South Florida Report: All Dried Up
Hensel Phelps Construction Co. of Orlando has closed in the $212.9-million, U.S. Southern Command Headquarters in Doral. It also installed the chillers and cooling towers at the central energy plant. The company expects to have permanent power online by Oct. 1.
The design-build project is scheduled for completion in September 2010. It includes administrative offices, a medical clinic, fitness center, child-development center, conference and business centers and other support areas.
Moss & Associates completed the first building at its $112-million Palm Beach County Jail expansion and has started construction on a second building. The job will add 1,458 inmate beds and 160 youth-offender beds to the facility, an impound building, vehicle maintenance building, fueling station and electrical substation. The company also will renovate the existing jail, upgrading security and detection systems. Completion is expected in 2010.
Skanska is working on a $42-million baggage handling and expansion project at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Terminal Four
The Broward County Aviation Dept. received $5.7 million in federal stimulus money to complete an apron-paving replacement project around concourses D, E and F. Low bidder D. Stephenson Construction of Fort Lauderdale received the $4.4-million contract. The job came in at less than the airport expected.
In Belle Glade, Skanska is wrapping up work on the $55-million, 143,000-sq-ft, 70-bed Lakeside Medical Center, a replacement facility for the Health Care District of Palm Beach County.
Skanska recently began a $13-million emergency department expansion at Coral Springs Medical Center for Broward Health, northern Broward County’s tax-supported health system.
Schools The economy also has affected school districts, but many projects are continuing and a few getting started.
Nat Harrington, chief public information officer for The School District of Palm Beach County, calls the district’s five-year capital improvement program one of the most aggressive in the country. He acknowledges there has been some cutting back but says a sales tax initiative approved in November 2004 but ending in December 2010 is keeping projects on track.
Suffolk Construction of West Palm Beach began the $91-million Suncoast High modernization in 2007 for Palm Beach schools. It is scheduled for a 2010 completion.
Pirtle Construction of Davie, Fla., is working on the $33-milion West Central Community Elementary School, and W.G. Mills of Sarasota, Fla., is building the $37-million Pahokee Area Middle School. Both are scheduled to finish in 2010. “Palm Beach has a lot of projects in the planning stages they want to get out, but they are overcoming budget challenges,” says Jose Cortez, vice president of business development for Skanska.
Doggart says the small amount of K-12 school work in Broward County is mostly disability access code upgrades and renovation projects.
“At the same time, [the school district is] canceling a number of projects because of revenue,” Doggart says.
Skanska is building Elementary Z and hoped to start by the end of the year a yearlong historic restoration of and addition to the Old Dillard museum in Fort Lauderdale, a historic building owned by Broward Schools and used as an African-American museum. Skanska was not releasing cost on the museum project during preconstruction.
Elementary Z, a $35-million, 110,000-sq-ft school, will open in August with two photovoltaic arrays, a reflective roof, waterless urinals and other environmentally friendly features.
Moss & Associates expects to start the $81-million Stranahan High School modernization project by yearend. Senior Vice President Moss acknowledges that Broward has scaled back its building program but hopes that will not affect the Stranahan project, which was approved last year.
Useful Sources
The School District of Palm Beach County: http://cms.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/cms/section_display.cfm?section_id=3&top=3&level=1
Florida Marlins: http://www.marlinsnewballpark.com
I-595 Express: http://www.i-595.com