Construction on a $40 million project that will provide the University of Alabama with one of the premier golf complexes in the Southeastern Conference is well under way in Tuscaloosa.
UA’s new golf training facility for women’s and men’s programs is expected to be completed by July.
“It’s needed to maintain the university’s tradition of providing top facilities for our athletes and students,” said Jessie Green, project manager of University of Alabama’s construction administration. “The nine-hole course is designed to be playable from multiple tee locations, allowing for nearly infinite course configurations. The practice facility includes a short game range with hitting bays. Top technology in the game of golf is throughout the practice areas for the team.”
Located on more than 170 acres south of Jack Warner Parkway and along each side of Kicker
Road NE, the complex’s proximity to campus will make it accessible for student athletes and coaches. The Georgian Revival structures will feature brick veneer, limestone, metal guardrails and shingle roofs.
The work, which will allow the programs to attract and retain top student athletes, involves constructing multiple buildings, including a golf house and cart barn at the golf
Two Beach Renourishment Projects Work to Restore Gulf Coast
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Beach Renourishment Projects Will Restore Gulf Coast
BEACH from page 1
For those folks planning trips to Alabama’s beautiful Gulf Coast for spring break or summer vacation this year, expect to see beach renourishment projects at the East End of Dauphin Island in Mobile County and in Baldwin County from west of Little Lagoon Pass all the way east to the Florida-Alabama state line.
“All of this work on the area around Dauphin Island will be great for sustaining the ecological and cultural benefits that [the island] provides for our area.”
“It is great to see our beaches being renourished,” said Chris Blankenship, commissioner of the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, better known as Outdoor Alabama.
“From the Florida line through Gulf State Park and Gulf Shores to west of Little Lagoon Pass, the beaches in Baldwin County are getting several million cubic yards of fresh, clean sand.
“On Dauphin Island there is a lot of sand moving as well. In 2023, new islands and marsh areas were created on the north side of the middle of Dauphin Island in Graveline Bay. The East End renourishment project just getting under way will put more than a million cubic yards of sand on [that] beach.”
In addition, he explained that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has closed the Pass Drury cut on Little Dauphin Island with sand dredged from the inside channel, and Outdoor Alabama is funding the engineering and design for adding millions of cubic yards of sand to the West End of Dauphin Island in 2025.
“All of this work on the area around Dauphin Island will be great for sustaining the ecological and cultural benefits that [the island] provides for our area,” Blankenship noted.
In all, the engineered beach renourishment projects involve pumping more than 3 million cu. yds. of sand from nearshore areas onto the Alabama beaches. Those efforts, which also include raising sand dune heights, planting vegetation and building sand fences, are partially funded by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (GEBF) as well as from state and local sources.
Bill Bennett, general manager of The Lodge at Gulf State Park, said the beach renourishment project may be a slight inconvenience as it occurs but will provide great benefits for the future of the Alabama Gulf Coast. He added that the beaches where he has lived during his lifetime all faced the reality of coastal erosion and required renourishment projects like the one currently under way in Alabama.
Chris Blankenship
Outdoor Alabama
“This project is absolutely amazing to witness,” he explained. “It disrupted a few people on overnight stays, but when you walk out on that east boardwalk and watch the ship come in to pump sand onto the beaches and bulldozers moving the sand into place, you [are watching] your natural habitat expand and protect everything north of the coastline. That’s what the dunes are designed for.”
Bennett also applauded the commitment made by Baldwin County, its cities, and Outdoor Alabama to ensure the vitality of the beaches.
“In watching the renourishment, it speaks to their commitment to the protection of this natural asset. It makes me proud of our commitment to sustainable environmental and economic stewardship. This is taking care of it and ensuring it will be here for years to come for our children and grandchildren.”
Work Now Under Way to Replenish Orange Beach
Crews in Baldwin County have completed the work in Gulf Shores and Gulf State Park and are just starting to pump sand onto the shoreline of Orange Beach, an effort that will continue until it reaches the Florida-Alabama line.
Phillip West, coastal resources director of the city, told Outdoor Alabama the beach renourishment is not quite as large as the one completed in 2005 after Hurricane Ivan, where more than 3 million cu. yds. of sand were used to mitigate that storm’s destruction.
“The current project will use about 650,000 cu. yds. of material in Orange Beach,” he said. “It’s not as huge as the project after Hurricane Ivan because the beaches aren’t in as bad a shape as they were after [that storm]. This project is to repair damage from Hurricanes Nate in 2017 and Sally in 2020 as well as repair normal erosion.”
It also will include fixing breaches in the sand dunes, planting sea oats and installing sand fences, West noted.
