Inside AGC

May/June 2009

AGC of Colorado Members Partner to Rebuild Windsor’s Chimney Park

Chimney Park’s three ballfields were rebuilt with donated time and materials from AGC/C members and the industry. (Photo courtesy of Windsor Beacon)

When the town of Windsor was hit by a tornado in May 2008, homes, businesses and a community’s way of life were ripped apart.

Immediately after the storm, northern Colorado AGC members responded with equipment, manpower and emergency generators. As the community began to dig out, it became clear that the phenomenal amount of damage would take a great deal of time and money to repair.

“Our families work, live and play in this area; it’s our home,” says Taryn Edwards, vice president of Greeley’s Hensel Phelps Construction Co. “Our focus was to protect and help our community.”

AGC/C Executive Director Michael Gifford and Loveland general contractor GH Phipps met with Windsor’s town manager and mayor on behalf of AGC to express the association’s desire to help. They learned that the municipal ballfield complex in the town’s beloved Chimney Park had taken a direct hit from the tornado. Fifty-year-old trees were snapped in half, ballpark fences were mangled and scattered, the park grounds were littered with glass, nails and debris, and the bleachers, dugouts and scoreboards were unrecognizable.

While many AGC members were already helping local businesses and the Windsor community with access, safety measures and temporary structures, the association decided its members would come together to donate their time and materials to re-create Chimney Park—and the entire industry responded, Edwards says.

“One of the strengths of the Windsor community is its youth, and a lot of kids were going to do without baseball,” says Phipps’s Charlie Graft, CEO. “Rebuilding Chimney Park was an opportunity to give back to the communities that we build as part of our businesses.”

Team AGC

Hensel Phelps and Phipps quickly assembled an impressive team of construction experts to lead the project. Todd Ruff of GH Phipps managed the project’s budget and preconstruction efforts while Mike Murphy served as senior superintendent managing the total project schedule. Hensel Phelps Project Manager Steve Culbertson and Superintendent Tim Schuessler provided onsite coordination services throughout the project, running the schedule and coordinating all of the subcontractors and supplier donations.

In addition to managing the project, the two general contractors also grabbed their shovels to perform a considerable amount of the construction. Hensel Phelps self-performed the structural concrete work for the dugouts and score booth at one of the fields and the concrete for the concessions stand while GH Phipps performed all the concrete work on the other two fields. Hensel Phelps also handled the masonry for the concession stand and two park signs.

Many other AGC/C members pledged their help as well. Ludvik Electric donated its time and talent to complete the electrical design for the project, including scoreboards, score booths, concession stand, site lighting and a maintenance shed. Meanwhile, Encore Electric coordinated free manpower from various electricians.

Encore Project Manager Dave Aguiar, a Windsor resident whose kids will use the park, worked closely with Sturgeon Electric, Interstate Electric and Benchmark Electrical Solutions, coordinating the donated labor and materials from each of the firms.

Robinson Brick donated all of the block for the dugouts, concession stand and three smaller buildings while Steelock Fence donated close to $45,000 of fencing materials and labor.

“The mayor’s vision for all of the post-tornado projects was to make something better than it was before,” says Sean Farley, Steelock general manager.

Farley says it seemed like an unattainable goal to have all three ballfields finished and playable by the one-year anniversary of the tornado, especially on a project comprised of donations during tough economic times. “But we got it done—and I don’t think the coordination and collaboration could have gone any better!” Farley says.

“This project would not have been possible had it not been for the commitment of the contractors, subcontractors and suppliers in our industry. Our overwhelming gratitude and thanks goes out to our professional industry,” Edwards says.

Field of Dreams

Planning meetings began in August and work commenced in December. “Meetings became a real collaborative effort as everyone dug deep to ask friends and colleagues in the construction industry to team up with us in extraordinary ways to help save the community from committing more funds,” says Phipps’s Grace Abbott, who is also a Windsor resident.

As a result, 77 partnering organizations and nearly $2 million of in-kind donations ultimately led to the construction team rebuilding all three baseball fields, dugouts, concession stands and three smaller buildings. The scoreboards were replaced, along with a new irrigation system, sod and sidewalks. A resurrected Chimney Park was dedicated on May 22, a year to the day of the tornado’s devastating hit.

Today, the project represents the hope, determination and perseverance of a community. As the Windsor community plays outlying teams from Wyoming, Kansas and Nebraska, this good deed will serve many more children and families in the bigger picture.

“This project was a success because of all of the partnerships and support AGC brought to the table. Their incredible team made it possible to open the fields in such a short time frame,” says Wade Willis, director of parks and recreation for the town of Windsor.

“This project says a lot about our membership, especially in these economic times,” Graft says.

And while no one wants to experience another natural disaster, AGC now has a strategy for how the association can respond in conjunction with FEMA and the Red Cross in future emergencies. Graft suggests that the AGC acronym could stand for the Association of Giving and Caring. The citizens of Windsor would likely agree.