concrete - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-28T16:12:00Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/concreteDelray Beach: Atlantic Crossing milestone: Concrete pours into future garage as massive project starts building uphttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-atlantic-crossing-milestone-concrete-pours-into-futu2019-10-30T18:34:29.000Z2019-10-30T18:34:29.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960899301,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960899301,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960899301?profile=original" /></a><em>Crews pumped 4,583 cubic yards of concrete from about 500 trucks in one day last month for part of the underground garage floor at Atlantic Crossing. Noise from trucks awakened neighbors as early as 2 a.m. <strong>Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
<p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>The first concrete mixer truck rumbled into Delray Beach in the predawn hours the first Saturday in October.<br /> When it was over nearly 15 hours later, some 500 trucks had delivered 4,583 cubic yards of concrete to create part of the underground garage floor for the massive Atlantic Crossing project.<br /> It was, according to the city, the longest and largest continuous concrete pour in county history.<br /> “It was neat to see,” said Andy Spengler, president of Spengler Construction & Masonry Inc., which partnered with Titan America.<br /> He arrived at the job site to the northeast of the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Federal Highway just after midnight and stayed until 10:15 a.m. The work crews were already there, and the trucks began arriving about 1 a.m. That pour created one-fourth of the underground garage floor. <br /> On Nov. 2 the trucks were scheduled to return again in the wee hours for another pour, although Spengler said that one would not be as large. Jordan Vance, who lives just south of the project, won’t be pleased to learn of another early morning. He posted on the Delray Raw Facebook page that he was awakened at 2 a.m. He shot a video of the truck caravan and added, “Will this project ever end, will I get to sleep again?”<br />Most of the nearly 40 people who posted responses agreed with the complaint about noise. Several bemoaned the change in Delray Beach from all the building, saying the city had lost its charm and appeal.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960899899,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960899899,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960899899?profile=original" /></a><em>ABOVE: Workers smooth the concrete poured for the floor of the underground parking garage at Atlantic Crossing in Delray Beach. BELOW: Dewatering pumps run continuously to send groundwater from the site to the Intracoastal Waterway.</em></p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960900873,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960900873,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="500" alt="7960900873?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p><br />The city granted permission for the concrete mixer trucks to arrive in the predawn hours. The work was done early on a Saturday to minimize disruptions for commuters. <br /> The site is only a block from the Intracoastal Waterway, so loud dewatering pumps run around the clock to rid the area of groundwater, which is filtered before flowing into the Intracoastal.<br /> Records show the project complies with its permit from the South Florida Water Management District. That permit expires March 31, 2021.<br /> The developer has said that after the garage is finished it will still need pumps and backup generators to use when the power goes out.<br />Excavation work on the other half of the site will continue as the underground garage is built. Two additional concrete pours will be scheduled depending on how quickly that work progresses. Spengler estimated the earliest date for the third pour would be in six weeks.<br /> Now that the garage has begun, vertical construction can start by the end of the year, according to Edwards Cos. Vice President Don DeVere.<br /> The $300 million mixed-use project occupies 9.2 acres and stretches along the north side of Atlantic Avenue from Northeast Sixth Avenue to Veterans Park.<br /> Edwards has signed three lead tenants for its retail and office building, which is projected to open in the fourth quarter of 2020.<br /> Two current Atlantic Plaza tenants that will move into the new building are Merrill Lynch and Chico’s, a women’s fashion store. The financial firm will occupy the entire 20,000-square-foot third floor of the new building and Chico’s will rent 3,150 square feet in a shop facing Atlantic Avenue.<br /> The new tenant is Chicago-based Hampton Social, a lifestyle-experience restaurant that has leased 8,677 square feet.<br /> DeVere also said the project’s first luxury residences would be finished in 2021 and park-side residential units would be added in 2023.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960900288,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960900288,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="550" alt="7960900288?profile=original" /></a><em>An aerial fiber artwork by sculptor Janet Echelman would fill part of the space. <strong>Rendering provided</strong></em></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Artwork proposed</strong></span><br /> The developer also wants to replace proposed central artwork of a tall aquarium with a 209-foot, multicolored aerial fiber artwork by noted sculptor Janet Echelman. <br /> She was inspired by fishermen in India when they were hand-tying their nets, according to her 2011 TED Talk. Echelman, a Tampa native, has a studio in the Boston area. She has said the work will mimic the flow of the Intracoastal from New England to South Florida.