11 Weeks into the Project.....

Wow, we're already 11 weeks into the construction process and now you will really start to see some major changes starting this week with the delivery of the steel for the office mezz. Steel is scheduled to come in beginning Monday, 06.15.09 and continue through the week. Footers for the intermediary columns are poured and existing columns have been drilled to accept the new beams.

So why did it take so long for this phase to start? With an existing building, you need to go through sort of a "destruction" phase before you actually go into the construction phase. Flooring had to be cut out for plumbing, electrical and data piping and conduit and the outside "skin" of the building had to come off for the additional office area windows. Now the construction phase is in full swing withe HVAC units now on the roof and much of the second floor duct work is hung.

In one area of the showroom alone, there are over 240 floor penetrations for utilities and data as you can see in the picture. You can also see the masonry work going on with the windows.

The Benco and Mericle construction coordination teams meet every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. at the site to discuss action plans and open items. In addition, change orders are also reviewed.

We should receive capital approval this week so we can formally award the rest of the capital contracts.

So stay tuned to this blog to get the most recent updates on the construction and feel free to add comments. We will try and focus in on highlighting every area as it progresses. It is really getting exciting now!!!