Expected to be completed in 2026, the new Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine building on the University of South Alabama (USA) campus will allow the school to graduate more physicians and accelerate research. The $200 million, 250,000-sq.-ft. facility is considered a critical addition to USA’s hub that’s dedicated to healthcare education.
“This is an investment in the future of healthcare to meet the needs of Alabamians,” said Dr. John Marymont, dean of the Whiddon College of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs. “By national metrics, this medical school produces high-quality physicians that stay in the state, helping meet the needs in primary care, as well as in rural and underserved areas at an affordable cost.”
The new building also will allow for expanding the class size of first-year medical students from 80 to 100. It also will have the capability of increasing to 120 at a time when the country is facing a likely shortage of healthcare providers. The city of Mobile is donating $10 million to support the project, along with Mobile County’s $5 million pledge. The university has set an additional $30 million philanthropic goal to help fund the project.
According to Buckley Kelley, USA’s chief facilities management officer, the size of the project calls for hundreds of skilled tradespeople to be on site during the day, with thousands needed over the course of construction. Being able to properly staff the project requires hiring firms with a large geographical footprint and labor pool.
“This is one of the largest, most sophisticated commercial buildings ever built in the city of Mobile,” Kelley said. “With the construction market booming across the country, we were concerned about getting enough subcontractor interest to ensure we received competitive pricing.
Alabama Connection
Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1- 800- 409 -1479
The $200 million, 250,000-sq.-ft. facility is considered a critical addition to USA’s hub that’s dedicated to healthcare education.
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Alabama AGC Announces BUILDSouth Award Winners
The Alabama Associated General Contractors hosted the 2023 BUILDSouth Awards Ceremony on April 25 at The Club in Birmingham, Ala.
The BUILDSouth Awards acknowledges and honors the most innovative and skilled contractors within the chapter. Awards are presented to those who produced exceptional work in categories like workforce development, community development, safety, building construction and highway construction.
Two industry legends were inducted into the Alabama Construction Hall of Fame: John Darnall and Rod Ceasar.
“The honorees into the 2024 class of the Alabama Construction Hall of Fame have shown their careers in this great industry meant so much more than just the success of their company,” said President Mac Caddell.
“They built careers that truly left a mark on our state. We are proud to welcome John Darnall of Brasfield & Gorrie and Rod Ceasar of Caddell Construction into this esteemed group”
Alabama AGC recognized longtime members for their extraordinary commitment to the association, presenting them with the Legacy Award for 50 Years of Membership. The chapter also awarded scholarships to five remarkable students who are pursuing careers in construction. The ceremony included the installation of the 2024 Alabama AGC Executive Committee and Board of Directors.
The following individuals will serve as leaders for Alabama AGC:
• President — Mac Caddell, Caddell
Construction Co. (DE) LLC
• Vice President — Greer Walker, Wiregrass Construction Co. Inc.
• 2nd Vice President — Rabren General Contractors Inc.
• Treasurer — Hasting Sykes, Syles Weaver LLC
• Chairman of the Board — Rob Middleton, Middleton Construction LLC
“This event welcomes our new chapter leadership and board of directors for 2024. We are excited to have Mac Caddell with Caddell Construction in Montgomery as president of our great organization, and thank Rob Middleton of Middleton Construction in Mobile, for his year at the helm. The volunteer leaders of Alabama AGC make us what we are — the largest, oldest and most respected statewide construction organization in Alabama,” said Billy Norrell, Alabama AGC CEO. (All photos courtesy of Alabama AGC)
New Details Emerge About UA’s $58.6M Basketball Arena Project
More than two years after proposing a new basketball arena, the University of Alabama (UA) appears to be pivoting. At least for now.
Instead of an entirely new facility, the school is seeking to refresh its current building. A $58.6 million renovation and expansion of Tuscaloosa’s Coleman Coliseum was presented June 6 to the UA System Board of Trustees physical properties committee.
Greg Byrne, the Crimson Tide’s athletics director, detailed the plan that will be funded by bonds and $20 million in donations made to the Crimson Standard fundraising drive to improve facilities.
A few details about what is planned for the project were revealed in the meeting:
• A 48,800-sq.-ft. expansion will be built onto the southeast corner of the 56-year-old Coleman Coliseum.
• Another 19,000 sq. ft. of existing space will be renovated.
• A groundbreaking is expected to occur
this fall with completion on the arena set for the beginning of the 2026-27 basketball season.
• No mention was made about any changes or improvements to the seating bowl within the facility. Instead, the work is geared toward fixing the spaces used by both the men’s and women’s basketball programs.
• The upgraded facility will include a new sports medicine space, team meeting rooms, locker rooms, lounges and coaching/staff offices. Under the current configuration, coaches offices are located on the front side of Coleman Coliseum, separate from the current practice gym and locker rooms.
The new plan would move the practice space for the women’s basketball program back to Coleman Coliseum after spending more than a decade training at nearby Foster Auditorium.
