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Vol. XV • No. 21
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
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Your Ohio Connection: Ed Bryden, Strongsville, OH • 1-800-810-7640
W.H. Retro-Fitting Sammis Plant a Large Task in Ohio By Linda J. Hutchinson CEG CORRESPONDENT
FirstEnergy will complete “one of the largest retro-fit projects in history” at its coal-burning electric generation W. H. Sammis plant in Stratton, Ohio, in 2011. The $1.5 billion project is expected to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide by 95 percent and nitrogen oxide (NOx) by at least 64 percent. To reach these goals it is installing emission reducing technology known as Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR). Stratton is between East Liverpool and Steubenville in southeastern Ohio. Current renovations and construction have been designed and are being managed by Bechtel Power, one of the world’s largest engineering firms. The site includes Block 7 — home to one of the tallest chimneys in the world, which was built in 1970. The power plant includes a tunnel for State Route 7, a four-lane freeway. The tunnel goes under the Baghouse structure, which filters particulate and toxic gases from the exhaust before entering the smoke stack. The Sammis facility is the largest of FirstEnergy’s coalfired power plants in Ohio. The plant sits on 187 acres along the Ohio River and consists of five oil-fired peaking units and seven coal-fired units, and produces 2,233 megawatts of electricity —enough to serve about 1.3 million homes. Construction of the first four coal-fired units were built between 1959 and 1962 with the remaining three units being completed in 1967, 1969 and 1971. Part of the SNCR involves installing “scrubbers” on all
The absorber rings weigh between 120 and 361 tons (109 and 327 t) each, are 14 to 35 ft. (4.3 to 10.7 m) in height, and 72 ft. (22 m) in diameter. They are transported to the site via the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The staging area is at Paducah, Ky.
seven coal-fired units before 2011. Scrubbers, the size of skyscrapers, have been built by the Bruce Mansfield plant of Shippingport, Pa., and take up to three weeks to move via the Ohio River to Stratton. “The scrubber rings were designed and engineered by Babcock & Wilcox, of Barberton, Ohio,” FirstEnergy spokesman Mark Durbin said. They were fabricated by PSP
Industries of Fulton, Miss. Constructed of stainless steel alloy, the scrubber absorber rings have been stacked, six on top of each other, to form three 159-ft. (48 m) tall absorber towers. The absorber rings weigh between 120 and 361 tons (109 and 327 t) each, are 14 to 35 ft. (4.3 to 10.7 m) in height, and 72 ft. (22 m) in see SAMMIS page 6
T800, T370 Trucks Help Kokosing Construction Reduce Costs As one of the largest contractors in Ohio, Kokosing Construction has been growing and prospering since 1951. The company is about as diverse as it gets with operations in 10 states, in 25 different fields — from asphalt paving and bridge building to laying sub aqueous pipeline and building water treatment plants. “In a down economy, it helps to be diversified,” said Wayne Queen, trucking manager of Kokosing. “It also helps to have a wellrun equipment operation to control costs, which allows us to be ultra competitive on bids. It’s another thing we feel separates us from the competition.” Running nearly 2,000 pieces of heavy equipment, which includes Class 7 and 8
trucks, dozers, excavators, cranes and a litany of other equipment, the company has won numerous local and national awards for its projects, the quality of its work, and the management of its operations. “Safety and quality are at the core of Kokosing’s ideology,” said Queen. “While it may cost more up front for better equipment and investing in people to do a better job, it pays out in the end. As an example, we’ve been buying Kenworths as our primary truck for 10 years now and we can document their payback in lower operating costs and higher residual value.” The company runs 42 Kenworth T800s and a number of T370 medium duty trucks see KOKOSING page 7
Kokosing Construction runs nearly 2,000 pieces of heavy equipment.
Page 2 • October 17, 2009 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Ohio State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
(L-R): Ohio Michigan Equipment Dealers Association’s Dave Slagle, Becky Anway and Dennis Alford were on hand to promote their upcoming 2010 Power Show.
(L-R): Mike Less of Gehl, John Jeffries of Midwest Equipment and Scott Begg of Gehl were on hand to introduce the all new Gehl vertical-lift V270 skid loader.
Eric Bischoff (L) of JD Equipment Inc. gets an assist from Ron Brannon of Cope Equipment to discuss John Deere’s lineup of yellow iron.
Steve Kazin (L) of SKJ Farms LLC gets some operating pointers from JCB’s Tom Huesten.
