Water Treatment Plant Updates for Neighbors

Updates

Project updates will be posted here throughout the duration of the project.

July 16, 2024

Work on the Lime Building Continues

On Thursday, July 18, lime silos will be moved to the northern-most lime building. 
Additional cranes will be onsite as well as additional traffic on Roselawn from Sandy Lake.

Work continues on the precast concrete panels that are being installed on the 
new lime building. 

Moving the oversized panels may cause temporary and intermittent backups
on the roadway coming into the plant project up to 4-5 times a day.

Hauling the oversized panels will continue through the end of July.

Work Along Eastern Perimeter Continues

Work along the eastern perimeter will continue with movement of soils from the large earthen mound. 
Additional movement and activity is expected for the next three weeks.

Small, Brown Dog Onsite

A small, brown dog has been seen on the site and staff is concerned for its safety. 
Please keep pets in the backyard or tied up to prevent injury to them on the work site.

1. July 2, 2024, Update

   July 2, 2024

   July 4-8 Break

   The site will be quite over the Fourth of July holiday, with work resuming on July 8.

   Precast Concrete Panel Work Continues

   

   Beginning on June 14, precast concrete panels will be installed on the 
   new lime building. Once they are up, it should provide an awareness of the 
   final height of the building.

   Moving the oversized panels may cause temporary and intermittent backups
   on the roadway coming into the plant project up to 4-5 times a day.

   Hauling the oversized panels will continue through the third week in July.

   Work Along Eastern Perimeter

   Work along the eastern perimeter will continue with the installation of an electrical manhole.

   There will be some digging behind neighboring properties.

2. June 12, 2024 Update

   Completed Since Last Update

   Piling Removal

   

   Sheet pilings noted in red on the map above will begin to be removed on June 19.
   The work will produce noise and vibration. Repeated pulses of loud metallic
   hammering similar to that caused when the sheet piling was installed is to
   be expected. The work is expected to last approximately two weeks.

   Moving Materials

   Materials along the eastern fenced will be moved, creating movement and 
   noise along that fence area.

   Tree Planting

   

   As of this spring, we have planted trees all the way 
   along the eastern edge of our property, near
   Beaumont Street. This is to allow the trees more 
   time to mature.

   A Note on the Crane on Site

   I’ve been in touch with some of the neighbors to the site regarding the large tower crane, and I’ve heard neighbors express concerns that the crane swings towards the neighborhood sometimes at night and over the weekend. If you share this concern, you may find the information below helpful.

   During high winds, the crane will rotate so that it points in the direction of the wind (this is called weathervaning). This minimizes wind loads on the crane, which minimizes the risk of damage to the crane. Of course, tower cranes are always designed with an extreme abundance of caution. The risk of wind damage is miniscule; nonetheless precautions are taken wherever opportunities exist. Allowing the crane to weathervane during high winds is one such precaution; the chance of wind damage is already very low, and allowing the crane to weathervane reduces it even further.

   If you're observing the crane rotating in the evenings and over the weekends, you're actually observing a feature that is designed to keep everyone around the tower crane safe. It may not feel that way, and, I can understand how it might make neighbors feel nervous. Knowing that it's a safety feature, however, I couldn't advise in good conscience that the construction team follow any other practice.

   We are currently investigating the possibility of modifying the crane such that it only weathervanes when wind speeds exceed a certain threshold. If this can be done practically, we will add this feature. Doing so would reduce “nuisance” instances of weathervaning and would limit weathervaning of the crane to only when wind speeds generate meaningful loads on the crane.

3. May 2, 2023

   May 2, 2023 Update

   Upcoming Severe Weather Drills

   The construction team on site is firmly committed to the safety of everyone on the project and in the area of the project. We’re pleased to share that we recently surpassed 100,000 hours of labor on the project without any lost-time injuries.

   Part of ensuring that workers on site are safe in any circumstance is preparing for any severe weather events. To that effect, the construction team will be doing a severe weather drill on May 3, 2023 around 11:45 am. To begin the drill, the construction team plans to issue three blasts from an air horn on the site. Neighbors may hear these blasts and observe workers evacuating the site.

   This should not be cause for concern for neighbors as this is a planned event focused on preparing for severe weather.

   A Look Ahead at Summer 2023

   With the winter season coming to an end, we wanted to provide another update to neighbors of the McCarron’s Water Treatment Plant. We’re looking forward to the onset of warm weather and returning to warm-weather construction.

   This summer will be very busy on site, but it should be considerably less disruptive to neighbors than the previous summer. During the summer of 2022 demolition work and sheet piling driving were undoubtedly the noisiest activities. There is no significant demolition work or sheet piling driving on the schedule for this summer.

