In this Spring edition, articles include:

Time to Build: Today, owners are getting the best value in a generation.
by Mike Bolen, Chairman & CEO, McCarthy
Many owners are beginning to take advantage of a welcome side-effect of the current recession: an unprecedented drop in the cost of building materials and labor.

Why Building the Community is Just as Important as Building the Project.
by Angeles Garcia, McCarthy Project Manager, Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center
When a construction project is in full swing in a neighborhood, next door to a business, or along a heavily traveled highway, it can be a nuisance. Find out how to turn this project challenge into a win-win for everyone.

See the National Edition now.

Readers can also view region-specific content by selecting from the drop down menu titled View Other Editions. These include Central, Nevada/Utah, Southern California, Northern Pacific, Southwest, Southeast, Texas and MC Industrial.

The $75 million wastewater treatment plant, constructed for the city of Chandler, is located near McQueen and Queen Creek roads and received the award in the Environment category for construction projects costing between $25 million and $75 million. The APWA presented the award to the project team at the association’s statewide conference held in Phoenix last week.
The award recognizes public infrastructure projects that exemplify excellence in management and administration, including safety performance, construction techniques, community relations and environmental stewardship.

“We’re honored that this project has been named ‘Project of the Year’ by the American Public Works Association, the oldest and largest organization of its kind in the world,” said Robert Knochenhauer, vice president and business unit leader of McCarthy’s Water Services team. “Our project team was able to stay focused on keeping the facility running throughout the entire expansion process and never once caused the plant to be out of compliance.”

The construction expanded the AWRF’s treatment capacity from 10 million gallons per day (mgd) to 15 mgd and included the installation of new treatment processes, equipment and reservoirs. In addition to increased capacity, the plant also boasts enhanced reclaimed water capabilities, which support the use of recycled/reused water for irrigation purposes.

The project team logged more than 650,000 man-hours over the 29-month-long project without a single lost time incident, a remarkable safety record.

Planning and pre-construction for the Chandler Airport Water Reclamation Facility began in March 2007 and the project was completed in November 2009.

About McCarthy
Ranked among the “Best Places to Work” by The Business Journal in Phoenix, McCarthy has helped define the Arizona landscape for more than 30 years. Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the oldest and largest privately held construction firms in the nation. The Water Services team in the Southwest offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design-build services for wastewater and water treatment projects in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. The team also covers construction projects in the mining, solar, nuclear and fossil fuels industries. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. For more information, visit www.mccarthy.com.

“We’re honored that this project has been named Wastewater Project of the Year by the AZ Water Association,” said Robert Knochenhauer, vice president and business unit leader of McCarthy’s Water Services team. “Working in conjunction with Wilson Engineers and the city of Chandler, our project team was able to develop dynamic, responsive solutions to the increased water demands faced by the city.”

The construction expanded the AWRF’s treatment capacity from 10 million gallons per day (mgd) to 15 mgd and included the installation of new treatment processes, equipment and reservoirs. In addition to increased capacity, the plant also boasts enhanced reclaimed water capabilities, which support the use of recycled/reused water for irrigation purposes.

The project team logged more than 650,000 man-hours over the 29-month-long project without a single lost time incident, a remarkable safety record.

“McCarthy has been a great partner on this project,” said Kim Neill, utility operations manager for the city of Chandler. “The project team came to the city’s aid when a major sewer line leading into the plant burst beneath McQueen Road last August. Even though the problem was not caused by their work, they mobilized support immediately to resolve the flooding and bring the situation under control.”

Planning and preconstruction for the Chandler Airport Water Reclamation Facility began in March 2007 and the project was completed in November 2009.

About McCarthy
Ranked among the “Best Places to Work” by The Business Journal in Phoenix, McCarthy has helped define the Arizona landscape for more than 30 years. Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the oldest and largest privately held construction firms in the nation. The Water Services team in the Southwest offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design-build services for wastewater and water treatment projects in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. The team also covers construction projects in the mining, solar, nuclear and fossil fuels industries. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. For more information, visit www.mccarthy.com.

How True Builders Make a Difference
by Derek Glanvill, President and COO
A true builder has an end-to-end view of the entire construction process, from preconstruction through delivery and beyond. That adds value for owners, but there’s one central issue at the heart of the construction industry itself: forgetting how to build.

Is There a Perfect World in Project Delivery?
by Sue Stewart, Senior Vice President
The answer may be that creating the perfect project delivery method starts by implementing no defined project delivery method at all. Find out why.

See the National Edition now.

Readers can also view region-specific content by selecting from the drop down menu titled View Other Editions. These include Central, Nevada/Utah, Southern California, Northern Pacific, Southwest, Southeast, Texas and MC Industrial.

CCIP vs. OCIP: Which Comprehensive Insurance Program is Right for You?
by Bill Sharp, Vice President, Risk Management
With the size and scope of projects becoming larger every day, program sponsors (owners and contractors) are seeking alternative ways to address insurance needs, both from a coverage standpoint and a cost standpoint.

