The concrete of upcoming activities to nearby stakeholdsuperstructure was substantially ers has been crucial, especially in light of the completed in early September. The operating facilities adjacent to the project wrecking of re-shores is commencsite.” ing.”

Weather has been a factor, although crews Initial activities included cutting have managed to work around wet condidown a significant portion of the tions, so far. site to bring the building pad to “Despite one of the rainiest summers on subgrade. Crews installed a soil record,” said Gibson, “the project team has nail wall in the process. Once combeen dedicated to maintaining the project pleted, they installed 130 auger cast schedule.” displacement piles to serve as the Described as a world-class cultural instibuilding’s deep foundations. In tution, the structure is a Freelon/HOK addition, workers put in place an on design, with noted architect Phil Freelon site detention vault and cistern to serving as the lead designer. The building is serve as storm water regulation into three levels, housing a gallery dedicated to the city system, and to retain water NCCHR photo the Martin Luther King Jr. Papers for use onsite for irrigation.

Currently, teams are completing the Crews prepare to pour a concrete wall by finalizing re-bar structure. see NCCHR page 4

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • February 19, 2014 • Page 3

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Center Marks 50 Years Since Landmarks of Civil Rights Era NCCHR from page 2

Collection, a series of galleries showcasing the legacy of the American Civil Rights Movement, as well as galleries highlighting contemporary human rights defenders and issues. It also will have retail space, a special events space and a fully functioning television studio used for education and broadcasts.

“This is an incredibly important project,” said Freelon. “The NCCHR’s vision and mission aligned perfectly with our firm’s goals. We felt that our experience with museums and cultural centers would be of value to the NCCHR as they worked toward planning this world-class facility.

“The architectural concept for the new NCCHR was inspired by great spaces in great cities around the world that have forever been transformed in our memory by the civil and human rights events that took place in them. Each of them at their moment in history were transformed into spaces for action by citizens committed to making for themselves, and all of us, a better world to live in.”

“Two powerful walls will be placed in Atlanta and between them the NCCHR will thrive as a place for progressive action and change,” said Freelon. “The character of these walls not only conveys strength and a sense of permanence, they also represent the uplifting spirit of optimism and progress that is the NCCHR. The surface of these walls is composed of many varied panels that symbolize the many individuals that make up great movements for social progress.”

The initial concept was generated over a sixty-day period as prescribed by the design competition guidelines. Subsequent designs were developed during a year-long process, while the Center was raising funds.

“The building and landscape are fully integrated, so there’s a natural flow from exterior to interior and back again,” said Freelon. “The visitor experience begins as one approaches the Center from all directions. With a site that slopes more than twenty feet from south to north, we felt it was important to provide gracious and welcoming entry points at multiple levels of the building. The architectural form and massing speak to the global importance of the Center’s mission, while respecting its neighboring structures and providing a comfortable human scale at ground level.

“The interior architecture serves as a natural extension of the exhibits, linking the formal space to the media and interactive technology that tell the stories of civil and human rights. In addition to the exhibits, there are public spaces that are designed to support the ongoing programs of the Center.”

Freelon said the project will be monitored

NCCHR photo

Crews use an onsite crane to move materials from the lay-down area to workers.

as the structure continues taking shape.

Construction is the final step in the design process. The team will remain involved through the completion, ribbon cutting and beyond. It’s critically important the building is built in accordance with the drawings and specifications, according to Freelon.

In 2007, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. provided a $1 million dollar gift for predevelopment activities, while The CocaCola Company announced a 2.5 acre land parcel donation at Pemberton Place, the site of the NCCHR, the following year.

Once open, the NCCHR will offer programming that will include speakers, conferences and artistic presentations dealing with historical and present-day issues. The facility also will serve as a forum for education and the exchange of ideas, while also providing jobs and internships and drawing tourists to the region.