OSUHosts Three-Day 47th Annual Farm Science Review
O
(L-R): Tim Kramer of Bobcat discusses equipment with Parker Bristow and Jeremy Bristow, in from Henry County, Ind., for the show.
Craig Butts, Vermeer of Southern Ohio, was on hand to talk about Wildcat trommel screens.
hio State University’s 47th Farm Science Review was held Sept. 22 to 24 at its 2,100acre Molly Caren Agricultural Center located near London, Ohio, on U.S. Route 40. The three-day event was sponsored by the Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and featured hundreds of demonstration plots and several million dollars worth of machinery. The event also included inductions into the Farm Science Review Hall of Fame and Ohio Farmer Conservation Awards hands-on demonstrations in the demonstration fields and an expanded program on conservation practices in the Gwynne Conservation Area. Field Demonstrations included harvesting, strip-tilling, global positioning and tillage. Another popular feature was the event’s display of antique farm and construction equipment.
(L-R): At the Ohio CAT Booth, Jeff Clouser is joined by Jim Hoobler of International Fuel Systems and Linda Meier, also of Ohio CAT.
(L-R): Tim Cannon chats with Kerry Steiner of Steiner’s Trenching and Bobcat Enterprise’s Arlen Swenson who said that they received a favorable reception for their used equipment display, which complemented the new equipment displayed by Bobcat — a new concept this year.
(L-R): Southeast Equipment brought a lineup of Case Equipment presented by Josh Poston, Kyle Hood and Jon Wickline.
Jack Coleman welcomed attendees to the QT Equipment display.
Construction Equipment Guide • Ohio State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • October 17, 2009 • Page 3
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Page 4 • October 17, 2009 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Ohio State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Wood • Hamilton • Stark • Henry • Greene • Knox • Franklin • Clermont • Crawford • Union • Cuyahoga • Brown • Licking • Medina •Ohio... Williams • Harrison • Adams • Mercer • Butler • Clark • Ashtabula • Sandusky • Portage • Athens • Logan • Lake • Erie • Wyandot • Warren • Fairfield • Miami • Paulding • Darke • Muskingum • Ottawa • Holmes • Jefferson • Trumbull • Summit • Washington • Van Vert • Licking • Wood • Hamilton • Stark • Henry • Greene • Knox • Franklin • Clermont • Crawford • Union • Cuyahoga • Brown • Licking • Medina • Williams • Harrison • Adams • Mercer • Butler • Clark • Ashtabula • Sandusky • Portage • Athens • Logan • Lake
‘Buckeye State’ Highway Lettings
The Ohio State Department of Transportation received bids for transportation-related improvement projects. The following is a list of some of the projects let. Project No: 091108 Type: New construction. Location: HOC-US/ATH-33-16.52/0.00. State Estimate: $52,365,000. Contractors and Bid Amounts: • Kokosing Construction Co. Inc., Columbus, Ohio — $45,202,525. • Beaver Excavating Co., Canton, Ohio — $48,540,088. • Shelly & Sands Inc., Zanesville, Ohio — $51,915,052. • Mashuda Corp., Cranberry Township, Pa. — $54,336,703. Completion Date: July 31, 2013. Project No: 090420 Type: Rest area. Location: WOO-IR-75-12.19. State Estimate: $1,470,000. Contractors and Bid Amounts: • Anderzack-Pitzen Construction Inc., Metamora, Ohio — $1,336,000. • Mark Schaffer Excavating & Trucking Inc., Norwalk, Ohio — $1,273,824. • Kokosing Construction Co. Inc., Columbus, Ohio — $1,385,951. • Baker Concrete Construction Inc., Monroe, Ohio — $1,387,384. • Mosser Construction Inc., Fremont, Ohio — $1,404,683. • Posen Construction Inc., Shelby Township, Mich. — $1,407,860. • Trucco Construction Co. Inc., Delaware, Ohio — $1,410,535. • Miller Bros. Construction Inc., Archbold, Ohio — $1,414,820. • Shelly Co., Thornville, Ohio — $1,428,174. • Vernon Nagel Inc., Napoleon, Ohio — $1,494,277. • Crestline Paving & Excavating Co. Inc., Toledo, Ohio — $1,494,434. Completion Date: Nov. 2, 2009. Project No: 090424 Type: Two lane resurfacing. Location: GAL-SR-160-0.00. State Estimate: $2,375,000. Contractors and Bid Amounts: • Shelly Co., Thornville, Ohio — $2,300,913. Completion Date: July 1, 2010. Project No: 091105 Type: Bridge replacement (2 bridges). Location: LOR-SR-18-(3.11)(4.86). State Estimate: $1,905,000. Contractors and Bid Amounts: • Ruhlin Co., Sharon Center, Ohio — $1,544,664. • E.S. Wagner Co., Oregon, Ohio — $1,609,768. • Terrace Construction Co. Inc., Cleveland, Ohio —