When the Hospital Board Says, “Build it Green!”
by John Kreidich AIA, LEED AP, Manager, Healthcare Services
Building green in the healthcare environment is here to stay. Well-chosen green building investments will yield benefits with either no additional cost or with a return on investment well within a hospital’s internal rate of return over the life of the improvements.

5 Questions to Ask Your Contractor About SAFETY
An Interview with Gary Amsinger, CSP, Corporate Vice President, Safety
In addition to simply keeping workers healthy and productive, strong safety execution reduces exposure for owners. Amsinger suggests that owners should ask, at the very least, these basic five questions of their prospective contractor.

See the National Edition now.

Readers can also view region-specific content by selecting from the drop down menu titled View Other Editions. These include Central, Nevada/Utah, Southern California, Northern Pacific, Southwest, Southeast, Texas and MC Industrial editions.

As part of its Homeless Education Program, the Roosevelt Elementary School District provides tutoring, uniforms, personal hygiene items, transportation, backpacks and other school supplies to children in need. Last year, the need quadrupled to more than 800 identified homeless children, compared with 180 children the previous year. Donations became even more important and the McCarthy Heart Hats committee stepped in to help collect supplies, which included binders, notebooks, backpacks, pens and pencils, personal hygiene items and snacks, among other items.

“Donations are truly valued as they impact the quality and level of assistance we provide to homeless students. As a result of donations, Roosevelt School District is able to enhance the efforts and support to students who are homeless so they can fully benefit from their educational experiences,” said Cynthia Bryant, director of Federal programs for the Roosevelt Elementary School District. “These donations truly impact our delivery of a very comprehensive homeless program.”

The McCarthy Heart Hats community outreach program is dedicated to ensuring real community needs are being met through hands-on activities and financial support. Last year alone, more than $1 million in financial support, in-kind and hands-on building contributions were made through the program.

“The Homeless Education Program is incredibly valuable in our community and it’s extremely important we help support them,” said Bo Calbert, president of McCarthy’s Southwest region. “We are grateful to all who contributed and feel privileged to be able to donate these much-needed school items, especially in these tough economic times when the need reaches new heights.”

About McCarthy Heart Hats
Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the oldest privately held construction firms in the nation.  The McCarthy Heart Hats community outreach program is dedicated to encouraging, supporting and recognizing McCarthy employees’ volunteer efforts in a variety of causes to ensure real needs are being met in communities where employees work, live and play.  A 100 percent employee-owned company, McCarthy employees are as passionate about building better communities as they are about construction. The company has offices in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, St. Louis, Atlanta, Dallas, Newport Beach, San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento.  More information is available on line at www.mccarthy.com.

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has introduced its new ‘green’ client newsletter, Insights That Build^SM.  It’s all part of the company’s goal of Leaving Green Footprints^®, a 10-year old program aimed at reducing McCarthy’s carbon footprint.  The first electronic edition includes valuable thought-leading content including:

How to get the best final cost on your next project
by Mike Bolen, Chairman and CEO
‘Conventional wisdom’ says that owners can’t have it all. In fact-by taking the right approach-you can turn an old saying into a smarter strategy: ‘Good, fast and cheap: pick all three.’

Design management – why owners get a better result
by Jim Mynott, Director of Design Management
In this economic climate, execution time from proposal to start of construction can be a deciding factor for project funding. A design management approach can help—and it maximizes other owner advantages.

Five things you should ask your contractor about quality
by Chad Dorgan, Vice President, Quality
There are few words in construction that are more used – or more misused – than the word “quality.”  To understand what it means to YOUR construction project, you and your contractor need to talk.

See the National Edition now.

Readers can also view region-specific content by selecting from the drop down menu titled ‘Other Regional Editions’.  These include Southern California, Northern Pacific, Southwest, Nevada/Utah, Texas, Central, and Southeast editions.

From Valentine’s Day through the beginning of May McCarthy volunteers will work on framing, roofing, fascia, windows, drywall, stucco, painting (both interior and exterior), countertops, finish carpentry, landscaping and installing security doors.  Each week a different set of volunteers will come out to the site and lend their expertise to the project. When complete the home will be part of a “Habitat Neighborhood,” which will eventually have 32 homes.

The homeowner and his family, refugees from Togo, are excited to watch their future home being built. “McCarthy is always welcome in our new home,” they told volunteers. The family became United States citizens in 2002, moving to the country in the 90s through a visa lottery.

This year McCarthy’s Southwest Heart Hats volunteers are focusing on assisting veteran-related causes in the community. In addition to building a home for the veteran and his family, Heart Hats volunteers also contributed to the Mesa-based Salute a Soldier Foundation. The funds will assist with the needs of injured military service members and their families as they return to their communities from the Middle East. Heart Hats volunteers also participated in the annual Veterans’ Day parade by funding and building the float that carried the grand marshals. McCarthy is proud that many of its employees are veterans.

