McCarthy, one of the nation’s leading parking structure builders, has topped out the exterior concrete frame for the new 402,503-square-foot, three-level parking structure and adjacent 3,200-square-foot Public Safety Office at Grossmont College located at 8800 Grossmont College Drive in El Cajon, Calif.
Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District is the developer of the $24.5 million construction project. Ken Emmons of Gafcon is serving as project manager and Jim Davies is leading the Gafcon effort on site as the program/senior project manager on behalf of the District. International Parking Design is the project architect.
A topping out luncheon, catered by the Barbecue Pit of El Cajon, was hosted by McCarthy March 6th for consultants, subcontractors, District representatives and McCarthy project team members to commemorate the construction milestone. Approximately 100 guests were in attendance, including Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District Chancellor Dr. Cindy Miles, Vice Chancellor Sue Rearic, Vice President John Colson, and Director of Facilities Planning Development and Maintenance Tim Flood. Also representing the District was Dale Switzer, senior director of facilities planning and development.
The parking structure, which will accommodate 1,431 vehicles, features sections of metal trellises, stucco, and brick veneer on the external façade. Two pedestrian bridges will connect Grossmont College’s main campus to the parking structure.
According to McCarthy Project Manager Lee Sudhoff, the project team has faced some obstacles, such as encountering unknown obstructions during the excavation work, which resulted in delays to the start of the foundation work. The team also had to overcome weather delays because the rain impacted several critical deck pours.
“The delays due to the earthwork and weather have posed some challenges, but thanks to some dedicated crews and a little ingenuity on the part of the entire project team, we’re actually topping out ahead of schedule,” explained Sudhoff. “The project is on target for completion the end of July 2009.”
About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies and has been one of the leading parking structure builders since the advent of the modern parking structure in the 1960s. The company has delivered nearly 400 parking facilities throughout the United States, with parking spaces for more than 70,000 cars in California alone. The firm offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for parking structures; healthcare, educational, mixed-use, laboratory, biotechnical, retail, entertainment, industrial, multifamily and microelectronics facilities; green buildings; office buildings; tenant interiors; and bridges and highways. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.