$1,612,238. • Mosser Construction Inc., Fremont, Ohio — $1,620,001. • J.D. Williamson Construction Co. Inc., Tallmadge, Ohio — $1,691,306. • Kokosing Construction Co. Inc., Columbus, Ohio — $1,708,687. • Great Lakes Construction Co., Hinckley, Ohio — $1,750,288. • Bog Construction Inc., Berlin Center, Ohio — $1,785,738. • Dot Construction Corp., Canfield, Ohio — $1,786,312. • Perk Co. Inc., Cleveland, Ohio — $1,805,505. • R&I Construction Inc., Tiffin, Ohio — $1,818,814. • Cuyahoga Bridge & Road Inc., Sevelle, Ohio — $1,868,178. • Stevens Painton Corp., Middleburg Heights, Ohio — $1,919,409. • Posen Construction Inc., Shelby Township, Mich. — $1,924,619. • Schrimer Construction Co., North Olmsted, Ohio — $1,947,089. Completion Date: Aug. 31, 2011. Project No: 098028 Type: Slide repair. Location: GAL-US-35-15.96. State Estimate: $1,350,000. Contractors and Bid Amounts: • Shelly & Sands Inc., Zanesville, Ohio — $1,069,920. • Double Z Construction Co., Columbus, Ohio — $1,210,797. • DGM Inc., Beaver, Ohio — $1,466,280.
• Complete General Construction Co., Columbus, Ohio — $1,473,477. • Becdir Construction Co., Berlin Center, Ohio — $1,548,344. Completion Date: June 1, 2010. Project No: 098029 Type: Two lane resurfacing. Locations: MUS-SR-376-0.00; MUS-313-0.00; GUE313-0.00. State Estimate: $1,679,600. Contractors and Bid Amounts: • Shelly & Sands Inc., Zanesville, Ohio — $1,815,805. Completion Date: July 31, 2010. Project No: 098027 Type: Bridge repair. Location: SUM-SR-8-1.99. State Estimate: $2,498,000. Contractors and Bid Amounts: • Ruhlin Co., Sharon Center, Ohio — $1,561,467. • Kokosing Construction Co. Inc., Columbus, Ohio — $1,620,483. • Brayman Construction Corp., Saxonburg, Pa. — $2,064,947. • Armstrong Steel Erectors Inc., Newark, Ohio — $2,083,745. • Forest City Erectors Inc., Twinsburg, Ohio — $2,519,779. • Perk Co. Inc., Cleveland, Ohio — $2,561,181. • Posen Construction Inc., Shelby Township, Mich. — $3,205,180. Completion Date: June 30, 2010.
Construction Equipment Guide • Ohio State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • October 17, 2009 • Page 5
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Page 6 • October 17, 2009 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Ohio State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide
Army Corps Called in for Large Sammis Plant Project SAMMIS from page 1
diameter. They are transported to the site via the TennesseeTombigbee Waterway. The staging area is at Paducah, Ky. The Army Corps of Engineers coordinated scrubber ring deliveries as the locks on the Ohio River must be closed while the deliveries are taking place. A specially built ramp near the locks facilitates off-loading. A 120-wheel Goldhoffer transporter backs onto the barge. Traffic on SR 7 is stopped in both directions for the transporter crossing. Equipment to control NOx is to be installed no later than 2012. The majority of the new equipment will be located south of the plant, according to FirstEnergy’s fact sheet for the project. Pilings are being sunk and ductwork is being constructed along the deck and around the south yard. A “hollow rock” waste disposal facility for the scrubber byproduct will be built on former strip mine near the plant. Compared to other NOx removal technologies, SNCR power plant installation is simple and easy, according to FirstEnergy press releases. “SNCR injects a chemical substance, such as ammonia or urea, into the flue gas. The system then reduces NOx by breaking it down into three ingredients: nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor. In certain temperatures, 30 percent of NOx can be reduced from flue gas using this process.” A new 850-ft. (259 m) stack has been completed. The ammonia facility has been completed and is being used as a catalyst for NOx control. Pre-fabricated pieces of the ductwork, weighing up to 100 tons (91 t) each have been delivered by barge —100 barge deliveries. Fiberglass flues for each of the vessels are in place, as is the steelwork for the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) equipment. Constructed on-site is a hollow rock waste gypsum disposal facility, built on a reclaimed strip mine. Limestone is used as a reagent to remove SO2 from the emissions, converting it to synthetic gypsum. The synthetic gypsum is dried and then transported to the facility via a 2.4 mi. enclosed conveyor belt. Approximately 578,000 tons (524,353 t) of limestone will be used annually. Project Scope, Scale • Approximately 1,400 workers, 5 million hours needed to complete project overall • Flue Duct Work — 9,000 ft. (2,743 m) • Support Pilings — 6,000 – equals 480,000 lineal ft. (146,304 m) — more than 90 mi. • Concrete — 52,400 cu. yds. (40,063 cu m) — nearly enough to build a sidewalk from the plant to Washington D.C. • Structural steel — 15,000 tons (13,608 t) — enough to build 97 Statues of Liberty • Electrical Cable – 10,400 circuits, 568 mi. — distance from Stratton, Ohio, to Savannah, Ga. The plant uses an average of 18,000 tons (16,329 t) of low and medium sulfur eastern coal daily for an annual average of 6.6 million tons (6 million t). A 45-day supply of coal is maintained at the plant, in a stockpile covering more than ten acres. The plant employs 410 people and is the largest taxpayer in Jefferson County, paying $5.5 million in property taxes annually. Pickering Associates of Athens, Ohio, has provided architectural and engineering design services for several projects at this facility, including the new waste water treatment building. According to the Web site, “this project was unique in the incorporation of sixteen monorails to be used in the operation of the facility. Special attention was required for
