Construction Begins on Lake Shore Drive Access Ramps to Chicago Spire

Dublin-based Shelbourne Development Group Inc. has announced that construction is under way on the ramps from lower Lake Shore Drive to The Chicago Spire site.

The ramps will serve as a main artery for vehicles entering and exiting the site at 400 N. Lake Shore Drive.

Ramps will be built from both the north and southbound lanes on lower Lake Shore Drive accessing the site along its Ogden Slip side. One lane in both directions was closed in October and will be closed until January when construction of the ramps is expected to be complete.

Construction on the 2,000-ft residential building began in June 2007, and completion and occupancy of The Chicago Spire, designed by Santiago Calatrava, is expected in 2011.

Industry Groups Release ConsensusDOCS

Recently, 20 construction associations representing designers, owners, contractors, subcontractors and sureties launched ConsensusDOCS, with more than 70 collaboratively drafted construction contracts.

The release of ConsensusDOCS represents the first time that broad industry representation has had an equal voice in collaboratively drafting construction contracts.

Each document was drafted to reflect the project’s best interests, rather than a single party interest. These documents help parties to focus on better project results, rather than negotiating risk-shifting contract terms or go to court.

There are more than 70 documents that address all project delivery methods, from design-bid-build through a new innovative collaborative agreement (ConsensusDOCS 300). These contracts and forms help address emerging issues such as electronic communications and building information modeling (ConsensusDOCS 200.2).
Owner involvement was also a part of the drafting process.

For more information, visit www.consensusdocs.org.

Mixed-Use Building Starts, Several Planned in Normal

Ground was broken for the $75 million Uptown One, a 129,000-sq-ft, six-story, mixed-use building as part of a renewal plan in Normal, Ill.

It will be the first of three mixed-use buildings located on the future circular intersection in Uptown Normal.

The project includes three mixed-use facilities totaling more than 390,000 sq ft. It is intended to contribute to Normal’s revitalization efforts by offering big city amenities without the challenges associated with an urban lifestyle.

Uptown One will offer a mix of dining options, unique retailers and financial institution on the first floor. Office and commercial space will occupy floors two through four, offering quality Class A construction with close proximity to Illinois State University.

Floors four, five and six will include 34 urban-style condominiums designed to appeal to those who desire upscale urban living along with the conveniences of dining, shopping and entertainment just outside the front door. Condo prices will range from $175,000 for a one-bedroom condo to $425,000 for a three-bedroom condo. They will range from 800 to 1,900 sq ft.

The project is a result of a comprehensive renewal plan prepared by Normal. Addressing the needs of the community, the Town of Normal has an aggressive growth model aimed at improving the Uptown area and making the area a destination for people across East Central Illinois.

The developers are Champaign-based One Main Development LLC and Cleveland-based Fairmount Properties LLC. Indianapolis-based RATIO Architects is the designer.

$60M Food Processor Solidifies in Beloit

The $60 million Kerry Centre headquarters project recently broke ground in Beloit, Wis., near the Interstate 39/90 and Interstate 43 interchange. Kerry provides services in food production, sales and marketing.

The campus will consolidate the firm’s operations—four offices, three warehouses and multiple research and development facilities through the Midwest—into one location. The three-building campus will contain office space, laboratory space and a pilot plant for 260,000 sq ft on a 100-acre site. The completed project will house 660 of Kerry’s existing and future employees.

The project is anticipated to finish in spring 2009. The Milwaukee office of Providence, R.I.-based Gilbane Building Co. is the contractor.

Small Business Confidence Goes Down Three Points

The Northfield-based Small Business Research Board announced that the U.S. Small Business Confidence Index dropped to 43 during the third quarter of 2007, a decline of three points from the previous quarter.

Businesses in the Northeast, Midwest and the South—the same regions that provided the foundation for optimism in the first half of the year when the SBCI rose from 41 to 46—were the same regions that contributed to the third quarter decline. Each reported decreased confidence indexes signifying their concern about prospects for improvements in their business during the next 12 months.

Businesses in the Midwest with an SBCI of 39.66 were below the national average of 43.

Nationally, 37% of the respondents said they believed the economy will improve the next 12 months, a decline from the 43% reported during the second quarter.

The owners and managers of small businesses in each of the four regions were all concerned about the economy.

The overall prospects for revenue increases for the next 12 months also contributed to the lower SBCI with 53% of the participants acknowledging they believe their sales will grow, a decrease of the 58% who said the same the previous quarter.

One improvement is in the area of hiring where 39% of the participants said they expect hiring to increase during the next 12 months. This 2% increase from the summer 2007 poll was mostly supported by businesses in the western states where 45% believe they will add to their staff levels (up from 29%) and in the Midwestern states where 38% will boost employment (up from 36%).

Renovation of Missouri School Planned

The Hazelwood School District in suburban St. Louis has announced a $21.3 million renovation and expansion project that will include the addition of three buildings

Plans for the 93,000-sq-ft project on New Halls Ferry Road in Florissant include a learning center with classrooms and office space for administrative staff. A library will also be built at Central High School and additional classrooms and office space at Brown Elementary.

The St. Louis office of Kansas City, Mo.-based was selected as the contractor. St. Louis-based TR,i is the architect.

Logistics Support Center Planned for Scott AFB

The United States Army Corps of Engineers has awarded an $8.1 million design-build contract to construct a Logistics Support Center at Scott Air Force Base near Belleville, Ill., in the southern part of the state.

The 32,000-sq-ft LSC facility will serve the U.S. Air Force supply chain logistical operations management as an administration center for military supply and transport worldwide. The project is scheduled for completion in summer 2009.

St. Louis-based K&S Associates Inc. is the contractor and is partnering of Woolpert Inc. of Fairview Heights, Ill.

Corrections

• The data for Chicago-based Goettsch Partners was inadvertently not included in the tables indicating rankings of the Midwest’s design firms as part of the Top Design Firms feature in the October issue of Midwest Construction.

The following rank, category and billings indicate where the firm would have fallen had its data been included:

• 64, Ill., Ind., E. Mo. & Wis., $6,877,000
• 62, Worldwide, $11,866,000
• 38, Illinois, $6,589,000
• 37, Wisconsin, $288,000
• 14, Interiors, $1,010,000
• 40, New Buildings, $5,015,000
• 39, Architects, $3,979,000
• 13, Residential, $1,224,000
• 33, MEP, $1,221,000
• 9, Office, $2,983,000
• 6, Exterior, $488,000
• 37, Renovation, $852,000
• 35, Retail, $96,000
• 27, Billings Passed to Others, $2,410,000
• 40, Other New, $325,000

Contact Goettsch at 224 S. Michigan Ave. Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60604; 312-356-0600; fax 312-356-0601; www.gpchicago.com. James Goettsch is the president.


• Also, the list of operating companies of AECOM Technology Corp. in the main table of the Top Design Firms feature was incorrect about the AECOM operating companies in the Midwest. They are Austin AECOM, CTE, McClier, STS, DMJM Harris, DMJM Aviation, ENSR and Metcalf & Eddy.