Hurricane-resistant fire stations built in Plaquemines Parish

Utilizing an innovative construction system that can stand up to powerful hurricane force winds and provide for a quick return to operation following a storm, Hammurabi, a collaborative of qualified designers, architects, engineers, consultants and construction professionals, has begun construction on two fire station projects in Plaquemines Parish.

The Boothville-Venice Fire Station and the Port Sulphur Fire Station and EMS Complex will be the most recent examples of the stability and flexibility offered by Structural Concrete Insulated Panel (SCIP) construction.

“The extensive damage caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as the hurricanes of 2008, demonstrated that south Louisiana had to take a different approach to its construction means and methods,” says Alan S. Mackent, principal of Hammurabi, with offices in New Orleans and Miami

“We could not do things the same way. Our fire stations, schools, police stations, hospitals and community centers had to be built to withstand higher winds, conserve energy and be available to return to operation almost immediately following an evacuation or storm. These two fire stations meet the building needs of today’s south Louisiana.”

After years of extensive planning and review, including a public bid process, the SCIP system was selected as the construction design for the Boothville-Venice Fire Station and the Port Sulphur complex.

Only a few miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River and one of the southernmost points in Louisiana, Boothville-Venice faces the extremely high winds and tidal surges that accompany a hurricane.

Hammurabi will construct the fire station to withstand Category 4 hurricane winds and use ground-floor breakaway panels to combat tidal surges.

The Boothville-Venice station will also feature impact-resistant glass windows and solar energy panels for energy efficiency. These features will allow the fire station to remain standing and become operational quickly following a storm, providing a base of operations for first responders and parish officials.

Port Sulphur’s Fire Station and EMS Complex was devastated by 20-ft tidal waves during Hurricane Katrina. To address wave action, this new two-story, 13,000-sq-ft building also includes ground-floor breakaway panels and impact-resistant glass.

“These fire stations will stand strong. They will also be functional,” says Andy Verzura, principal of Hammurabi. “These buildings will feature improved air quality, a resistance to mold and mildew and top-level energy efficiency.”

Sizeler Thompson Brown Architects designed the Boothville-Venice Fire Station and the Port Sulphur Fire Station/EMS Complex. DonahueFavret Contractors is the general contractor for the Boothville-Venice project. Aegis Construction is the general contractor on the Port Sulphur project.

A specialist in SCIP systems, Hammurabi offers cost-effective green building solutions for commercial and municipal projects in south Louisiana.

The energy efficient building can decrease electricity usage significantly. Hammurabi’s SCIP system also meets all wind testing regulations for FEMA and the National Storm Shelt er Association in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast.

DOTD breaks ground on I-12 widening project

Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) Secretary William D. Ankner, as well as other state and local officials, recently marked the start of the Interstate 12 widening project.

Ankner hosted the groundbreaking ceremony at Bass Pro Shops in Denham Springs, La.

Other speakers included state representatives J. Rogers Pope, Clifton Richardson, M.J. “Mert” Smiley Jr. and Mack A. “Bodi” White Jr., as well as State Senator Dale Erdey, Livingston Parish President Mike Grimmer and Denham Springs Mayor Jimmy Durbin.

“I-12 is part of a corridor that connects two growing parishes,” Ankner said. “This $100 million project is important to the region because it will help alleviate traffic concerns and make the road safer for the more than 84,000 drivers who use the road daily.”

The project will widen I-12 from two to three lanes on the eastbound side from the west side of the O’Neal Lane overpass to just east of Pete’s Highway and on the westbound side from just west of 4-H Club Road to the west side of the O’Neal Lane overpass.

In addition, the project will widen the inside and outside shoulders to 12 ft and completely replace the east and westbound bridges over the Amite River.

The project is funded entirely with surplus funds provided by the state.

Work on the 3-mi segment of I-12 began in May and is expected to finish before Thanksgiving 2011. The prime contractor for the project is James Construction Group LLC of Baton Rouge.

DRC helps rebuild post-Katrina Louisiana

The DRC Group of Mobile, Ala., targets a September completion date for restoration of the Port Sulphur Government Building in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, ruined by floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

DRC is general contractor for the job, which began in June 2008. In addition to the repair of the 1950s era building, DRC is also general contractor for four other Plaquemines Parish government buildings damaged by Katrina.

Restoration of the Buras Auditorium is underway and scheduled to be completed in December. Behind that venue, DRC is leading construction for a new District 8 Council Building, scheduled for completion in September.

New construction in Plaquemines Parish for DRC also includes a replacement for the Buras Library, scheduled for completion in October at a FEMA required elevation of 15 ft, and a new Sign/Recreation/Public Right-of-Way Maintenance Building in Port Sulphur, scheduled for completion in time for the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

At the same time, the disaster recovery management company finished its Hurricane Ike recovery work for the city of Houston by collecting 5,442,653 million cu yds of debris.