About McCarthy Heart Hats
The McCarthy “Heart Hats” community involvement program is dedicated to encouraging, supporting and recognizing McCarthy employees’ volunteer efforts in a variety of causes to ensure real needs are being met in communities where employees work, live and play. McCarthy employees are as passionate about building better communities as they are about construction. In addition to recognizing outstanding employee volunteers and providing a companywide paid volunteer day, McCarthy “Heart Hats” donates countless hours of in-kind services and monetary contributions to improve communities each year.

Founded in 1864, 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 www.mccarthy.com.

PARKING

“McCarthy’s collaborative approach truly paid off for the city of Glendale. McCarthy returned more than $600,000 to the city from the construction contract, which enabled us to complete additional downtown beautification projects.”
—Bill Passmore, principal engineer, city of Glendale

Parking in downtown Glendale, Ariz., is now easier than ever. McCarthy recently completed the $16.2 million, 262,670-square-foot, four-story Palmaire Parking Garage with ground-floor retail.

Visitors to the spectacular Glendale Glitters holiday event, which attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year, experienced the complete garage firsthand this year. Last year, they got a preview, because the garage was constructed on a fast-track schedule that allowed the first three parking levels to be delivered prior to the holiday season. This was accomplished by seamless preconstruction planning that enabled the foundation to be built while the remainder of the garage design was being completed. In addition, the McCarthy team self-performed the concrete work, which allowed greater control over quality and scheduling. The caissons utilized more than 1,000 cubic yards of concrete – enough to pour more than 170 driveways. Architect: Dick & Fritsche Design Group, Phoenix, Ariz.

The plant currently serves 400,000 customers with an initial treatment capacity of 80 million gallons per day (mgd) and is expandable to an ultimate capacity of 320 mgd.

The Lake Pleasant plant was completed for the city of Phoenix by the design-build-operate (DBO) team comprised of the Black & Veatch-McCarthy joint-venture design-build team and American Water Enterprises, Inc., a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), which is the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility company.

Phoenix Councilman Claude Mattox, who serves as the vice chair of the National League of Cities Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Steering Committee, congratulated the team on the accomplishment. “Thanks to the efforts of the partners and our city engineers, this state-of-the-art water treatment plant will serve our growing community well into the future,” said Mattox.

The new plant, which is the largest integrated DBO project in North America, was designed to blend seamlessly into the desert landscape without disturbing the natural beauty of the area. As a result, 95 percent of the habitat was preserved in its natural condition.

The plant incorporates the latest developments in modern water technology and automation, which will benefit the residents of Phoenix.  The design-build process included sustainable features that lay the groundwork for future customer growth and development, expanded capacity and emerging treatment technologies. The team also successfully focused on developing the water treatment plant with streamlined, efficient operations.

“A key to the success in achieving our goals was to combine all resources under one roof, which enabled a collaborative work environment,” said Dave Mahaffay, senior vice president and West region managing director for Black & Veatch’s global water business. “All parties involved were focused on delivering the project on time and within budget, as well as on ensuring operational excellence in safety and construction management.”

According to Bob Knochenhauer, senior vice president of operations for McCarthy’s Southwest Division Water Services Group, “The team’s collaborative approach was critical to the effective management of each phase of this complex project. It allowed for construction to start two months ahead of schedule and a budget reduction of $30 million, positioning both the team and the community for success.”

The treatment process design incorporates seven independent barriers for pathogens, virus and bacteria removal while typical treatment plant designs incorporate three to four barriers. Selected water treatment processes – such as high-rate ballasted flocculation, ozone, granular activated carbon contractors and ultraviolet – achieve superior operating and cost efficiency with numerous inventive improvements specific to residents’ needs, the local environment and available resources.

The national award was presented at the DBIA Annual Conference and Awards Ceremony held recently in Las Vegas.

About Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch is a leading global engineering, consulting and construction company specializing in infrastructure development in energy, water, telecommunications, management consulting, federal and environmental markets. Founded in 1915, Black & Veatch develops tailored infrastructure solutions that meet clients’ needs and provide sustainable benefits. Solutions are provided from the broad line of service expertise available within Black & Veatch, including conceptual and preliminary engineering services, engineering design, procurement, construction, financial management, asset management, program management, construction management, environmental, security design and consulting, management consulting and infrastructure planning. With $3.2 billion in revenue, the employee-owned company has more than 100 offices worldwide and has completed projects in more than 100 countries on six continents. The company’s Web site address is www.bv.com.

About American Water
Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to approximately 15 million people in 32 states and Ontario, Canada. More information can be found by visiting www.amwater.com.

About McCarthy
Ranked among the “Best Places to Work” by The Business Journal in Phoenix, McCarthy has helped define the Arizona landscape for more than 30 years. Founded in 1864, McCarthy is one of the oldest and largest privately held construction firms in the nation. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. For more information, visit www.mccarthy.com.