  
|
CONSTRUCTION-
August 2003
by Kym Voorhees Raque
Sidebar-
Building a Better
Kentucky
A review of current public construction projects in Kentucky
 Despite
recent economic woes, engineers, architects and contractors around Kentucky
have remained busy. The following is a review of some of the community
development construction projects now in progress throughout the state.
Boone County
Construction on the new Boone County Family YMCA began in April 2003
and is scheduled for completion by May 2004, according to Mike Hemmer,
senior vice president of construction services for Paul Hemmer Companies,
the construction managers. The new 46,000-square-foot YMCA, located
at KY 18 and Veterans Way, will serve nearly 2,500 families. The
$7.5 million facility will have an indoor and outdoor aquatic specialty
center, gymnasium, health and fitness complex, aerobics studio, locker
rooms, child care area and community gathering spaces, said Hemmer.
 Bowling
Green
Renovations to the E.A. Diddle Arena on the campus of Western Kentucky
University in Bowling Green began in May of 2002 and will be completed
by September 2003 at a cost of $22 million. According to Tony Kleyer,
vice president with the Louis & Henry  Group,
the project architects, the building is receiving a face lift and complete
redesign of the HVAC system, replacement of the bleacher seats and flooring,
and the addition of executive boxes.
 Edgewood
Construction on a 40,000-square-foot addition to the school at St. Pius
X began in March 2003 and is expected to be completed by April 2004
according to Mike Hemmer, of construction services for Paul Hemmer Companies,
the construction managers. The $7.9 million addition includes a new
gymnasium, locker rooms, classrooms, offices and new kitchen. The existing
gym will be remodeled to house a new library and computer lab. This
is the largest school project the Diocese of Covington has ever undertaken,
according to Hemmer.
 Ghent/Carroll
County
A $13 million renovation of the earthen dam located at the Kentucky
Utilities’ chemical and plant water treatment basin in Ghent began
in July 2002 and will be completed by November 2003, according to John
Montgomery, project manager/associate with Fuller, Mossbarger, Scott
and May Engineers, Inc., contract administrators on the project. The
dam will be raised from 160 feet to 200 feet and will be made from 1.8
million yards of earth and rock.
 Louisville
Phase II of the $127 million expansion and renovation project at Churchill
Downs began in July and is expected to be complete by May 2005, just
in time for the Kentucky Derby. According to Dennis DeWitt, P.E., president
of Luckett & Farley Architects, Engineers and Construction Managers,
Inc., this phase is estimated at $100 million and includes building
a new clubhouse with a dining room, Turf Club, upgraded boxes, off-track-betting
facility, larger press facilities, group sales spaces, corporate suites
and state-of-the-art kitchen.
 Four
historic buildings located on Main Street in downtown Louisville will
be converted to house the new 120,000-square-foot Frazier Historic Arms
Museum at a cost of $16 million. According to Norman Berry, managing
partner, K. Norman Berry Associates, the interior has been totally demolished
and is being rebuilt. Because the original buildings are on the National
Historic Registry, the exterior structure remains and is being renovated
in accordance with the Department of Interior guidelines, said Berry.
The museum is scheduled to open in March 2004.
The Bakery, part
of Sullivan University’s Culinary Arts Program, is receiving a
$2.25 million face lift and remodeling, according to Tony Kleyer, vice
president, Louis & Henry Group, the project architects. The award-winning
program uses the facility as a laboratory for students and a retail
facility where baked goods created by the  students
are sold to the public. The renovations will give the facility a more
modern look and the additional space will provide students with more
room to work.
 Paducah
Due to open in January 2004, The Four Rivers Center for the Performing
Arts will include a 1,800-seat concert theatre and a 250-seat flexible
space theatre, as well as performer and audience support facilities.
Construction on the 107,000-square-foot facility began in the fall of
2001 at a cost of $30 million according to Chris Villier, vice president
development for Whittenberg Construction Company, the project managers.
The main stage theatre will accommodate opera, ballet, Broadway shows,
large symphony orchestras and corporate meetings.
Kym Voorhees Raque is a staff writer for The Lane Report.
editorial@lanereport.com
Back to August Issue
|