   Generally, this summer’s work will primarily be focused on installing rebar, pouring concrete, setting precast panels in place, and installing pipework. Noise levels on the site should be fairly consistent to what they were throughout the winter months as these activities are generally fairly quiet. Of course, there will continue to be the run-of-the-mill construction noises (backup beepers, dump trucks, etc.) coming from the site. Visual impacts on neighbors are likely to be more noticeable than audible impacts. As you may have noted, there are three cranes operating on the site at present. At least two cranes will be active on the site for most of the summer.

   Construction on the new facility is approximately 25% complete. Throughout the summer, work at the site will continue to be primarily exterior work (pouring concrete, etc.) When we get closer to the 50% complete mark, much of the work will begin to move into the interiors of the structures, causing less noise and visual impact for neighbors.

4. November 16, 2022 Update

   Work Completed Since Last Update

   • The security system referenced in the last update has been installed on the site. The alarms have been tested, and the alarm sound is highly localized. We do not expect that the alarm noise would be audible for neighboring properties.
   • Precision demolition work has been mostly completed.
   • Foundations for the new facilities are under construction. Installation of rebar and concrete will continue throughout the winter.

   Upcoming Work

   • The construction of a tower crane on site will begin on Thursday, November 17 and will continue throughout the weekend. If weather conditions cooperate, the crane may be fully built by the end of Saturday, November 19. Otherwise, work may continue on Sunday, November 20 as well. The construction of the tower crane is not expected to be noisy but will be visible to neighbors. Once constructed, the tower crane will operate on site for approximately 2 years.
   • Work on facilities will continue through the winter months. By continuing to work through the winter, we will shorten the project schedule and, consequently, the duration of the impact to neighbors. Winter activities are expected to be less impactful for neighbors since more time is spent indoors during the winter months.

5. October 28, 2022 Update

   Work Completed Since Last Update

   • Trees were planted behind the back fence line of most Beaumont Street properties. Planting these trees early will give them a couple extra years of growth to help block views of the site sooner. Much more tree planting will be done towards the end of the project as well.
   • Precision demolition work has begun and is progressing well.
   • Extensive concrete work and pipe work within the excavation has been completed, preparing the way for the future facilities.

   Upcoming Work

   • A security system will be installed on the site. The security system will help to prevent unauthorized trespassing on the site outside of work hours and will include video cameras. The security system is equipped with an alarm, but the alarm system includes protections against false alarms. ONCE FULLY INSTALLED ON SITE, IT IS LIKELY THAT WE WILL TEST THE ALARM SYSTEM BRIEFLY IN ORDER TO CHECK THAT IT IS WORKING CORRECTLY AND TO GAUGE HOW LOUD THE SYSTEM MIGHT BE FOR NEIGHBORS. Our sincere hope is that the alarm system proves unnecessary and causes no disturbances to neighbors. Having the alarm system available for use as needed, however, should help to prevent the site from becoming attractive to bad actors.
   • The sheet pile removal referenced in the last update from October 12 has been delayed. That work is now scheduled for the week of October 31 - November 4. The work is still expected to take 3 days to complete and will generate considerable noise and vibration.

6. October 12, 2022 Update

   Work Completed Since Last Update

   • Soil stored on site has been sprayed with seed. The seed will remain dormant throughout the winter and will sprout in the spring of 2023. The soil berm behind Jackson Street has been completed. The area is expected to remain undisturbed until 2024, when soil will be reimported to the site for back fill.
   • Click to view a PDF with general updates on project status (including some photos of progress)

   Upcoming Work

   • Beginning on Oct. 17, we will begin planting trees along the property boundary where possible. At present, that will allow us to plant trees behind the back fence line of most Beaumont Street properties. While planting trees, workers will be close to the property boundary and may be working near the fence line. Originally, all landscaping work was planned for the end of the project, but SPRWS and the construction team have made an extra effort to plant trees earlier where possible. The early planting will allow more time for trees to mature so that they provide neighboring properties with visual screening sooner.
   • As noted in the Sept. 13 update, precision demolition work still needs to be completed. This work is expected to begin on October 17. The work will occur at the far southwestern corner of the construction site, but the activity will be noisy. The remaining demolition work is expected to last approximately 3 weeks.
   • As noted in the previous update, sheet piling has been installed on the site. Some of the sheet piling installed at the bottom of the excavation has now served its purpose in allowing for the construction of subgrade facilities. As such, 3 days of sheet pile removal are scheduled to begin on October 24. Sheet pile removal for these three days is expected to generate levels of noise and vibration similar to those encountered during the installation.