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Dockweiler State Beach Refurbishment
Los Angeles County, Calif.
Stronghold served as the prime contractor for this $11.4M project to completely refurbish Dockweiler State Beach and the adjacent Recreational Vehicle Park in Los Angeles County, Calif. The scope of work included six new buildings; rebuilding of the main entrance, parking kiosk, and four parking lots; installation of a children's play area; and new landscaping throughout to enhance the natural beauty of the shoreline.
Reconstruction was also performed on buildings used by the beach crew, including the garage, lifeguard headquarters and stations and maintenance facility equipment yard. Renovation of the RV park converted all spaces to full hookups.
Although working at the beach sounds glamorous, this was a very challenging project with daily hassles of performing construction in areas traveled by bicyclists, skaters, vehicle traffic and pedestrians. Some of the larger obstacles Stronghold's team faced included changing the orientation of two buildings and incorporating seismic retrofitting into the project after construction started.
"We want to thank Stronghold Engineering for successfully completing the Dockweiler State Beach General Refurbishment Project. The project had its challenges, but Stronghold's project team and our County Staff together worked hard to resolve issues and deliver a high quality project that we can all be proud of in the end. The end users are very pleased with the vast improvement of the facility at this heavily used beach." - Donald L. Wolfe, Director of Public Works
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Prado Dam Phase II, Corona National Housing Tract Dike & Corona Sewage Treatment Plant Dike
Corona, Calif.
Stronghold Engineering, Inc. is the prime contractor for this $15M project that required construction of a sewage treatment dike along with associated maintenance/access roads and trails, fencing and gates, hydroseeding and storm water drainage systems. This regional flood-control contract is part of a larger project that will provide levee, creek and dam projects stretching from Orange County to the San Bernardino Mountains to provide the area with protection from a 190-year flood.
Divided into two separate geographical areas three miles apart, construction in the area of the sewage treatment plant requires significant earth movement from the borrow site to the dike with scrappers. The other construction area requires long haul trucking of borrow site with particular care given to the immediate proximity to large housing tract.
Numerous existing site utilities exist that require relocating prior to the construction of the new protection dikes, and 50,000 tons of 11/2 ton rip rap will be placed on the face of the dikes.
To protect wildlife and sensitive habitat areas, sound walls have been erected around the site of the treatment plant dike. Crews are also working on landscape design as a buffer between homes and the national housing tract dike, and are using water trucks to keep the dust level to a minimum given the high level of community interest. Community meetings have been held to keep the public apprised of the project’s benefits, requirements and impact. Notably, the local municipality committed to relocating significant utilities that would directly impact Stronghold’s core work, but did not meet its deadline. Accordingly, Stronghold quickly partnered with the Corps to take over the work and successfully negotiated a 180-day extension of time for a 10% change to the contract, and proposed alternative means of prosecuting work to mitigate further schedule delay. Stronghold also encountered archaeological artifacts, suspended operations in the area of identification, and partnered with the Corps through prompt execution of change orders until clearance was received.
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Ed Pastor Kino Environmental Restoration
Pima County, Ariz.
Stronghold Engineering, Inc. served as the prime contractor for this $10M ecosystem restoration project for construction, repair and renovation of Tucson Ajo Detention Basin in Pima County, Ariz., under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 1135 program. The 120-acre basin was originally designed to capture water from a 17.7-square mile watershed whose sources are from surrounding areas, including Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
The scope of work included bollard installation; road construction; paving, fencing, clearing, grubbing; and excavation and extensive re-grading of more than 700,000 cubic yards of dirt to create mesquite bosques, riparian stream courses, ephemeral cienegas, emergent wetlands, and open water ponds that established a variety of wildlife habitats. Work was performed using in-house heavy equipment and resources.
Approximately 850,000 sq. ft. of 40 mil HDPE liner was installed within the pond areas. The ponds are fed by an elaborate water distribution system consisting of 30-inch epoxy-coated steel cylinder piping within a concrete encasement at a depth of 65 ft., surrounded by 3:1 side slopes. Four submersible pumps were installed to recirculate water from the depths of the large storm-water reservoir to different points throughout the basin. Numerous preparatory meetings were held between Stronghold and subcontractors to ensure that all aspects of the installation were discussed and application methods were defined to eliminate any uncertainty during construction of this complex lining system.
Record rainfall during the project necessitated massive pumping. Strict schedule adherence was observed to ensure completion of key project phases prior to seasonal desert monsoons. During 885 days of construction with multiple teams on site, not a single safety violation or incident occurred. The project was completed on schedule, within budget, and received an outstanding performance evaluation. This project also won the 2006 Chief of Engineers Award of Excellence for Environmental projects.