“Atlanta is a good fit, given the fact it was the home to so many civil rights organizations, as well as the historically black colleges and universities of Spelman, Clark, Atlanta University, Morris Brown and Morehouse, said Shipman. “Atlanta, additionally, made it through the civil rights era peacefully by solving the issues of segregation through compromise and bringing activists, citizens, business leaders and politicians to the same table to talk and find

solutions. This legacy, as well as the fact Atlanta boasts present day headquarters of the King Center, the Carter Center and CARE USA , allows the city to be a key meeting place for global discussions.”

After years of planning, Shipman said the timing was right for the project.

“We are 50 years on since the major landmarks of the civil rights era. We need an institution that connects the legacy, lessons and inspirations of that era with contemporary human rights issues in America and globally. We will be a place of exhibition, education, discussion and programs allowing visitors to explore issues and highlighting work that promotes human rights, peace and the common good.

“We already have plans for Phase Two and Phase Three expansions, including an event/auditorium expansion and an exhibition expansion,” said Shipman. “Each phase is planned to be approximately 10,000square feet, and we anticipate opening new phases every three to five years. Hosting visitors means the Center can impact one person at a time, inspiring them to educate and involve themselves in efforts to change the world in their communities.”

(This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)

CEG

NCCHR photo

Workers form walls in preparation for the next concrete pour.

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • February 19, 2014 • Page 5

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Page 6 • February 19, 2014 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • February 19, 2014 • Page 7

Page 6 • February 19, 2014 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • February 19, 2014 • Page 7

Page 8 • February 19, 2014 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Both Cat skid steer loaders and compact track loaders are available for rent at Advanced Rental Center.

(L-R): Len Malagon and Gary Bonds, both of Advanced Rental Center, meet with their Yancey Bros. Co. representatives, John McLean and Preston Smith, at the company’s Canton, Ga., location.

Cat Attachments Will Expand Capacity of Rentals, Bonds Says ADVANCED from page 1

three Cat 259 track machines, two Cat 289 track loaders, one Cat 302.5 mini excavator and two Cat 303.5 mini excavators. We traded in a fleet of machines pretty much on a one for one basis. Shortly thereafter, I ordered another Cat 303.5 to add to the fleet and then just recently, two more 259’s, two more 303.5’s and one more 305. We now have 16 Cat machines in which we maintain ourselves and the machines are all purchased with an extended warranty,” said Bonds.

The alliance agreement came about through Advanced Rental’s continuous conversations with the local Yancey Bros. Co. sales representative and with John McLean, management representative and Tanner Dahlke, district representative of Caterpillar corporate.

“This falls in line with the way we always try to handle business at Advanced Rental — having a relationship, not only with the local distributor [of the machines we rent] but with the factory itself. It gives us more contacts to keep us educated on the machines and what’s available,” said Bonds.

“Caterpillar actually facilitates the process of rental alliances through the dealers and encourages us to enter into a partnership with a limited number of rental companies such as Advanced Rental,” said McLean.

“This is done so we can spread our equipment out over a larger area and create a larger footprint. Caterpillar’s effort in this is to facilitate and help the process along.”

“What was interesting to me is the fact that Caterpillar corporate has a vetting program to actually approve us to enter into this,” said Bonds. “This wasn’t just a Yancey local agreement; this was an actual Cat corporate decision in which we had to be approved to enter into the alliance.”

According to McLean, the criteria for entering into a rental agreement for both Yancey and Cat is to pick customers based

on strategic location of their operation compared to their own. The potential for a real partnership stems from effort between the two parties to share leads and information.

“We know it can’t quite be that way, but we try to make it almost like a branch operation,” said McLean. “We also have other rental alliances and I can count the number of those alliances on one hand. They are all strategically located and all have truly been vetted by Caterpillar. We have to submit the customer as a prospect and present their background information to Cat, which begins the interview process. It’s well designed — well thought out.

“The rental alliance is intended to be a partnership between Yancey and Advanced Rental Center with the idea and the goal being that we share leads and needs between each other and that we have a partnership going forward to capture the rental market,” said McLean.

