Former Mayor and current council member Frank G. Fry spoke during the ceremony along with McCarthy Project Manager Blaze Bartoli. The event was both a thank you to the contractors and a tribute to the progress made thus far. The Chief of Police Andy Hall, Captain Mitch Waller, Captain Ron Coopman and Sgt. Brian Carpenter were in attendance along with several other dignitaries from the city of Westminster, construction workers and project consultants.

During the topping out event, the final steel beam was signed by event guests and an American flag and evergreen tree were attached to the beam before it was lifted and secured to the top of the police headquarters structure. Marking the mid-way point in the life of a construction project, the topping out tradition of attaching a tree and flag to the final structural beam has been practiced by construction workers for over 1000 years. The tree represents growth, life and good luck during the project and for the building’s future occupants. The flag is displayed as a patriotic symbol that signifies the united effort by the project team to achieve a common goal.

Westminster City Mayor Margie L. Rice was unable to attend the event, but McCarthy arranged for the beam to be lowered and signed by her after the event. Mayor Rice said she was honored and excited to sign the beam and to be included in this project milestone for the Police Headquarters, which is part of the overall revitalization plan for the Westminster Civic Center.

The $65 million (development cost) police headquarters project includes construction of a 91,000-square-foot police building housing an upgraded 911 communications center, a new forensic lab, increased evidence storage capacity, an Emergency Operations Center, a Type I jail facility and administrative work space. The project also includes site work such as driveways, surface parking, a sallyport, landscape and fire access lane improvements.

On schedule for completion in May 2011, the police building was designed by AECOM of Orange, Calif. to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Requirements.

The Westminster Police Department Headquarters is one of three police facilities McCarthy is currently constructing in partnership with Griffin Structures. McCarthy is serving as construction manager and Griffin Structures in the program manager. The other projects include a 62,064-square-foot police station in Buena Park, Calif., and a 55,000-square-foot police station in Hesperia, Calif.

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

McCarthy has begun preconstruction services on the new 15,000-square-foot College of Southern Nevada (CSN) Fire Station. McCarthy was recently awarded the $5.5 million project by the city of Las Vegas and CSN and will serve as Construction Manager at Risk (”CMAR”) throughout the construction of the project.

Located on the CSN campus at the southwest corner of Torrey Pines Drive and Oakey Boulevard, the new single-story facility will serve a dual purpose of providing 4,000 square feet of classrooms and lecture halls as well as housing a four-bay fire station for the city of Las Vegas.

“Our experience has taught us that getting involved early is the key to getting the project both started and completed on time,” said Ryan Heeter, project director for McCarthy. “We are currently working with the design team to establish project goals and budget considerations. This is a collaborative effort between all parties involved to provide the owner with an accurate design, cost and schedule prior to the start of construction.”

Designed by JMA Architecture Studios, the building features LEED standards that provide energy saving components such as increased day lighting, water efficient landscaping and provisions for the installation of solar panels. Scheduled for completion in the fall of 2010, the new building will be constructed using metal stud framing with an EIFS and Stone exterior finish.

About McCarthy
Recognized by the Nevada Contractors Association as the “Safest Contractor of the Year” in 2008, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has helped to define the Southern Nevada landscape for more than 30 years. McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies. The firm is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

“Dallas County is delighted to have McCarthy on board for this project.  It’s a large project that needs to be completed on time and McCarthy has gotten off to a great start,” said Dan Savage, Dallas County assistant administrator for operations. 

“The new four-story, South Tower will connect to the existing Lew Sterrett West Tower,” explained McCarthy Project Director James Leppo.  “Our focus throughout this project will be to minimize disruption to the existing facility during the construction.  The project has many challenging aspects and McCarthy is excited about building this facility for the residents of Dallas County.  The facility will be constructed according to regulations set forth by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and will include special materials and security features such as heavy duty electronic doors that can be remotely secured.”

A portion of the new building is key-shaped and is designed to fit into and completely fill an open area in existing buildings. After completion of the new building, doors on each level will be cut between the new and existing building.