The Army Corps of Engineers coordinated scrubber ring deliveries as the locks on the Ohio River must be closed while the deliveries are taking place. A specially built ramp near the locks facilitates off-loading.
the structural support and connections of the monorails to the building frame. This facility was also designed with future construction in mind, therefore a 40-ft. tall by 150-ft. long fire wall was necessary to separate the occupancies.” According to FirstEnergy’s Web site, “FirstEnergy companies have spent more than $5 billion on environmental protection efforts since the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act became law in 1970, and these investments are making a difference. Since 1990, FirstEnergy has reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides [NOx] by more than 65 percent, sulfur dioxide [SO2] by more than 55 percent and mercury by about 45 percent. Also, our carbon dioxide [CO2] emission rate, in pounds of CO2 per kWh [kilowatt hour], has dropped by 10 percent through this period.” In 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced a major Clean Air Act (CAA) New Source Review Program (NSR), and a settlement with Ohio Edison Company, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., in a suit brought against FirstEnergy Corp. by the EPA and the states of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The suit alleged that the W.H. Sammis Power Plant violated EPA standards for air quality. Ohio Edison agreed to spend $1.1 billion prior to 2012 to “substantially decrease emissions at the Sammis plant and other nearby Ohio Edison plants.” Under the settlement, an annual tonnage cap for SO2 and NOx emissions was set, which would decline over time. “In the 1990s, EPA discovered that electric utility and oil companies had been carrying out massive, pollution-increasing construction projects to extend the operational lifetimes of the oldest, dirtiest power plants and oil refineries in the country. The power and oil companies had carried out these projects without adopting modern pollution controls or examining the impact of the increased pollution on downwind communities and parks, emitting hundreds of thousands of tons of illegal pollution,” according to a statement from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The W.H. Sammis plant was one of 16 coal-burning plants sued by the state of New Jersey. The state argued that these
plants, all in the Midwest, “emitted 350,000 tons of NOx and 136 million tons of carbon dioxide …more than a million tons of sulfur dioxide, which causes asthma in people who breathe the air.” Sprol, an online group that reported the “worst places in the world” said “Decades ago people believed that taller smokestacks would somehow dilute the pollution and make it less harmful, like blowing your cigar smoke up towards the ceiling in a crowded room. It works about as well, too. All it does is spread the smoke farther out.” Sprol continued, “More than 145,000 tons of sulfur dioxide per year actually comes from this one facility, the W.H. Sammis plant, operated by Ohio Edison, which is owned by FirstEnergy Corporation. More pollution comes out of these chimneys than all of the power generating stations in New Jersey and Connecticut, combined.” “Pollution from coal-burning power plants causes an estimated 30,000 deaths a year in the United States – more than drunken driving, AIDS, or homicides, according to one analysis,” reported in an analysis by Abt Associates of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The EPA has hired Abt “to quantify the health effects of federal policies.” “By retiring older, less efficient coal-based generation units, swapping assets with other utilities and increasing the output of our nuclear facilities, we have avoided an average of nearly nine million tons of CO2 emissions annually since 1990. In fact, our generating output has increased nearly 15 percent in that time, while our overall CO2 emissions remain at 1990 levels. And, with nearly 40 percent of our electricity coming from non-emitting sources, we are well-positioned to compete in a carbon-constrained future,” reported FirstEnergy in a prepared statement. FirstEnergy also is committed to a waste minimization. Scrubber sludge is used to make gypsum, which is then made into wallboard. (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.) CEG
