Site work and building construction have taken off at a much faster-than-expected pace these past few months at our new Operations Center on Highway 43. Favorable weather, few unexpected issues at the site, and extra efforts by the contractors have put the project ahead of schedule. That means we will likely be able to move in earlier than expected -- in October, rather than December.

Site work, which began in March 2019, is part of the process that prepares a site for vertical construction. This can include land grading, excavation, driveway/sidewalk installation, and some utilities installations to name a few.

While site work continues, construction on some of the buildings began in July 2019, and now all buildings in Phase One are under construction.

Building Plans
As a recap, the project will be constructed in phases, and plans for Phase One include:

• Engineering and Operations Building (Engineering, Crews, Call Center, Control Center, and Occupational Health Clinic)
• Systems Support Building (Metering, Substation, Water and Gas Shops, Load Management, IT Help Desk, and Training Room)
• Central Stores Warehouse (Stores Warehouse and laydown yard)
• Fuel Island
• Site improvements including utilities, drive accesses, parking and circulation areas, landscaping, and stormwater facilities
• Regional Sewer Pump Station

Construction Update
Building construction began in July, and the following progress was made by late February:

• Engineering and Operations – wall studs on first and second floors installed and mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP) installation began; HVAC hangers and duct work installed; roof completed; exterior masonry/brick installation in progress.
• Systems Support Building – roof and metal siding installed; interior masonry completed; MEP installation in progress.
• Central Stores Warehouse – roof and steel framework in progress; completed concrete foundation; concrete poured for loading dock walls.
• Parking lots rocked in, and interior road curbs installed.
• Trees planted along main interior road.
• On site natural gas piping installation began.

Public Information will continue posting video updates each month with construction progress, which can be found here. Also, keep an eye out for communications about what to expect -- such as how you will get into the new Operations Center, where you will park, and breakrooms, for example.