There’s construction work to be had at SDIA

If you are a local small business in the construction industry and motivated to learn, there may be work for you at the San Diego International Airport.

JJ Hawes Inc., a small general contracting firm with 11 employees, can attest to that. Owner Jess Hawes registered with The Green Build in 2009. He took advantage of programs offered by the Airport Authority’s Small Business Development team and attended the Turner School of Construction Management (TSCM). Both programs are intended to help small businesses grow their business capacities.

A two-month course hosted at the Airport Authority, TSCM helps prepare small and emerging local businesses to take on larger jobs.  The courses are taught mainly by Turner’s senior management. It also includes an introduction to the programs offered by Small Business Development to help small and disadvantaged local businesses gain work at the airport. Finally, it provides a unique opportunity to network with other local contractors.

Jess says the course “created a new life experience.” He worked diligently to learn the ins and outs of working with the airport and successfully bid as a subcontractor to Turner/PCL/Flatiron Joint Venture, the contracting team for The Green Build. The bid package was part of  Contract 1, which includes 10 new gates at Terminal 2 West, expanded dining and shopping options, and other terminal and airfield improvements.

Jess’ job was to remove, intact, several large pieces of glass on the west end of Terminal 2 West and install temporary partitions. To avoid any impact to SDIA passengers, work was conducted from 10 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. Jess also had to remove one of the airport’s largest art pieces, Sunlight Juxtaposed, a giant glass mosaic by Joan Irving. The art has been safely stored away and will return in 2013. Right now, if you head up the escalator to the TSA security lanes at the west end of Terminal 2 West, you’ll barely notice the huge partition now in place in the west wall.

Contract 1’s Project Director, Dan McGuckin, and Security Director, Scott MacDonald, both say Jess was a great team player, “working conscientiously and going the extra step.”  He ensured that not just the art was kept safe, but that his crew went home safely at the end of each shift.

Jess plans to bid on more work – and both Turner/PCL/Flatiron and the Airport Authority hope he does!

To get a closer look at Jess’ work, check out the cool time-lapse video above.

YMCA Summer Campers at SDIA

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VIDEO POST: Ped bridge no more!

by special guest Ambassablogger, Suzanne, of the Airport Authority’s Real Estate Management Department

An historic event took place at San Diego International Airport, starting on Friday, May 21, 2010! The Terminal 2 East pedestrian bridge was demolished as part of The Green Build airport expansion project (the bridge removal allows for construction of a convenient dual-level roadway in front of Terminal 2 West). Check out the cool time-lapse video above of the event, which actually spanned nearly 24 hours. (Thanks to Wayne from Major Video Productions for making the cool video!)

Rich Kaslik, a project manager for The Green Build, said the key to the operation was getting traffic off the internal roadway by designing a detour, shown in the planning schematic below:

The roadway directly in front of Terminal 2 East was closed to traffic at 10:15 p.m. Friday, and the detour was opened. But before any demo work could begin, two feet of dirt was laid atop the roadway to help break the fall of the pedestrian bridge.

The actual demolition lasted approximately seven hours, beginning at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 22. Airport Authority contractor Kiewit & Sundt and its subcontractor, Miller Environmental, Inc., worked in concert to orchestrate the delicate removal of the bridge. The contractors had to work like synchronized swimmers in order to perfectly time the removal.

Special devices called hoe ram excavators strategically dissected the bridge to undermine the structure and columns, allowing for a controlled fall to the street. When it finally came down, Kaslik said with a smile in his voice, “It was a rush! You could feel the adrenaline pumping.”

Twelve laborious hours of cleanup followed, and shortly thereafter the roadway was reopened to traffic. Congratulations to The Green Build team on completing another huge milestone toward The Green Build opening in 2013!

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VIDEO POST: The San Diego International Airport of tomorrow

Check out this cool new video showing the San Diego International Airport of tomorrow. With sleek computer animations and renderings, it gives a good, quick overview of The Green Build Terminal 2 expansion project, which will be open to the public in 2013.

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VIDEO POST: U.S. Honor Flag arrives at Lindbergh Field

Law enforcement officials gathered at San Diego International Airport on May 5, 2010 to honor San Diego County Deputy Sheriff Ken Collier and Border Patrol Agent Robert W. Rosas Jr., local officers who have fallen in the line of duty, with the arrival of the U.S. Honor Flag aboard an American Airlines flight from Dallas. This special ceremony was held in Terminal 2 East as the flag passed through the airport on its way to the County Administration Building.

For more information about the U.S. Honor Flag, please see this link.

Special thanks to Randy Grimm, video specialist with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, for producing this video.

Home Treat Alert! The mulitmedia feature above may not be accessible at work. But you can view the Ambassablog at home & check it out there.