Numerous hurdles stood in the way of building the new Club Lexus and storage annex at the Pepsi Center in Denver. First came the unexpected discovery of soil contaminated by coal. Then came the need to replace a 100-year-old sanitary sewer line. Finally, there were the 40 concerts and 60 games for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League.

Through it all, the contractor persevered, and the new club is the envy of music and sports fans nationwide. The $9-million project has resulted in a premium dining space with two full-service bars and a full-service kitchen. The 24,000-sq-ft storage annex houses staging space, workshops and covered parking for players.

An unwelcome surprise greeted crews shortly after the first backhoe blade hit the ground. During the first few days of digging for the sanitary-sewer pipeline, the contractor discovered coal-contaminated soils and continued to encounter them through the rest of excavation.

As a result, an environmental engineer had to be present during all excavation work, and the team financed and managed the exporting of contaminated fill and the engineered fill to replace it.

Working around concerts and games was anticipated, but challenging nonetheless. The project team labored nights, weekends and early mornings behind sound-insulated temporary walls to ensure that all events went on as planned.

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