Bonds has tried working with manufacturers on potential long-term alliance agreements, but Cat is the only manufacturer that worked for him.

“Cat is rather unique in this alliance.

We’ve talked with manufacturers in the past and have tried to enter into what we considered was an alliance and no one seemed to know what we were thinking or talking about, with regards to the alliance. It’s amazing when we found out that Caterpillar actually had an alliance program in place. They [Cat] were forward thinking enough to develop this and understand that the rental yards are a marketing arm for the manufacturer, be it Caterpillar corporate or Yancey CAT as a distributor. By putting the machines out in to the rental fleets and maintaining the machines and putting them out in front of the marketplace, we’re actually a sales arm for the factory and the distributors.

They’re smart enough to realize that and we applaud them for having the alliance pro-

gram and promoting it.

Bonds is promoting Cat products — the full line. He is confident offering the Cat lineup to his customers because of the reputation Cat has in the industry, and the benefits it will pass on to Advanced Rental Center and its customers.

“Name recognition is very big in this industry,” said Bonds.

The alliance is all about helping each other and working together between Cat Rents and Advanced Rental Center.

Advanced can “borrow” from Yancey’s inventory for anything that they can handle delivery on. The whole purpose for the alliance, from Advanced Rental Center’s standpoint, is to have a larger inventory.

For deliveries of larger machines Bonds will depend on Yancey. If the machine is something Advanced Renal Center can physically handle, the company will deliver it with their tandem axle rollbacks. And if something is not available in house, Advanced Rental Center can offer the machine through Cat Rents.

Bonds fully intends to utilize and purchase Cat attachments to expand the capacity of his rental machines.

“When it comes to attachments, we’ll try to work with Yancey in as many ways as possible,” said Bonds. “Staying with the factory brand aids us in the actual fitment of the attachment, which is an advantage. They match and they’re not ‘sloppy’ on the machine, which makes for a better total product to rent.”

Bonds said the life cycle of the rental fleet has completely changed.

“We used to have a three year turn rate on our bigger equipment. That all changed as the whole world changed back in 2007. We try to keep our machines for three years and roughly 1,500 hours of time on the machine.

But since ‘07’, things changed and we might

have a machine for two years and won’t have but 500 hours on it. The market has changed that much. Right now, we’re seeing a change again. With the Caterpillar machines in particular, I’ve got some of the mini excavators with 500 hours on them [less than one year old machines]. So, I think the market is turning, there’s more work out there and they’re putting more hours on them and working harder. Once again we would expect to keep the machines for three years and hopefully 1500 hours. To which point we would need to trade them in or sell them through our sales force here. We expect a higher than normal return at trade-in time or sales time being a Caterpillar product.”

Bonds said his company has always been customer oriented.

“If our customers are working a mile away or 60 miles away, we service them in the same fashion. We have delivery vehicles and drivers who stay busy all over the city of Atlanta. Right now I have equipment scattered from the Atlanta airport to Dalton, to Gwinnett County, so territory wise, it’s the Atlanta metro area and wherever the customer is.

“The relationship between Advanced Rental Center and Yancey and Caterpillar corporate has been all that we could ask for,” said Bonds. “They’ve been there when we needed them. Everything’s running smoothly. I can’t say I’ve had any big tests for them yet, but I’m sure they’ll be there to support us when we need them.”

Advanced Rental Center is located at 141 Edwards Street in Canton, Ga. For more information call 770/479-9395 or visit www.rentalarc.com.

(This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)

CEG

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • February 19, 2014 • Page 9

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Page 10 • February 19, 2014 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Trestle Holding Two 500,000 lb. Cranes Minimizes Impact TRUMAN from page 1

As of Oct. 1, this last portion of the project is set to be open for traffic next March, according to the Georgia DOT.

needed to build three sets of two parallel bridges across the wetlands. This was accomplished by erecting a temporary, movable work trestle that could hold a massive pair of Manitowoc 4100 cranes that were employed to drive the bridge pilings.

