The Chino Hills Government Center:
Aggressive construction schedule calls for innovative solutions
Despite numerous dewatering challenges, T.B. Penick excels with ambitious schedule.
SAN DIEGO – August 6, 2008 — Chino Hills’ first permanent Government Center is under construction at City Center Drive in Chino Hills. The $91 million project includes a new city hall, library, police station and fire administration headquarters as well as a parking structure with subterranean and four stories of above ground parking. T.B. Penick, one of Southern California’s largest and most trusted contractors, was selected to do the structural concrete work for the Chino Hills Government Center campus.
Contracts were awarded just five months ago, and plans call for the 30,000 square foot police station to open in August of this year. The other buildings, including the 59,000 square foot Chino Hills City Hall, the 18,000 square foot fire administration headquarters, and a 28,000 square foot library, are all slated to open in October 2008.
Construction of the parking structure is on a fast track schedule. “It has been exciting,” said Nevine Grosso, project manager for T.B. Penick & Sons, Inc. “The parking structure was a challenge from the start due to the ground water issues that arose. In the beginning, our team worked seven days a week, drilling seven wells to drain the flooded pad and dewater the site. We had to run those wells 24/7 throughout the rainy season to keep the ground water out.”
The parking structure has a footprint of 30,000 square feet, one level (30K) of foundations, walls and SOG, and four levels (111K) of long span beam and decks, all PT. The structure’s foundation is wrapped in a full bentonite system, capturing all footings, under slab, and vertical walls coming out of the ground for one level. The first deck was poured on May 8th, and each subsequent deck pour followed at short intervals. In between the pours, the garage vertical elements were constructed.
“A tight schedule requires precise sequencing and scheduling,” noted Jeff Almodovar, project superintendent for Penick. “The team has had to think outside the box in dealing with the timing and technical issues that have come up. We have worked a lot of night shifts and weekends in order to stay on schedule. At the same time, our team has done a great job of staying focused on quality and safety,” he said.
“The Penick team has been thorough and responsive throughout the project in spite of a very rigorous schedule and a difficult and demanding site,” said Rick Dempsey, project manager for Barnhart, Inc. “They have been attentive to every detail and have shown an earnest desire to deliver the kind of quality and service the City is seeking. They pride themselves on old- fashioned quality craftsmanship.”
The project team for the Chino Hills Government Center includes Barnhart, Inc, contract manager; LBA, architect; and T.B. Penick as the primary trade contractor. Other sub contractors include: American Mechanical Contractors; Apollo Electric; Cherry Glass Inc.; Cleanline Concrete, Inc.; Continental Plumbing Inc.; Elliott Drilling Services, Inc.; Frank S. Smith Masonry, Inc.; Miller Engineering; Mitsubishi Electric; Pacific Coast Steel; R.E. and Schaefer Enterprises, Inc.
About the Chino Hills Government Center
The new Chino Hills Government Center is located on City Center Drive, east of Peyton Drive and south of The Shoppes at Chino Hills. The project includes four public buildings and an adjacent parking structure with subterranean and aboveground parking.
The project’s official website includes a site plan and renderings of the various facilities. In addition, website visitors can watch construction progress through a construction webcam that is part of the CHGC site security system.
About T.B.Penick & Sons
For more than a century, T.B. Penick has provided award-winning construction, structural concrete, design-build and general contracting services in the commercial and public building sector. T.B. Penick has received numerous accolades, including a first place award in the National Construction Safety Excellence competition as well as recognition for Innovation in Concrete, Cornerstone Excellence, Outstanding Civil Engineering and the Architectural Concrete Project of the Year. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, the company also has offices in Los Angeles, Ontario, and Ohio. For more information, visit www.tbpenick.com. |
