Iowa Events Center Gets Wired
Construction of the much-anticipated Iowa Events Center — a new state-of-the-art entertainment complex that will consist of an arena, exhibit hall, and renovated Veterans Memorial Auditorium — is keeping contractors mighty busy in downtown Des Moines.
Alongside virtually every type of heavy construction, crews are going underground with much of the infrastructure that will power facilities expected to rival events centers in other major cities. Baker Electric, Inc. of Des Moines was awarded the bid to power the entire project; Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is playing an important part.
The $217 million building project is funded by three sources: Polk County and surrounding community governments; the Vision Iowa program offered by the state of Iowa; and private and corporate donations. When done, the entire facility will feature one-million square feet of space, including the 250,000-square-foot Hy-Vee exhibit hall, which will provide 100,000 feet of floor space for exhibitors.
Expected to serve as a major attraction in the capital city, the center is hoping to draw audiences from all over the Midwest. Its centerpiece — the 17,170-seat Wells Fargo arena — is being touted as a facility that will draw many concert tours that Central Iowa residents have been seeking for years. Construction crews from around Iowa have worked this past summer and will continue to work this fall to remain on schedule for the anticipated 2005 completion date.
Baker Electric is using HDD to install underground conduit for electrical wiring going to various parts of the facility, including the renovated parking lots situated north of the Center (electrical power will be needed for parking booths and other buildings).
Baker Electric, Inc.
Des Moines-based Baker Electric has grown to more than 350 employees since it was started in 1948. Crews work primarily in Iowa, and, according to Lee Rose of Baker Electric, there are currently 33 employees on the Iowa Events Center job; however, Rose expects that there will be 60 to 80 on site at the peak of the project.
HDD was preferred over traditional open-cut methods, says locator Joe Sickerson, because there are too many existing underground utilities that currently serve Vet’s Auditorium and surrounding businesses. Along with Sickerson, operator Eric Petersen, a six-year employee of Baker Electric, ran the Vermeer D24x40A NAVIGATOR HDD unit.
The team leveled off at about 4 feet below the surface during most of the bore, explained Sickerson, moving the drill stem at times to avoid the existing utilities below the parking lot. Crews used a Vermeer E550 EVACUATOR vacuum/excavation unit to locate existing lines prior to drilling. “There was a high-voltage line, three storm sewers, cable, and traffic-signal lines in our bore path,” Sickerson says.
Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time the drilling team had worked through a crowded underground in Des Moines. According to Sickerson, you’ll never know what you’ll find buried underground, even with a thorough investigation prior to using the drill. So the team was used to being on the lookout.
Baker Electric installed new HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) pipe to carry electric lines near the road to power the parking lot lighting and guard stations. The asphalt parking lot north of the auditorium was recently resurfaced and redesigned to improve capacity to 1200 vehicles, so damage and restoration was avoided as much as possible.
The two drilling operators carefully maneuvered the HDD machine through a web of pipe that already existed underground, stopping occasionally to ensure they were avoiding buried lines at a necessary, specified distance.
One portion of the overall project included the installation of two sizes of HDPE: a 3-inch pipe and a 1-inch pipe. With Petersen at the helm of the HDD machine, Sickerson led the way south with his locating unit, working parallel to the nearby road. The two had great success at this jobsite, due largely in part to their experience with HDD machines.
Potholing Proves Worthwhile
Realizing there were numerous obstacles in the drilling path, the crew chose to use Baker Electric’s vacuum/excavation system to expose the existing lines underground. Two potholes were created with a Vermeer E550 EVACUATOR unit to pinpoint the exact location of existing pipe. The potholes confirmed the location of the existing cable, traffic and high-voltage lines buried underground. In addition, a 27-inch-wide sewer pipe had been identified earlier and marked carefully to ensure it was avoided during the bore.
At one point during the installation project, Sickerson gave slow instructions for Petersen to guide the drill stem between the existing cable line and the high-voltage line approximately 3-1/2 feet below the surface. The two stayed in close communication with their radios to keep tabs on the drill head. Sickerson’s direction helped Peterson maneuver the drill head through the tight spot without any trouble.
Sickerson remarked that potholing made this part of the job a little less stressful because it clearly identified the location of the underground obstacles. He is serious on the job and takes great pride in his work, diligent in adhering to proper safety measures. He realizes that each job presents different challenges.
“Every project is challenging and different with something new every day. We succeed because we refuse to lose on a boring project,” he says. With training from the Vermeer dealership in Iowa and some of his own skills, Sickerson learned that operating the machine was something more than a hobby — it is his passion.
These HDD operators have faced adversity in the past and have overcome the soil condition challenges of working in Iowa. In the summer of 2003 Sickerson and his drilling partner worked through a stretch of challenging sand in Ames, Iowa, which put their skills to the test.
Sickerson proudly states that his longest bore was 1232 feet near Interstate 235 in Des Moines. He mentioned that some of his favorite jobs have been drilling underneath rivers, even when they required him to pull out his swim trunks for locating duties.
Swim trunks weren’t needed on the Iowa Events Center project, but Sickerson and Peterson did have to “wade” through a pretty crowded underground. Few people might realize exactly what task the HDD unit is performing at the busy jobsite near the river in Des Moines. Sickerson and Peterson might stress that it’s doing what few other machines could: navigate through a congested underground safely and efficiently, without disrupting a newly renovated parking lot. It may not be the longest job they ever do, but it’s definitely one of the toughest.