“Prior to Ivan, we’d never done any beach renourishment, and it showed. By maintaining our beaches and doing these periodic renourishments, we are able to maintain an ‘engineered beach’ designation in the eyes of FEMA. If you maintain that, [and] if you do have a catastrophic event, FEMA will cost share with you to repair the damage.”
Dauphin Island Project Likely to Finish This Spring
Across the mouth of Mobile Bay to the west, the Dauphin Island beach renourishment project will restore approximately 1.5 mi. of beach shoreline and approximately 85 acres of beach and dune habitat on the 14-mi.-long barrier island that protects a portion of the Alabama Gulf Coast.
The East End beach also protects the Audubon Bird Sanctuary and other upland resources from erosion due to storms. The project is designed to protect an additional 50 acres of beach and dune habitat as well as a maritime forest and a freshwater lake within the Dauphin Island East End Bird Sanctuary.
Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier told Outdoor Alabama that he expected the East End restoration to get under way before the end of January.
“The contractors are assembling the dredge pipeline,” he added, “and will be moving 1.1 million cu. yds. of sand onto 1.5 mi. of shoreline. It won’t make it all the way to the golf course. We will also have a restoration of the dune system with sea oats planting and sand fencing. The emphasis on all of this is habitat protection and creation. One of the big things is the protection of the bird sanctuary property, which is under threat of being breached in storms. That whole ecosystem could be changed from freshwater habitat with saltwater intrusion.”
Collier said he appreciates the NFWF’s funding of the $25 million project, expected to be complete in three to four months.
“We really think this is a great project for a lot of different reasons,” he explained. “It’s going to increase the beach area that the people can enjoy, and, at the same time, it’s going to increase the habitat for animals, like birds and sea turtles. It covers all the bases.
“We just ask beachgoers and boaters to be aware of the construction activity. Be mindful of that and stay out of the construction area. Pipelines will be in the water and on land. It’s very interesting to watch, but we ask that people keep a safe distance away.”
Ala. AGC Adds McCain as Workforce Development Director
The Alabama Associated General Contractors announced the addition of Byron McCain as its workforce development director.
McCain retired from the Construction Education Foundation of Alabama (CEFA), bringing a wealth of experience into his new role. McCain is prepared to address the workforce needs of the construction industry’s membership represented by Alabama AGC.
“Byron’s history with the construction education field is unparalleled, and we are fortunate to have him join our staff to address such a critically important area of need,” said Billy Norrell, CEO of Alabama AGC.
McCain will work with Alabama AGC to address industry needs by offering training opportunities for carpenters, plumbers, welders and other trades throughout the region.
“Construction workers with training can make substantially more than untrained trade workers,” McCain said. “Most first-year employees will earn between $31,200 and $34,000, while skilled journeymen can make $50,000 and above, depending on ability.”
He also will maintain his efforts to support and encour-
age existing training and education initiatives such as the Riverchase Career Connection Center (RC3) in Hoover, GoBuild Alabama and the Alabama Construction Industry Craft Training Board. The latter provides grant funding to eligible companies looking to enhance the skills of their workforce.
“The industry does not have enough trained workers to replace older workers leaving the workforce,” said Mac Caddell, president of the Alabama Associated General Contractors, and CEO of Caddell Construction in Montgomery.
CO
PSON MIT M RACTO TED R: Y TO S OUR UCCE C
ESS VESTMENT
ALABASTER (Shelby County)
2070 Corporate Woods Dr
Alabaster, AL 35007 (205) 664-4833
AlabasterAL35007 r
DECATUR 6969 Highway 31 S Tanne A L35671
A
AT T TALLA/GADSDEN
121 Gilbert Ferry Rd SE
Attalla, AL 35954 (256) 570-1100
BIRMINGHAM
DOTHAN 118 Vulcan Way
Dothan, AL 36303 (334 6 71-1040
HUNTSVILLE
2401 Pinson Highway Birmingham, AL 35217 (205 8 418601 ) ) ) r, , A L 35671 (256 3 53-7721
MONTGOMERY 10120 Hwy 80 E MontgomeryAL36117
OPELIKA /AAUBURN 508 Columbus Pkwy Opelika, AL 36801 (334) 749-3359
PENSACOLA 2670 W 9 Mile Rd PensacolaFL32534 )
CRESTVIEW
3600 Governors Dr Huntsville, AL 35805 (256 5 321776 / / ) Montgomery, AL 36117 (334 215-5000
OXFORD/A A NNISTON 2300 Hwy 21 S Oxford, AL 36203 (256)8314104
MOBILE
5749 John Givens Rd Crestview, FL 32539 (850) 682-6510 )
30950 State Hwy 181 Spanish Fort, AL 36527 (251) 626-5100 (256) 831- 4104
Pensacola, FL 32534 (850) 471-6700
THOMASVILLE
2501 Joe Davis Industrial Blv Thomasville, AL 36784 (334) 636-0420
TUSCALOOSA
3550 Joe Mallisham Pkwy Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 (205)2472800 d
PANAMA CITY 4109 Cato Rd Panama City, FL 32404 (850 7 85-4007 ) (205) 247-2800
TUSCUMBIA 1030 AL-20
Tuscumbia, AL 35674 (256 3 81-2771
WAR Construction Leads UA’s Golf Complex Project
practice facility and a separate golf maintenance facility.