The decision comes after two years of inaction on a proposed new arena. It was
presented to the same trustees committee in February 2022 with an estimated price tag of $183 million.
Since making the initial arena proposal two years ago, Byrne cited massive construction cost increases as a hurdle to moving forward on the project. Shifting financial realities within the collegiate sports model also has played a factor, AL.com reported.
Brand New Arena May Be Victim of NIL Compensation
Where the arms race within major programs once focused on facilities like new arenas, donor money is now directed more toward NIL — an acronym for name, likeness and image — collectives to compensate athletes.
Nothing was said in the June 6 presentation about a new arena or in questions from committee members to Byrne, but a UA athletics spokesperson told AL.com that it would not be correct to assume the project is dead.
The last major renovation of the Coleman Coliseum practice facility was in 2011, when the gym — previously home to the Alabama volleyball program — was converted to a dedicated space for men’s basketball. When presented to the trustees in April 2010, the estimated cost of that project was $4.5 million.
“Each team will have a dedicated practice gym and weight room space,” Byrne said at the latest update to the UA Board of Trustees, “which is where the program spends the majority of their time.
“[Men’s] Coach [Nate] Oats and [Women’s] Coach [Kristy] Curry are extremely supportive of this plan as a positive and valuable next step for the respective teams and they’ve both expressed this is the highest priority at this time,” Bryne noted. “The facility will meet an immediate need as we continue to work toward long-term priorities for our basketball programs.”
(L-R): Kenny Heumann, Charlie Snipes, Ben Alberstadt, Larry Rivers Jr. and Kole Baker were scholarship winners.
Wiregrass Construction Company Inc. won an honorable mention for the Montgomery Regional Airport Terminal Ramp Expansion.
Aaron Wright of Channel Technologies is joined by family members. Wright received an AGC Innovation in Construction award.
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Excavation Under Way for USA’s $200M Campus Building
“Fortunately, we were able to start the prequalification and advertisement process early enough to get the word out to firms large enough to take on the project, and the general contractors were able to get multiple prices for all the trades bidding on the project. The successful low bidder, BL Harbert, has a history of completing large projects and ensuring their subcontractors have the required manpower to complete them.”
On the building site, crews are currently installing a sheet pile system that will serve as a temporary retaining wall and allow the team to safely excavate the basement level. Once this is complete, basement excavation will begin, which will be followed by the piling/foundation installation. The process of submitting and reviewing thousands of project specific submittals also must take place, to ensure the materials used on the project have been reviewed by the appropriate design professional and are the correct material for the project.
The construction team also has taken the design team’s digital model of the building and is working to coordinate the building structure with all the ductwork, piping, conduit and various HVAC/electrical equipment to best minimize any conflicts that would historically have been discovered during construction.
Kelley said milestones will include completing foundations, cast-in-place concrete basement, structural steel, metal stud framing, dry-in (exterior skin/roof), topping out, in-wall inspections, conditioned air and above-ceiling inspections.
As for how the weather affects the work, Kelley said, “We average 54 rain days a year, and instructed all of the bidders to allow for this in their project schedule. Over the course of a 31-month project, this is almost 140 days that have to be allowed for in the schedule.”
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David Strain, USA project manager IV, said that a fair amount of site work for the new building was completed as part of the site utility/demolition bid package. This included underground utilities, electrical power, sanitary sewer and storm drainage.
“The Alpha East and Alpha South buildings were abated and demolished as part of the preparatory site package,” he said. “Any hazardous materials, such as asbestos pipe insulation, were properly abated and taken to a landfill designated to receive these types of materials. Structural steel, rebar, piping, wiring and concrete were pulled out and recycled.
“Remaining miscellaneous materials were sent to a traditional landfill. Large trackhoes were used to take down the building and sort the materials.”
The site is 5.5 acres. A total of 58,000 cu. yds. of dirt will be disposed of off site.
Strain added there will be one tower crane for the bulk of the project, and possibly two other cranes at various times and locations, as well as a material hoist and truck-mounted concrete pumps.
“The project includes 14 air handlers, seven pumps for hot and chilled water and additional pumps to support the various other systems and generators,” Strain said. “The heating and cooling will be provided by chillers and boilers in the campus central utility system.”
While construction has a long way to go, there’s already a good deal of excitement surrounding the new structure and the day-to-day activities.
“It’s very fulfilling,” said Kelley. “We all live in the area, have known people that went through the program, we see USA doctors and are proud to be working on a project that will improve not just the College of Medicine, but the university, as well as the city of Mobile.
“We have been working with design team members that have been involved with other world-class medical facilities, and this new building will more than hold its own when compared to similar facilities at older and larger institutions.”
The Whiddon College of Medicine is one of 158 accredited MD-granting institutions in the United States, and one of only two in Alabama. More than 1,100 of its graduates are practicing medicine in the state. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, USA consistently ranks in the top tier nationally for graduates practicing in underserved areas. CEG
(All photos courtesy of University of South Alabama.)
