Air Products to build hydrogen production facility in Garyville

Air Products recently announced it will add new capacity to its Louisiana pipeline system by building a new hydrogen production facility in Garyville, La. 

The facility will supply the Garyville refinery operations of Marathon Petroleum Co. LLC, a subsidiary of Marathon Oil Corp., and other customers located on its Louisiana Hydrogen Pipeline Network. 

The 120 million-standard-cu-ft-per-day plant is projected to be on-stream in late 2009, in conjunction with Marathon’s major refinery expansion project.

Air Products had been supplying hydrogen via pipeline to Marathon’s Garyville refinery since 1993. Marathon’s hydrogen demand increased with its recent announcement of a plant expansion project that will expand the crude oil refining capacity of the Garyville refinery from 245,000 barrels per day to 425,000 bpd. 

“This new facility is the second large SMR added to our Louisiana network since late 2005. We strive to provide the lowest cost and highest reliable supply to our customers as they expand their facilities here in Louisiana,” says Jeff Byrne, vice president and general manager for Tonnage Gases.

Architects celebrate AIA’s 150th anniversary with reception

Louisiana chapters of the American Institute of Architects recently gathered to celebrate National AIA’s 150th anniversary and its work on community projects.

The reception, held at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center on April 13, was sponsored by the Louisiana chapter of the AIA.

The focus of AIA’s year long celebration, “Celebrating the Past, Designing the Future,” seeks to remind people about architecture’s ability to connect, inspire and empower people and communities.

As part of the AIA 150 Blueprint for America: A Gift to the Nation, the AIA Louisiana chapter projects are among many across the United States that are designed as community service projects.

A key requirement of the Blueprint for America initiatives is that they are guided by AIA’s Ten Principles for Livable Communities, which challenge architects to demonstrate how good design is as an investment and that well-designed communities attract and benefit residents, businesses and visitors, and meet the needs of present and future generations.

Palma lands Lake Charles hangar projects

Alfred Palma Inc. of Lake Charles was awarded five large hangar projects by Chennault International Air Port Authority to rebuild damage caused by Hurricane Rita.

The hangars total approximately 1 million sq ft and cost more than $22 million. The hangars will be used by Northrop Grumman Corp. and Aeroframe Corp.

Construction began in January 2006 and is scheduled to be completed in September. The projects include rebuilding the steel frames, roofs, walls and office space. The hangars have structural steel frames with metal roofs, and metal wall panels with large hangar doors to accommodate large jets.

The project manager is James Palma, vice president of Alfred Palma Inc.

Lake Charles based Alfred Palma Inc. was founded in 1986 and has successfully completed public, private, manufacturing, marine/port, sports, hospitality, educational and airport construction projects. The firm was recently ranked No. 31 in South Central Construction’s Top Contractors ranking in Louisiana, with annual 2006 revenue of $60 million.

Martin Cos. opens North America’s largest OSB plant

In a ceremony attended by state, regional and local dignitaries, Martin Cos. recently opened the massive Martco Oriented Strand Board facility in Oakdale, La. The Oakdale OSB plant is the largest manufacturing facility of its kind in North America.

The newest of its five manufacturing facilities, Martin Companies’ Oakdale OSB plant represents an investment of just under two years of construction and more than $200 million.

“Our new Martco OSB facility stands in testament to our family’s long-term commitment to meeting the forest-products needs of builders throughout the United States, and to bringing meaningful employment to the people of Central Louisiana,” said Jonathan E. Martin, chairman and CEO of Martin Cos.

Covering a 210-acre site, the OSB plant is the largest OSB manufacturing facility in North America. The Oakdale complex includes more than 670,000 sq ft of buildings, 14 acres of covered warehouse storage and three rail sidings.

Two 105-ft-tall, 15-ton Andritz gantry cranes tower over a log yard that spans the length of five football fields and can hold 40,000 cords of wood in inventory.  

DOTD announces results of March bid letting

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development recently considered bids totaling more than $72 million at its March 28 public bid opening.

With a bid of $27,961,357.89, Gilchrist Construction Co. LLC of Alexandria was the apparent low bidder on the state’s most expensive job, a project in Winn Parish calling for road base rehabilitation, replacing drainage pipe, asphalt overlay, concrete bridge and related work on U.S. 167 from the Grant Parish line to the City of Winnfield.

Corps makes floodwall repairs on Company Canal

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin repairing 2,400 ft of floodwalls on the Company Canal, according to Col. Richard Wagenaar, New Orleans District commander.

“In reanalysis of all I-walls, it was determined that the existing design did not meet the current Post-Katrina criteria necessitating the need for interim repairs.  Additionally, during the 2006 emergency armoring repairs, the walls settled,” said Wagenaar. “In order to maintain the level of safety necessary for West Bank residents we plan to move ahead as quickly as possible with repairs.”

To accomplish these repairs and to stay on time for other ongoing work in the canal, Col. Wagenaar has signed an emergency work declaration. This will allow for concurrent construction and environmental clearance to allow completion of interim protection by mid-summer.

Construction will be completed by the end of this year.

Construction companies provide materials for Louisiana park cleanup

In Youngsville and Broussard, La., where tax dollars aren’t available to keep local parks in good shape, the Broussard Youngsville Youth Association decided to take action. Todd Landry, an association board member, knew it was a cause the community would support and he reached out to local businesses for help.

The construction community came to their aid by providing materials for the first annual “Day for our Parks” volunteer clean-up.

“We’re part of this community,” said Chris Breaux of RSC Equipment Rental in Broussard, one of many companies that supported the event. “We’re happy to help make these parks a better place for our kids.”

Though the day of the event was rainy, volunteers still accomplished a lot. They used an RSC auger to plant trees, a lift to paint high places and a Bobcat to move dirt. “Since we’re a volunteer group, we have to have these partners to make it work,” said Landry.

For this event, RSC, 84 Lumber and Sherwin Williams all answered the call.

Devan Inspection acquired by Maritime & Commodity Services

The principal owners of Maritime & Commodity Services LLC acquired the assets of DeVan Inspection Co. Inc. in March. 

DeVan was originally established in 1933 by B. C. DeVan as an independent inspection company servicing the various seaports along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The new organization, DeVan Inspection Co. LLC, continues to operate as an independent entity from its Darrow, La., location.

The addition of DeVan affords Maritime & Commodity a stronger physical presence upriver (Mississippi River) near many of the major bulk handling operations. Maritime also offers logistics, protective agency and bulk commodity processing services to DeVan’s client base.