Crooker Wins 2021 Build Maine Award for Morse High School

Posted by Michael Poliskey on
Build Maine AWARD

Crooker received the 2021 Build Maine Award in the Municipal division for the Morse High School and Bath Regional Career and Technical Center in RSU 1. (Bath, Maine). Presented by the Associated General Contractors of Maine, this award is presented to applicants whose projects show a contribution to the community, innovation in construction techniques or materials, meeting the challenge of a difficult job, shows responsiveness to clients/customer needs and has a clean safety record. This project, among other accomplishments, passed those requirements with flying colors.

AGC Build Maine Awards Presentation:

CROOKER CONSTRUCTION – MUNICIPAL DIVISION

Successful teamwork was the key to Crooker Construction’s completion of Morse High School and Bath Regional Career and Technical Center in RSU 1, in Bath. From design to engineering to quarrying to construction, Crooker built a team of professionals who seamlessly coordinated with each other and with the community, earning Crooker the Building Maine Municipal Division Award.

The new three-story, 186,000-sq.ft. high school and technical center accommodates 650 students, and the site includes a new artificial turf athletic field, parking for 285 cars, a new pedestrian and bicycle path, and a new span bridge.

Working with and because of COVID-19 restrictions, Crooker provided opportunities for community input and site visits, and early student use of the athletic field. This cooperative spirit earned praise from RSU 1, the architects, and other stakeholders.

CHALLENGING SITE

A big challenge was the need to remove 500,000 cubic yards of rock. As part of the project team, Maine Drilling and Blasting developed an innovative plan to make ledge cuts of up to 80 feet deep in a single pass, allowing for 10,000 to 15,000 CY shots, two or three times per week. This meant relocating three crushing spreads and heavy equipment every other day. Existing bedrock materials were crushed and produced on site, limiting congestion and wear and tear on public roadways, and reducing off-site decibel levels. In addition to 70- to 80-foot cuts and 70-foot fills, Crooker also dealt with a 40-foot-deep pocket of soft marine clay in the middle of the building pad, adjacent to 40-foot ledge cuts, and another area under the abutment near a bridge approach ramp. Because the building and sitework were separate contracts, groundwork could begin before the design was complete, accelerating the project.

During the two-and-a-half- year project, Crooker had to control erosion, sedimentation, and dust for the 1,000,0000 SF of exposed soil, and contain sediment in Mill Pond, which bisected a large portion of the site.

COMMUNITY BENEFIT

As a high school, technical center, and athletic facility, this structure is a center of community life, so involving stakeholders was a priority.

Crooker involved the community from the beginning of the project, with information sessions about the process and timeline. RSU 1 staff, building committee members, school board members, educators, students, and the public attended a groundbreaking ceremony. Crooker held guided tours during the construction, including to First Responders, and provided PPE and education about developing the large, complex site. When COVID-19 restrictions meant that student athletes needed outdoor practice space, Crooker made the new artificial turf field safely available prior to final site completion. After completion, Crooker donated a scoreboard for the new field.

SAFETY

With the amount and frequency of blasting, especially on a steep slope, safety was an even bigger priority than usual and necessitated elaborate coordination with subcontractors through project- specific planning and strategic scheduling. Crooker is proud to have achieved zero lost time injuries in 105,000 total work hours, thanks to experienced and skilled employees and subcontractors.

PROJECT TEAM

OWNER – REGIONAL SCHOOL UNIT 1, BATH

  • Patrick Manuel, Superintendent of Schools

MAINE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

  • Jim Harford, Project Manager
  • David Lewis, DOE Representative
  • Architect: Lavallee Brensinger Architects
  • Ron Lamarre, Design Principal
  • Cuyler Feagles, Clerk of The Works

SITE CIVIL ENGINEER: SEBAGO TECHNICS

  • Kylie Mason, Project Manager
  • Craig Burgess, PE

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER: SW COLE ENGINEERING

  • Tim Boyce, PE, Project Manager

BRIDGE ENGINEER: CALDERWOOD ENGINEERING

  • Eric Calderwood, PE

PRIME CONTRACTOR: CROOKER CONSTRUCTION, LLC

  • Thomas C Sturgeon, PE, President & CEO
  • Rick Powers, Senior Project Manager
  • Dale Spratt, Site Superintendent
  • Craig Kroot, General Superintendent
  • Shoshanna Starks, Project Engineer
  • Richard Morgan, Crushing Superintendent
  • Ian Pinette, Project Manager/Drone
  • Aaron Sayler, QC Manager

SPECIAL CONSULTANTS:

  • John Paradis (Nortrax)
  • David Wentworth (Whitney & Sons)

KEY SUBCONTRACTORS:

Maine Drilling & Blasting

  • Todd Beaulieu, General Superintendent
  • Jim Purington, Site Superintendent

Goodwin Well & Water Inc.

  • Scott Abbotts, President
  • Jesse Goodwin, Superintendent

Wyman & Simpson, Inc.

  • Paul Berube, Project Manager
  • Don Pratt, Superintendent Dirigo Slipform
  • Jay Shorette, President
  • Kevin Wright, Project Manager

Main Line Fence Co

  • Ray Clark, Guardrail Install Foreman
  • Chuck Maselli, Fence Install Foreman

Thirsty Turf Irrigation, Inc

  • Josh Doucette, President
  • Andy Cary, Superintendent NET Sports Group
  • Wendy Dawson, Project Manager

Helical Drilling

  • Derek Simpson, PE, Project Manager
  • Craig Harris, Superintendent Bark Brothers
  • George & Kevin Janosco, Owners

KEY SUPPLIERS:

Precast Concrete Products of Maine

  • Branielle Bergeron, General Manager
  • Doug Moore, Project Manager

Everett J Prescott, Inc.

  • Jason Chadwick, Project Manager