<br /> Edwards CEO Jeffrey Edwards loves art and Echelman’s work, said Paul Campbell, one of the project’s architects.<br /> Campbell represented Atlantic Crossing before the city’s Site Plan Review and Appearance Board in mid-October as he sought approval for landscaping and design changes in addition to the aerial sculpture.<br /> The building engineers need to know whether the soaring artwork is approved, Campbell said, because they will have to design the buildings to carry the load. <br /> One board member asked whether the artwork could withstand hurricane winds. Campbell said it could, but he did not know the exact wind speeds. The piece will not be removable, but will be attached to a cable that is then attached to the four buildings by metal cables.<br /> Another board member asked about the artwork’s impact on birds and people below. Campbell said he did not know, but Echelman would. He said she would come to a future board meeting.<br /> Board members said they liked the aerial artwork, but postponed the decision on the artwork and other changes because they were not given a complete list of requested changes from the 2014 plan. Most of the current members were not on the board when the site plan was approved.<br /> The project will be discussed at the Nov. 13 board meeting.<br /> Atlantic Crossing will transform nearly everything about that four-block piece of downtown Delray Beach. <br /> The project will add traffic, stores, offices and restaurants to the area, which sits just north of the Marina Historic District, whose small houses and narrow streets date to the 1930s.</p></div>Boynton Beach: First walls of City Center rise in Town Square projecthttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-beach-first-walls-of-city-center-rise-in-town-square-proj2019-07-03T16:30:00.000Z2019-07-03T16:30:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960875667,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960875667,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960875667?profile=original" /></a><em>A prefabricated four-story wall is lifted into place at the site of the old community center, across from the restored high school (far left) and Schoolhouse Children’s Museum. <strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
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<p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>After 20 years of talking and planning, another three hours of delays seemed appropriate as residents waited to watch the first City Center wall go up in the Town Square project that officials hope will create a downtown for Boynton Beach.<br /> “It’s like waiting for Christmas,” said Allan Hendricks, a landscape architect who lives in Boynton Beach. He was waiting for the 330-ton crane to slog across the muddy field on a rainy mid-June morning.<br /> Thuy Shutt, assistant director of the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, amazed a small group with her knowledge of concrete and how prefabricated walls can make the building process go quickly. She’s an architect by training. <br /> “Everyone in my office asked where I was going,” Shutt said as she rushed out the door for the wall-raising. She was dressed for the rainy weather in black rubber boots. <br /> Boynton Beach’s elected leaders and city officials have talked about needing a city center, an official downtown, for about 20 years. Without a downtown plan and incentives, developers went to the Congress Avenue corridor for housing and retail opportunities.<br /> The “Tilt Wall” event was promoted on social media and drew a small crowd of adults and children. <br /> City and CRA staff attended, including the city manager, library director, public art manager, recreation and parks director and development director. The mayor and two city commissioners were there, along with a past mayor and his wife. <br /> “What you’ll see today,” said Colin Groff, assistant city manager in charge of the Town Square project, “are four-story interior walls being raised. Then, the two-story exterior walls will be raised.”<br /> They are put together like Tinkertoys, he said.<br /> The crane was able to raise an 82-ton, four-story wall by using four long cables that were attached at eight lift points. <br /> The City Center will house the Boynton Beach government offices and the city library in a four-story building with 110,000 square feet.<br /> The building is part of the $250 million Town Square project, a public-private partnership between Boynton Beach and E2L Real Estate Solutions. The city’s estimated share is $118 million. The 16-acre area is bordered by Boynton Beach Boulevard on the north and Southeast Second Avenue on the south.<br /> The City Center will be finished in May 2020, Groff said. <br /> The renovation of the historic high school will be done in October. Its deadline was pushed back so that it won’t open before it can be used for arts and cultural classes and banquets. Right now, the area has limited parking until a six-story garage can be built just south of the City Center.</p></div>Lantana: Council considering options for Nature Preserve trailhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/lantana-council-considering-options-for-nature-preserve-trail2018-10-31T17:37:32.000Z2018-10-31T17:37:32.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Mary Thurwachter</strong></p>
<p>A year after Hurricane Irma left the trail at the Nature Preserve in shambles, the Lantana Town Council is still grappling with the best way to restore it. Only the front portion of the path is accessible.<br /> In May, the council talked about constructing a concrete path, a $66,000 project that would be built over two years. But council members said they weren’t thrilled with the idea of a concrete walkway in a nature preserve, and some thought the cost was too high. They asked Town Manger Deborah Manzo to look into other options, including one with composite wood and hand railings.<br /> On Oct. 8, Manzo presented an estimate of $709,470 from Marlin Marine Construction for a composite wood path with handrails and pilings. Council members said that project was out of its price range.<br /> Manzo said another option for the 6½-acre preserve at 440 E. Ocean Ave. would be to use treated wood, where the planks for the same square footage as the composite trail would be $8,279 (installation costs were not available). Council member Phil Aridas said he thought a pressure-treated wood boardwalk was the way to go, but others had different ideas.<br /> Vice Mayor Ed Shropshire suggested pavers and said Water Tower Commons was going to have them. <br /> Council member Malcolm Balfour said a macadam path like those at many golf courses would be far less expensive. <br /> “Concrete, which I’m not crazy about, is far better than pavers and certainly better than $709,470,” said council member Lynn Moorhouse. “Pavers move.”<br /> To cover all bases, Manzo was directed to get estimates on a path made of pressure treated wood, from pavers and on macadam.<br /> Mayor Dave Stewart said the town, because of an agreement made when the Nature Preserve was built in the late 1990s, cannot spend any more on the property than the $50,000 annual payment it receives from the Carlisle senior living facility next door. The town’s annual cost to maintain the park is about $20,000, leaving $30,000 to spend each year on needed improvements.<br /> Manzo said some funds for the project could be carried over from this year “because we had planned on doing the smaller portion of the path in fiscal year 2018 and since we have not, we will carry those funds over and use the other funds for fiscal year 2019.” <br /> The smaller loop of the trail would be tackled the first year and the larger loop the following year, Manzo said.<br /> Between $1,000 and $2,000 for the pathway project would come from FEMA, which supports repairs such as this as an improvement or mitigation project.</p></div>Lantana: Concrete trail considered for preservehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/lantana-concrete-trail-considered-for-preserve2018-05-30T17:02:43.000Z2018-05-30T17:02:43.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Mary Thurwachter</strong></p>
<p>A proposal to construct a concrete trail at the Lantana Nature Preserve got mixed reviews from the Town Council on May 14. The discussion prompted the town to look at other ways to rebuild the pathway, including a boardwalk.<br /> Last year’s Hurricane Irma left the preserve and the trail in shambles. Only the front portion is currently accessible.<br /> Town Manager Deborah Manzo proposed a 5-foot-wide concrete trail at a cost of $33,000 for the first phase. The project would be spread over two years, so another $33,000 would be spent next year for a total project cost of $66,000. Most of the money would come from the Carlisle Palm Beach, just east of the 6½-acre preserve at 440 E. Ocean Ave. <br /> As a result of a deal struck when the Carlisle senior living facility was built on land the town owned at the time, the Carlisle pays Lantana $50,000 a year for preserve expenses. <br /> Between $1,000 and $2,000 for the pathway project would come from FEMA, which supports repairs such as this as an improvement or mitigation project. The town’s annual cost to maintain the park is $20,000.<br /> “That [$66,000] seems like rather a lot of money for a path,” said council member Malcolm Balfour, who lives near the preserve. “But something needs to be done. There are so many rocks there. It’s almost impossible to walk through.”<br />Some council members didn’t like the idea of concrete being used.<br /> “It’s a nature preserve,” council member Lynn Moorhouse stressed. “I have reservations.”<br /> Mayor Dave Stewart asked for other options. “It’s not intended to be manicured like a country club,” he said.<br /> “The shell rock wasn’t working,” Manzo said. “Granite sand was tried and washed away.” Mulch also washes away.<br /> Council member Phil Aridas suggested a boardwalk. <br /> “If it’s boardwalk, it would be recycled lumber, which is very expensive,” Manzo said. Recycled lumber is being used at the beach and holds up better, she said.<br /> Balfour said the town needs to consider where most of the money for Nature Preserve improvements and maintenance come from. “We have to remember that the place is mostly funded by the old-age home and we need to make it comfortable for them,” he said. Since the hurricane, Carlisle residents haven’t been able to get in to enjoy the butterfly garden or other parts of the preserve. <br /> Manzo will bring back all options and prices at a future meeting.<br /> In other news, the council approved spending $51,965 to install new hurricane shutters on the town library. Most of the money will come from a federal grant. The town’s contribution would be $17,321.</p></div>