Crowder Enlisted for New Water Treatment Facility in Monroe,

A team from Crowder Construction recently took on an ambitious project in Monroe, NC. We are assisting with the development of an all-new water treatment center, complete with raw water storage and metering, a rapid mix structure, flocculation basins, filters, a chemical storage system, and more. The project also encompassed the complete installation of electrical and instrumentation infrastructure.

The Crowder team was brought in as a subcontractor to CDM Constructors for the $31M project, which entailed treatment trains and a filtration building, along with the entire plant’s electrical scope. Crowder has averaged around 50 people on site throughout the project, including civil, mechanical, and electrical crews as well as office staff.

New Water Treatment Solutions

The new Yadkin Regional Water Supply Project, once complete, will provide a long-term water supply for the residents of Union County, decrease the dependency on the Catawba River, and support current and future growth in Monroe and the surrounding areas.

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Given the scope of this project, it should come as no surprise that the Crowder team dealt with some obstacles.

One big problem? Material lead times. As with most construction projects over the past few years, Crowder’s team has been challenged with the ability to get the materials onsite in a timely manner. Electrical gear in particular has been challenging to procure. To address these challenges Crowder had to adapt its usual construction sequence to work around some of the missing key components.

Challenging Circumstances

For example, the team had to continue building the structural framing for the pre-engineered metal building, but left one interior girder out while the metal roof and wall panels continued to be installed. Once the delayed electrical gear arrived, Crowder flew it into the building with the crane, installed the missing girder, and completed the metal roofing.

Another problem we worked through was navigating the relationship with the general contractor. Crowder is typically in control of the entire construction schedule and being removed from the driver’s seat has caused difficulties in obtaining enough information to properly plan the work. The team has relied on RFIs as much as possible to ensure we can officially document the pursuit of information. Additionally, we have furnished a formal response to each schedule update with the help of a third-party scheduler.

Finally, Crowder’s team has contended with last-minute design changes, late in the construction process. In response, team members have tried to define all impacts and real costs and in some instances, the design builder has provided alternative changes to minimize the impact, all based on the Crowder team’s feedback.

Sustained Success

Even with such a challenging project, the Crowder team has achieved much success. First and foremost, we have succeeded by ensuring a safe work environment, boasting over 97,000 man-hours without a recordable incident. This occurred through an emphasis placed on safety throughout all levels of the team. Crowder’s commitment to safety has been very noticeable throughout the project, especially juxtaposed with the other subcontractors brought onto the project by the general contractor. We have celebrated safety milestones along the way, recognizing the hard work of the crew members with meals, raffles, even an offsite celebration at the Charlotte FC soccer game. The incredible work and unblemished safety record can be attributed to a stellar team!

The Team

Regional Manager

Darric Beach

Senior Project Manager

Andrew Calvert

Electrical Project Manager

Andrew McVeigh

Assistant Project Managers

Tony Kline

Project Engineers

Peyton Mowery

Lauren Vick

Safety Coordinators

Marcus Hopkins

Marc Powers

Administrative Assistants

Melissa Broughton

General Superintendent

Marc Bradley

Superintendents

Dennis Lane

General Electrical Superintendent

Ed McCoy

Electrical Superintendents

Hairo Galeas

Jerry Patterson

Ben Burke

Civil & Mechanical Formen

Filiberto Santoyo

Ricky Amezquita

Rene Briones

Daniel Parker

Felix Carrasquillo

Humberto Angeles Ocampo

Louis Przestrzelski

Pedro Tapia

Rafael Mendoza

Vince Rudolph

Scott Hawkins

Electrical Foremen

Cesar Galeas

Roberto Martinez

Mike Banville

Jesus Mejia

Travis Owens

Co-Ops

Noah Logsdon

Wyatt Smith

Matthew Wehrly

Tyler Wright

Michael Henze

Philip Stone

Evan Rimer