Construction Equipment Guide • Ohio State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • October 17, 2009 • Page 7
Longevity Key for Kokosing’s Choice on Kenworth Trucks KOKOSING from page 1
as lowboys, fuel and lube vehicles, boom trucks, flatbeds and water trucks. The company also uses a T370 and T800 as jet trucks — vehicles equipped with a tank and power sprayer (up to 65 gal. [246 L] per minute at 2500 psi) to clean out sanitary lines. According to Queen, the value of a Kenworth has been seen over time. “Some of the corners on the cabs of our other trucks have rusted out, so corrosion — due primarily from the heavy road salt we have in Ohio — really takes its toll on equipment,” he said. “But with Kenworth’s aluminum and fiberglass construction, it’s not a problem. Our goal is to get two body mounts out of a truck, and with a Kenworth, that’s a given. I can’t say that with confidence about other makes.” While service longevity is a key, serviceability and cost of ownership also is a bottom-line difference maker. The company looks at its operational costs on a cost-per-hour, versus cost-per-mile basis. “We look at these numbers when we assign equipment costs on a project,” Queen said. “Looking at the costs of operating Kenworths over the past 10 years show we’ve had no increase, other than for fuel or lubes. That’s huge when you consider inflation, so our ‘real’ numbers have actually decreased.” And the Kenworths keep on running. “That’s vital of course,” Queen said. “Many in the construction world look at water trucks as the last life for a rig. But we don’t. We’ve put into service new Kenworth T800s with 4,000 gallon tanks. They’ll only put on 15,000 miles per annum and operate 7 months out of the year, but they’re vital in keeping dust down on projects; for servicing our asphalt rollers; curing bridge decks; washing down concrete pavers [with 100 foot water hose with adjustable spray head]. If we have a water truck that’s down, that’s potentially $1,000 an hour we’re losing. We don’t take chances with our equipment.” And Queen said it’s the company’s overall philosophy that if it puts out the best in quality, it has to invest in the best. “We run two shifts — so night and day operations, with much of our equipment rarely resting,” he said. “Right now in the summer we’re virtually running at 100 percent equipment utilization. So, we can’t afford downtime. Plus we want our drivers to be productive and comfortable. The trucks have an excellent turning radius and are very comfortable to drive. One of our best decisions was to go with Kenworth’s extended day cab. The drivers love all the extra room.” The Kenworth extended day cab enhances driver comfort with an additional 6 in. of length and 5 in. of cab height com-
The company runs Kenworth T800s and T370s as lowboys, fuel and lube vehicles, boom trucks, flatbeds and water trucks.
pared to Kenworth’s traditional day cab. The extended day cab also offers 2 more inches behind the wheel, additional leg room, up to 21 degrees of recline in the driver’s seat, and 2 extra cu. ft. of storage behind the driver’s seat. Dealer support and spec’ing assistance also comes into play. Queen said his relationship with Columbus Kenworth is excellent and a creative spec’ing process between the dealership and Kenworth engineering helped Kokosing solve a major challenge. “We had a long-term project where we had to go over a 30 to 35 percent grade over rock and dirt. We worked with Kenworth to spec a T800 fuel truck with a locking rear differential, a Hendrickson PRIMAAX suspension — air bags
with torsion bars, and a 470 hp engine with 1,650 foot pounds of torque driven through a 10-speed transmission with oil pump. The rear axle ratio is 4.78. The truck works beautifully.” While Kokosing generally keeps its T800s for eight to nine years or 800,000 mi. (whichever comes first), there is no shortage of buyers for the second life of the Kenworths. “We have an excellent maintenance program and keep detailed records,” said Queen. “We’ve never had to trade in our vehicles — we’ve always had operators waiting in line for our trucks. And another plus is resale value. We command high value when we sell our Kenworths.” For more information, visit www.kenworth.com.
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Page 8 • October 17, 2009 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Ohio State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide