Boh Bros., Cycle Construction land National AGC awards

Louisiana Associated General Contractors members Cycle Construction Co. and Boh Bros Construction Co. were awarded national awards at the AGC of America’s 89th Annual Convention in Las Vegas.

Cycle Construction Co. of New Orleans received the 2008 Construction Safety Excellence Award first place in the heavy division category under 100,000 work hours for its commitment to safety.

Cycle Construction was judged on management’s commitment, worker training, active employee participation, safety innovation, and having no fatality or multi-catastrophic injuries in the past year.

Boh Bros. Construction Co. of New Orleans received the AGC of America Build America Award in the federal highway new construction category for its 17th Street Canal project. The purpose of the project was to construct an interim closure structure on the 17th Street Canal near its outfall into Lake Pontchartrain.

During Hurricane Katrina, the storm surge in the lake caused an influx of water into the 17th Street drainage canal. The inundation of water led to the collapse of floodwall sections, resulting in major flooding in New Orleans. The protection of the drainage canal structures from storm surge became a top priority.

The project demonstrated Boh’s ability to rapidly mobilize resources and safely construct a technologically complex project under demanding conditions and tight schedule constraints. Boh crews worked more than 200,000 man-hours with no recordable accidents. Louisiana AGC is proud to have members such as Cycle Construction and Boh Bros. Construction that are committed to safety and building a better Louisiana.

Alaskan natives experience South Louisiana

Pelican Chapter, Associated Builders & Contractors Inc. (ABC), through a cooperative endeavor with the Northwest Alaska Native Association and member company Turner Industries Group LLC, have taken advantage of the welding training program at ABC.

Fourteen individuals of Inupiat Eskimo descent have spent several months in the Baton Rouge area taking advantage of the welding training offered at ABC.

The idea of training in Louisiana was spawned from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when NANA workers were in the New Orleans and Gulfport areas. The shortage of 200,000 skilled welders by the year 2010, according to the American Welding Society, reflects the desperate need for training.

The welders are shareholders in NANA. The Red Dog Mine, the largest zinc mine in the world, operates under an agreement with NANA and a private mine operator. Profits from the mine, along with profits from NANA’s worldwide operations in such things as oilfield support, hotel management and contracting are paid out to the shareholders and are used to support programs such as the welding training.

NANA Regional Corp. does business worldwide with more than 6,500 employees working in almost 50 companies around the world. NRC is based in Kotzebue in Northwest Alaska, one of 13 native-owned regional corporations created by the 1972 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. NANA is owned by more that 11,000 shareholders of Inupiat Eskimo descent. The NANA region is 38,000 sq mi, mostly inside the Artic Circle.

After adjusting to climate change and South Louisiana food, 13 of the original 14 members that began in November completed training with certifications in plate and pipe welding.

Blitch/Knevel, Broadmoor complete design of Holy Cross School

Blitch/Knevel Architects and Broadmoor Design Group, in a joint venture partnership, have completed the design of the new Holy Cross School in New Orleans. Construction is underway on the new campus and will be completed in August 2009.

Broadmoor LLC is serving as construction manager for the project. Project estimates at this time are about $35-40 million for full project costs.

The new campus for 1,000 students (replacing the 9th ward campus destroyed by Hurricane Katrina) will include a new middle school, high school, administration building and a 2,000-seat gymnasium and physical education facility.

Special features include: library and resource center (30,000 volumes); science technology center (six labs and support facilities); fitness center; wrestling facilities; drama and art facilities; football and baseball Fields; ample off-street parking for students, staff and visitors.

Future phases will include a Chapel and Performing Arts Center. The campus will be have a wireless computer network system, supporting every Holy Cross student’s laptop computer. All of the new construction will be built 6 ft above the flood plain.

Holy Cross was founded in 1879 on Dauphine Street in the lower 9th Ward. Master planning for the original campus is under way at this time. The new Holy Cross is located on Paris Road in New Orleans’ Gentilly neighborhood.

SJB Group’s Land Surveying Division receives honors

SJB Group LLC of Baton Rouge, La., received seven awards from the Louisiana Society of Professional Surveyors during the 2008 Annual Meeting and Convention in Natchitoches, La.

SJB Group received first place honors in Boundary/Cadastral Maps, Topographic Maps, Subdivision Maps, ALTA/NSPS Survey Maps and Miscellaneous Maps categories. The Boundary Survey measures the perimeter of a piece of property or parcel, while the Topographic Survey measures the existing elevations and improvements.

The Subdivision Map shows the arrangement of property lines, lots and other features that will occupy the site. The Miscellaneous Map entered by SJB Group was a combined boundary and topographic survey.

SJB Group Surveying Division Manager Garner Morales says, “The bestowment of these awards upon us by our fellow professional surveyors is an honor that demonstrates our dedication to the profession and to delivering the highest quality of workmanship to our clients.”

The winning plats were presented to Frederick Dugdale, Drafting and Design Technology Division of the Louisiana Technical College, T. H. Harris Extension Campus, Opelousas, La., for use in its surveying program.

SJB Group provides planning, civil engineering, land surveying, construction services and recreational consulting services to commercial, industrial, institutional and governmental clients throughout the Southeastern region.

Landis selected as Xavier University contractor

Landis Construction Co. LLC of New Orleans has been selected as the contractor for the Xavier University Qatar Pharmacy Pavillion. The architect is Blitch Knevel.

The project will make use of a generous donation from the Persian Gulf nation Qatar, which in 2006 pledged $100 million to help Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Katrina. Xavier was given $12.5 million to expand its College of Pharmacy as well as additional funds designated for scholarships.

Other recipients in the area were Habitat for Humanity, Tulane University and Louisiana State University. The new pharmacy building at Xavier will be a spacious 80,000 sq ft at a construction cost of about $25 million. Xavier has the only pharmacy school in New Orleans and enrolls more than 500 students.

The Qatar Pharmacy Pavillion will be ready for students during the 2009-2010 school year.

Landis Construction Co. also announced its membership in the United States Green Building Council, which it joined in February. Landis completed its first green project last spring, a house for Global Green in the Holy Cross neighborhood.