Chief of Engineers Award of Excellence
"Critique: This is truly an exceptional project. It takes an existing mud flat in an arid area and creates aesthetic landscapes, recreation features, flood control, and is a prototype for water harvesting. It is technically sophisticated while appearing natural. It has proved sustainable over the recent drought years." - HQUSACE, Washington D.C.
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Repair Wastewater Plant
Barstow, Calif.
This $3.1M project consisted of constructing a new 18 ft.-deep concrete tank, 60 ft.-long Ultraviolet light trench, a mechanical building and new ventilation in the existing pump building at the Nebo Wastewater Treatment Plant. The new Membrane Bioreactor Tank will replace the old sewer treatment structure with newer and more efficient technology without the use of the oxidation ponds by also using ultraviolet lights.
Massive research was conducted to find a company that could supply Stronghold with membrane bioreactor equipment that would work with the previously designed concrete tank. Stronghold reworked all hydraulic flows and had to meet existing power requirements to run all new equipment. Design changes were necessary to accommodate new HVAC and other equipment due to the lack of space in the new mechanical building.
The project's many design changes were addressed through solution-oriented partnering processes, including bringing all parties together via numerous telephone conferences.
"The contractor worked very diligently with the errors and omissions of the specs and plans and the facilitiy is above the expectation of the user. ... The contract finished with zero incidents in the line of safety." Suk You Lee, ROICC Barstow
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Hansen Dam Swim Lake Repair
Los Angeles County, Calif.
This $2.8M fast-track, critical need contract called for redesign, repair and reconstruction of broken pipes in the water filtration system of the Hansen Dam Swim Lake in Lake View Terrace, Calif. The manmade lake is one of the few recreational areas available to residents of the northeast San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County.
This difficult project required that Stronghold negotiate, design, demo, reconstruct and fill a 1.5-acre swimming pool in under 90 days to meet the deadline of July 4, 2002. The lake is approximately 460'x150' and can accommodate up to 2,800 people. Scope of work included damage assessment; hydrostatic testing of existing piping; complete demolition of existing concrete bottom and sidewalks along with all associated piping; complete design process for reconstruction; replacement of pipes and construction of a new watertight concrete bottom; 2,060 cubic yards of concrete; piping/mechanical system consisting of 7,000 linear feet of PVC piping fusion welded using PVC solvents; and installation of a Perforated Sub-Drain System embedded in 4,500 tons of drain rock as a preventive measure against future damage or cracking of the lake.
Safety and security barriers were established to prevent the entrance of unauthorized personnel. An accelerated work schedule consisting of 14-hour days, 7 days a week, and increasing to up to 20 hours per day nearing conclusion resulted in the project's completion ahead of schedule. A tailored quality control plan with three phases of control methodology helped ensure performance of quality work that met contract plans, regulations and specifications. In addition, mechanical and electrical system testing and performance verification assured quality results.
Strategic coordination meetings, computerized schedule updates and ongoing team communication delivered a project to the complete satisfaction of the customer. The project was completed with zero safety incidents, and received an Outstanding Performance Evaluation and letter of commendation.
"This was without a doubt a very difficult project from start to finish from the perspective of requiring design, forensic studies, and a very challenging design and construction schedule to meet our customer's expectations and in a very politically sensitive environment. Stronghold Engineering stepped up to the plate, accepted the challenge, and provided the attention and resources required to design and construct the needed repairs and have the swim lake available to the public for the fourth of July holiday." - Richard G. Thompson, Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer
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Sulphur Creek Project
Laguna Niguel, Calif.
This project was a design build aquatic restoration of a 2,000 ft. segment of Sulphur Creek in the City of Laguna Niguel, Orange County, California. SEI worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as the lead Federal agency and the City of Laguna Niguel as the local sponsor to design and build the project.
The project restored degraded habitat and floodplain function by project activities such as grading, excavation, removal of concrete liners and removal of riprap. Exotic vegetation was removed, recycled and replaced with native vegetation up to a 100 ft. stream buffer area surrounding the creek. Restored native vegetation habitat types included marsh, riparian, alkali floodplain, transitional, and upland. In addition, an existing concrete dip crossing connecting Sulphur and Crown Valley Park tributaries was replaced with an at-grade grade-control structure, natural surfacing, and footbridge, thereby establishing a more natural connection between these two tributaries. This majority of the project was completed with SEI workforce and equipment. Native planting was performed by other companies.
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Rio Salado Environmental Restoration
Phoenix, AZ
Stronghold Engineering, Inc. served as the prime contractor for several concurrent projects, totaling nearly $40M, that were part of the Rio Salado (Salt River) Habitat Restoration project in Phoenix, Ariz., a large-scale effort that returned the riverbed to its native wetland and riparian habitats and upgraded the entire basin to a self-sustaining, user-friendly environment.
Site preparation prior to construction entailed clearing, grubbing and demolition of 110 acres, excavation of 310,000 cu. yds, embankment of 269,000 cu. yds. and disposal of more than 80 tons of tires, 92,000 cu. yds. of inert debris and 15,000 cu. yds. of household waste.
Scope of work included: construction of 3 reservoirs and accompanying canals and wetlands; debris drop structure; gabion basket and mattress slope protection; wells and automated pump stations; storm drain piping and potable and pressurized water distribution systems; electrical distribution systems and instrumentation; under- and aboveground utilities; 163-ft. and 92-ft. structural steel bridges; habitat creation and thousands of native trees and plants; extensive maintenance roads; steel fencing and asphalt paving; and public access improvements, including gateway areas, landscaping, waterfalls, soft trails, walkways and outlooks.
Channels were created to gather rainfall for the Habitat Demonstration area, thus eliminating the need for irrigation. This 7-acre area acts as an outdoor research laboratory, allowing for testing of re-vegetation and irrigation techniques, monitoring of mosquito activity and analysis of plant response.
Large concrete slabs discovered at the bottom of the river were transformed into benches at the water's edge, providing added value to the customer.
Shortly after completing all civil work for Phase 1A, heavy rains and flooding destroyed the site. Stronghold repaired all damage within three weeks using in-house heavy equipment.
To ensure the safety of all personnel, Stronghold developed and implemented site-specific safety and activity hazard analysis plans for each project. Concerns addressed included extreme desert temperatures, the indigenous environment, operation of heavy equipment, pollution control, emergency response procedures, "hot work", asphalt operations and crane safety. Because the site once acted as a landfill, all personnel were trained on how to identify hazardous waste and briefed on the proper procedures to follow if suspect materials were encountered.
Stronghold initiated and managed formal partnering programs with the City of Phoenix and other project stakeholders to ensure that all work was completed to the satisfaction of all parties and with the highest level of quality control.
The project won Southwest Contractor Magazine's Best of 2004 Landscape Project Award.
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Replace Potable Water Lines
Yermo, MCLB Barstow, Calif.
Stronghold Engineering served as the prime contractor for this $2.5M project that called for the replacement of 16,000 lineal feet of water mains, 27 fire hydrants & tie in domestic water laterals to existing Bldgs. The project also included five road and railroad bores for placement of water mains.
Some of the many challenges Stronghold encountered during this project were to keep all roads open at all times, which included constant direction of traffic, moving road bores because of unknown utilities, finding some unknown building tie ins , and keeping existing water mains alive to accommodate new building tie ins.
"Contractor finished contract five months ahead of schedule. Contractor's quality was exceptionally high due to the field supervisors knowledge and willingness to go the extra mile. This contractor would be an asset to any construction effort. I highly recommend this contractor for more work." Larry Hubbard
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Aircraft Arresting System
March Air Reserve Base, Riverside, Calif.
Stronghold Engineering, Inc. served as the prime contractor for this $1.2M design build project that called for installation of an aircraft arresting system (AAS) at March Air Reserve Base, Riverside, Calif. The primary purpose of the AAS is to save lives by preventing aircraft from overrunning runways in cases where pilots are unable to stop the aircraft during landing or aborted takeoff. The secondary purpose is to save the aircraft and prevent major damage.
Construction included demolition of existing runway sections, excavation, reinforcement, concrete, asphalt, joint seal, electrical, stripping and drainage work. All work was performed behind a displaced threshold keeping the runway active during all phases of construction. This project was completed with no jobsite accidents. Disruption to air traffic was nonexistent through careful coordination with the airfield managers and Stronghold's management team. Stronghold is one of only two contractors to install an aircraft arresting system of this size in the United States.
"The contractor has done an exceptional job designing and completing this project. The government has been very pleased with the work efforts put forth by Stronghold. They continue to excel in any work that is sent their way. They are a great contractor to work with and stay on track and meet all deadlines." Ryan C. Wood, Deputy Base Civil Engineer
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