“They have driven a total of 1,763 piles into place just on those wetlands,” said Jill Nagel, communications officer of GDOT’s District 5/Southeast Georgia office in nearby Jesup.

“By using the trestle, which holds these two 500,000-pound cranes for work on two different ends of the bridges, they were able to minimize the environmental impact on the wetlands,” she added. “It is a fact that these cranes did not touch ground for 2½ years before making land again this past June.”

At the peak of the activity on the final phase, as many as 100 workers were busy on site.

Now, the road decks are being erected and

A Freeway From North to South The entire four-lane parkway was first conceived in the 1960s as the Casey Canal Parkway, but saw its name changed to honor the nation’s 33rd president, following his death in December 1972.

The purpose of the road was to give motorists a largely uninterrupted route from metropolitan areas east and south of Savannah to the historic downtown area. To that end, drivers will be able to travel along a freeway that stretches from President Street, just east of downtown along the Savannah River, south to Whitfield Avenue and then west to the busy Abercorn Street corridor, near Holland Drive.

Work did not begin on the parkway at all until 1990 and from that point progressed in starts and stops until the first portion of the project opened to traffic in 1997. At that time, only the part of the project from DeRenne Avenue northward was paved, while the section south of that interchange was unpaved. By 2007, both sections were fully paved and built to freeway standards.

Interestingly, the Truman Parkway is not a state route, but a Chatham Countymaintained expressway, one of only a handful of countyoperated freeways in the entire state. Even though the Georgia DOT is overseeing the construction, it will be serviced by the county once it is finished.

In December 2009, GDOT allocated $128 million to fund the building of the last phase of the Truman Parkway. That money came from a combination of feder- Residents of Savannah, Ga., can now see the finish line on the long trek that has been the buildal funds and state fuel-tax ing of the Truman Parkway. revenue. on what specifically caused the delay. paved and all other ancillary road work is Final Phase Was the Most Difficult being completed with an eye toward openParkway Designed to Work began in earnest in the summer of ing in spring.

Alleviate Congestion 2010 on the final section of the project. This When work began in 2010 on the final “You can really call the Truman an urban section was generally perceived as the costli- phase, the project was slated to be wrapped interloop,” Nagel said. “It will take traffic est and most difficult portion of the parkway up by the end of 2013, but Nagel said that from the south side directly to downtown because the road has to cross the Wilshire GDOT identified “things that came up that Savannah instead of having to go up Canal, the Vernon River and a large marshy we saw needed to be done” to ensure that the Abercorn and winding through town to get area. work was completed to its specifications, there. Hopefully, it will take a lot of congesCrews from the Wilmington, N.C., loca- causing the parkway’s opening to be pushed tion off Abercorn.” tion of Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc. back three months. She would not elaborate That congestion is really the main reason

Work began in earnest in the summer of 2010 on the final section of the project.

the Truman was built in the first place.

For decades, the major thoroughfare linking the south end of Savannah, with its leafy neighborhoods, to the downtown has been Ga. 204/Abercorn Street. Through the years, however, the Abercorn corridor witnessed a great deal of commercial and retail growth, along with a seemingly endless number of intersections and traffic lights. The result was that traffic bottlenecks became the norm.

At the point where the Truman Parkway ties into Abercorn are a number of shopping centers, restaurants and big box stores, so the completed portion of the parkway, with its traffic-light-free design, should be able to provide some relief for the heavy workday traffic.

Nearby DeRenne Avenue, north of the current construction activity, should also see a break from traffic congestion currently plaguing that roadway with the opening of the final phase of the Truman.

In addition, civic planners envisioned the residents of nearby Skidaway Island, just to the north and east of Savannah, as being beneficiaries of the completed Truman Parkway.

Motorists from the island will be able to more easily access the retail stores and restaurants of the southern Abercorn corridor, as well as reach Interstate 95 quicker via Ga. 204.

(This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)

CEG

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • February 19, 2014 • Page 11

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