DRC’s cleanup in Houston set the FEMA single-day debris collection record in late September 2008. As of May, DRC’s total collection rate of debris from Hurricane Ike in Texas totaled 9,029,928 cu yds.

Stanley Consultants retained for Baton Rouge airport project

Restoration of the Buras Auditorium by The DRC Group of Mobile, Ala., is under way and scheduled to be completed in December.

The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport has retained Stanley Consultants for the Greater Baton Rouge Airport District Taxiway “F” Rehabilitation and Extension project.

The project involves the design and preparation of plans and specifications for Taxiway F, which must be expanded to accommodatethe current and future aircraft needs of the airport. Stanley Consultants will design a parallel taxiway on the north side of Runway 13/31 that runs the full length of the runway.

It will be designed to accommodate Federal Aviation Administration Group 4 aircraft. This would allow operations ranging in size from small, single-engine aircraft to large, transport category aircraft.

Gresham, Smith & Partners to design new St. Bernard Parish Hospital

Gresham, Smith & Partners, a national architecture, engineering, interior design and planning firm, recently announced that it has been contracted by St. Bernard Parish Hospital Service District to provide architectural services for a new 40-bed hospital in Chalmette, La.

The facility will replace the former hospital that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and later demolished. Once completed, the hospital will re-introduce health care to St. Bernard Parish and the surrounding communities.

The anticipated design will be approximately 95,000 sq ft of space and include 32 medical/surgical beds and eight ICU beds with shelled space to accommodate additional beds with future expansion projects.

The hospital will accommodate both inpatient and outpatient services, including emergency, surgery, diagnostic imaging, pharmacy, laboratory and support services.

Since Hurricane Katrina damaged the previous facility, the community’s needs have been served by a temporary clinic.

“SBPHSD’s input will be integral throughout the design process as we work to develop an innovative design that will properly address the needs of the community, promote a healing environment and appropriately reflect the state-of-the-art services that will be provided,” says Scott McQueen, Healthcare principal, Gresham, Smith & Partners.

Sizeler Thompson Brown Architects and Duplantier & Meric Architects will also contribute to the efforts of the design team. Hammes Co. has been contracted as a developer/program manager of the campus.

GS&P has provided services for multiple projects focused on rebuilding the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coasts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

The firm recently received an award from the ACEC-TN for engineering services provided for the design of temporary pumping station expansions on 17th Street and London Avenue in New Orleans for the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Corps commander signs decision record for Chalmette Loop

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District Commander, Col. Alvin B. Lee, signed the Decision Record in May for proposed risk reduction projects along the Chalmette Loop in St. Bernard Parish following a 30-day public review period.

Individual Environmental Report (IER) 10, titled “Chalmette Loop Levee, St. Bernard Parish,” includes over 22 mi of T-wall constructed on top of the existing levees, encircling St. Bernard Parish.

“Part of our IER process included an analysis of levees, floodwalls and other alternatives to provide the 100-year level of risk reduction,” says Chris Gilmore, Corps senior project manager. “In this situation, floodwalls are most advantageous because they have the shortest construction schedule and minimal environmental impacts.”

The projects within IER 10 would reduce impacts from a storm surge event that has a one percent chance of occurring in any given year. This would reduce risk of damage to communities in St. Bernard Parish, including Chalmette, Meraux and Violet.

The next steps toward building the projects in IER 10 are to finalize the project designs and to obtain rights of entry for construction.

Construction will begin later this year.

Alternative arrangements allow the Corps to expedite the environmental process required of all federally-funded projects while fully complying with the intent of the National Environmental Policy Act.

DonahueFavret Contractors celebrates 30th Anniversary

DonahueFavret Contractors Inc. of Mandeville, La., celebrated its 30th Anniversary in May. Employees toasted the event with a crawfish and jambalaya social at the company headquarters.

DonahueFavret Contractors was formed in 1979 when John “Jack” Donahue Jr. left his family’s construction firm to begin his own.

Jack Donahue Contractors became DonahueFavret Contractors when Jack’s longtime friend, Robert Favret, joined in the company’s ownership.

Today, Jack leads the company as chairman and CEO, while son John Donahue III serves as president of the firm. Jack’s wife, Maura Donahue, and Robert Favret also share in the company’s ownership.

“We’ve been blessed to work with terrific clients who continue to call us for their construction needs,” says Jack Donahue. “There have been many changes over the past 30 years. We’ve adapted and weathered the tough times, and we always come out stronger.”

John Donahue adds, “We’ve got a strong team and we’re looking forward to the next 30 years.”

Today, DonahueFavret Contractors is one of the largest private companies on the Northshore with a staff of more than 60 professionals. The company specializes in healthcare, hospitality, retail and commercial construction and renovation and is licensed throughout the Gulf South.