Alongside virtually every type of heavy construction, crews are going underground with much of the infrastructure that will power facilities expected to rival events centers in other major cities. Baker Electric, Inc. of Des Moines was awarded the bid to power the entire project; Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) is playing an important part.
The $217 million building project is funded by three sources: Polk County and surrounding community governments; the Vision Iowa program offered by the state of Iowa; and private and corporate donations. When done, the entire facility will feature one-million square feet of space, including the 250,000-square-foot Hy-Vee exhibit hall, which will provide 100,000 feet of floor space for exhibitors.
Expected to serve as a major attraction in the capital city, the center is hoping to draw audiences from all over the Midwest. Its centerpiece — the 17,170-seat Wells Fargo arena — is being touted as a facility that will draw many concert tours that Central Iowa residents have been seeking for years. Construction crews from around Iowa have worked this past summer and will continue to work this fall to remain on schedule for the anticipated 2005 completion date.
Baker Electric is using HDD to install underground conduit for electrical wiring going to various parts of the facility, including the renovated parking lots situated north of the Center (electrical power will be needed for parking booths and other buildings).
Baker Electric, Inc.
Des Moines-based Baker Electric has grown to more than 350 employees since it was started in 1948. Crews work primarily in Iowa, and, according to Lee Rose of Baker Electric, there are currently 33 employees on the Iowa Events Center job; however, Rose expects that there will be 60 to 80 on site at the peak of the project.
HDD was preferred over traditional open-cut methods, says locator Joe Sickerson, because there are too many existing underground utilities that currently serve Vet’s Auditorium and surrounding businesses. Along with Sickerson, operator Eric Petersen, a six-year employee of Baker Electric, ran the Vermeer D24x40A NAVIGATOR HDD unit.
The team leveled off at about 4 feet below the surface during most of the bore, explained Sickerson, moving the drill stem at times to avoid the existing utilities below the parking lot. Crews used a Vermeer E550 EVACUATOR vacuum/excavation unit to locate existing lines prior to drilling. “There was a high-voltage line, three storm sewers, cable, and traffic-signal lines in our bore path,” Sickerson says.
Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time the drilling team had worked through a crowded underground in Des Moines. According to Sickerson, you’ll never know what you’ll find buried underground, even with a thorough investigation prior to using the drill. So the team was used to being on the lookout.
Baker Electric installed new HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) pipe to carry electric lines near the road to power the parking lot lighting and guard stations. The asphalt parking lot north of the auditorium was recently resurfaced and redesigned to improve capacity to 1200 vehicles, so damage and restoration was avoided as much as possible.
The two drilling operators carefully maneuvered the HDD machine through a web of pipe that already existed underground, stopping occasionally to ensure they were avoiding buried lines at a necessary, specified distance.
One portion of the overall project included the installation of two sizes of HDPE: a 3-inch pipe and a 1-inch pipe. With Petersen at the helm of the HDD machine, Sickerson led the way south with his locating unit, working parallel to the nearby road. The two had great success at this jobsite, due largely in part to their experience with HDD machines.
Potholing Proves Worthwhile
Realizing there were numerous obstacles in the drilling path, the crew chose to use Baker Electric’s vacuum/excavation system to expose the existing lines underground. Two potholes were created with a Vermeer E550 EVACUATOR unit to pinpoint the exact location of existing pipe. The potholes confirmed the location of the existing cable, traffic and high-voltage lines buried underground. In addition, a 27-inch-wide sewer pipe had been identified earlier and marked carefully to ensure it was avoided during the bore.
At one point during the installation project, Sickerson gave slow instructions for Petersen to guide the drill stem between the existing cable line and the high-voltage line approximately 3-1/2 feet below the surface. The two stayed in close communication with their radios to keep tabs on the drill head. Sickerson’s direction helped Peterson maneuver the drill head through the tight spot without any trouble.
Sickerson remarked that potholing made this part of the job a little less stressful because it clearly identified the location of the underground obstacles. He is serious on the job and takes great pride in his work, diligent in adhering to proper safety measures. He realizes that each job presents different challenges.
“Every project is challenging and different with something new every day. We succeed because we refuse to lose on a boring project,” he says. With training from the Vermeer dealership in Iowa and some of his own skills, Sickerson learned that operating the machine was something more than a hobby — it is his passion.
These HDD operators have faced adversity in the past and have overcome the soil condition challenges of working in Iowa. In the summer of 2003 Sickerson and his drilling partner worked through a stretch of challenging sand in Ames, Iowa, which put their skills to the test.
Sickerson proudly states that his longest bore was 1232 feet near Interstate 235 in Des Moines. He mentioned that some of his favorite jobs have been drilling underneath rivers, even when they required him to pull out his swim trunks for locating duties.
Swim trunks weren’t needed on the Iowa Events Center project, but Sickerson and Peterson did have to “wade” through a pretty crowded underground. Few people might realize exactly what task the HDD unit is performing at the busy jobsite near the river in Des Moines. Sickerson and Peterson might stress that it’s doing what few other machines could: navigate through a congested underground safely and efficiently, without disrupting a newly renovated parking lot. It may not be the longest job they ever do, but it’s definitely one of the toughest.
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