Despite bitter cold, 32′ precast concrete panels are being set into place in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Wearing heavy clothes against the 6-degree weather, workers from Wells Concrete, of Wells, Minnesota are renting a 165-ton Grove GMK5165-2 All Terrain from Dave’s Crane and Wrecker Service, of Union to set the precast panels.
Work has been going along smoothly.
“Our end will be done by tomorrow,” said Derek Distad, one of the Wells foremen, on Thursday.
“We feel pretty comfortable we’re going to be able to meet the deadline,” said Travis Filloon, Fort Dodge Community School District director of buildings and grounds. “Things are moving as well as they can, with the temperatures we’ve been experiencing.”
Work has been ongoing, but with the panels up everyone can now see what’s being done.
“They’ve been doing a bunch of footing work, but the precast panels arrival moves things forward in a much more obvious manner,” Filloon said.
“If they can get the walls up, then they can put the steel girders in for the roof supports and then put the roof on, enclose the area and start doing some of the work that needs to be done inside,” he added. “It’s always a challenge this time of year to get something enclosed and out of the weather.”
Kolacia Construction, Inc. of Fort Dodge, is the general contractor on the project.
A Grove GMK5165-2 and workers in a Genie Aerial prepare a precast panel.
Workers with Wells Concrete are working are attaching a precast panel to the Grove GMK5165-2 crane while building the exterior of the Fort Dodge Senior High new gym.
Grove GMK5165-2 All Terrain Mobile Crane setting precast panels.