“This project takes a lot of coordination and manpower,” Green said. “While completing design for the main building, UA opted to release key site packages to ensure schedule success. These packages required design teams to ensure the continued design would still align with previous work.”
Crews broke ground on the project in April 2023. Some early packages actually began in November 2022. WAR Construction Inc. serves as the contractor.
Green noted that now is a good time to build the complex, which is touted as one of the most prestigious off-campus golf facilities in the nation.
“The programs have continued to excel, presenting a need for the facility. As commercial construction costs rise, a balancing act is required to marry up funding availabilities and project costs.”
Green said those who will benefit from the construction are eager to see the work finished.
“Coaches have been very engaged since design start through construction. They are excited for what this facility will allow their programs to do. Feedback from current and prospective student athletes have been very positive.
“It’s a one-of-a-kind facility that keeps true to UA’s traditional architecture style, while blending in top technology for the athletes. The façade of the building was crafted using handmade, approximately 100-year-old salvaged brick from another area of campus.”
Challenges on the project have included supply chain issues and long lead times. All of the electrical panels and mechanical units had to be procured prior to design completion to have them on site for construction.
According to Green, work will begin in February on the comfort station. Rough shaping on the nine-hole course with irrigation has begun, allowing sod and grassing to begin. Building dry-in is already complete, as well as the entrance road to the main parking lot.
Façade and interior fitout throughout the three buildings is under way. Key tasks remaining include custom millwork and finishes, as well as the crossing from the practice facility to the course. A project was recently bid to change at-grade crossing to a tunnel that will travel under both the road and railroad.
Regarding early site work/excavation, power was designed to be fed to the building underground to maintain the charm of the facility. To assist Alabama Power (APCO) in completing this request, UA released an early package to install the underground path from APCO ROW to the building. This required a combination of bores and trenches for nearly 2,000 ft.
Prior to the main package, UA land management issued a bid for clearing once the extent of the project was set.
The tunnel scope would require heavy site work and excavation. In order to install, the entire 150-ft. length would have to be open cut excavated to 20 ft. below grade and box culvert sections set and backfilled.
Total usable land for the facility is 164 acres. Once completed, 100 of those acres will have been moved between
utility excavations or course shaping. The project has imported 75,000 cu. yds. of fill, with the rest balanced within the site.
To date, the elements have not been a major concern for crews.
“Thus far, impacts have been minimal. Roof dry-in was completed prior to heavy rain. The recent cold weather did prevent some work due to road navigation. The schedule
was thought out to align with the typical Alabama weather, as it’s critical for seeding and sod to grow in during the proper time of year.”
Heavy equipment being used to build the complex includes a Caterpillar 325 trackhoe, John Deere 850 dozer, skid steer, manlifts, forklifts and a Morooka track dump truck. Main materials include steel structure for the main building and maintenance building with a brick/metal panel façade. Construction includes a stick-built cart barn and comfort station with Hardie board façade. Crews are using millwork throughout the interior.
As for the most time-consuming part of the work, Green said, “This is not a typical project for UA, and has required an increased amount of collaboration. From programming to construction, there has been a large learning curve for the entire team involved.”
Despite the challenges, Green said working on a project that will take university golfing to the next level is truly rewarding.
“It’s great to hear each time the coaches provide the feedback they’ve received from their teams and prospective players. It’s very exciting. As the building takes shape and begins looking more and more like the early renderings, it makes all the work worthwhile.” CEG
(All photos courtesy of WAR Construction Inc., except where noted.)
WAR Construction Inc. serves as the contractor on the project.
Crews broke ground on the project in April 2023. Some early packages actually began in November 2022.
GOLF from page 1
Located on more than 170 acres south of Jack Warner Parkway and along each side of Kicker Road NE, the complex’s proximity to campus will make it accessible for student athletes and coaches.