Comprised of a concrete frame with brick exterior, the new facility will require 50,000 cubic yards of total concrete, with over 23,000 cubic yards of that below grade in the piers. There are 550,000 blocks of concrete masonry unit (CMU) on the exterior of the building. With its location adjacent to the Trinity River basin and above a decades-old landfill, the South Tower’s construction requires drilling 285 cased piers to unusual depths, some reaching 160 feet deep.

The project’s key challenges relate to the underground construction. Complex tunnels are being built to facilitate transport of prisoners from the sally port, or receiving area, to the secure facility via elevators. Other challenges include building an underground elevator and a single level parking garage which will provide additional parking for up to 27 law enforcement vehicles.

About McCarthy
Founded in 1864, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately held construction firms.  The company provides general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for correctional, healthcare, education, parking, entertainment, retail, laboratory, biotechnical, microelectronic, and industrial facilities; office buildings; tenant interiors; mixed-use; and bridges and highways.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned.  More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com.

LIBRARY

“McCarthy provided teamwork, leadership and direction in this outstanding collaborative project delivering a much-needed integrated library facility.”

— Darla Wegener, director of library services, city of Lincoln

The Lincoln Public Library at Twelve Bridges is located in the heart of Lincoln and will serve as the focal point of the future Sierra Community College—Lincoln Campus and the Twelve Bridges High School.

The single story, 40,000-square-foot facility accommodates the informational, technological and meeting space needs of both campuses, as well as the greater Sacramento community. A recipient of a $10.4 million grant from the California Public Library Construction and Renovation Board, the joint-use library includes community and group meeting spaces equipped with computer labs, video-conferencing capabilities, tutoring areas, curriculum development labs for faculty and a spacious section devoted to children’s reading. The library also boasts a number of sustainable features to minimize its environmental footprint. This project was a cooperative effort between the city of Lincoln, Sierra College and Western Placer Unified School District. McCarthy developed a comprehensive communications plan with all councils and boards and implemented a construction timeline that met the needs of all parties. Design/Build Architect: NTD/Stichler Architects, Auburn, Calif.

GOVERNMENT

“You normally compromise when you go through a VA process. I believe we got everything we wanted.”

— Dan Savage, facilities management, Dallas County

Piles are being driven, foundations are being poured, and a myriad of long-lead specialized equipment is being bought for Dallas’ version of “CSI.”

The $44 million, 112,000-square-foot facility will greatly enhance the County’s forensic capabilities and will include a ballistics testing facility, trace, DNA extraction and drug analysis labs, a one-story medical examiner’s office with a morgue and autopsy equipment, as well as administration areas and conference/teaching space for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “We had a very succesful and collaborative value engineering effort. We saved over $3 million without sacrificing any of the building’s required functionality. The cooperation among the McCarthy team, its subs and the architect produces very beneficial results,” said Dallas County’s Dan Savage. Scheduled for completion in April 2009, the project’s major challenge will be the coordination of all MEP elements, those making up more than a 1/3 of the project’s total cost. Architect: HKS, Inc., Dallas, Texas.

CORRECTIONAL

“Dallas County is delighted to have McCarthy on board for this project. It’s a large project that needs to be completed on time, and McCarthy is off to a great start.”

— Dan Savage, assistant administrator for operations, Dallas County

McCarthy recently broke ground on the new $61.7 million Dallas County Detention Center South Tower, a 335,000-square-foot expansion of the Lew Sterrett complex replacing two older facilities.

 The project’s key challenges relate to underground construction. A 4-level, concrete frame structure with brick exterior and masonry interior walls, the tower will be located adjacent to the Trinity River basin and above a decades-old landfill, requiring drilling 285 cased piers ranging from 100 to 160 feet in depth. In addition, McCarthy will construct complex underground tunnels to facilitate transport of prisoners from the sally port, or receiving area, to the secure facility via elevators. Finally, an underground elevator and single-level parking garage will provide additional parking for law enforcement vehicles. The project is scheduled to complete in fall 2008. Architect: HKS Inc., Dallas.