arena | construction

Laying the groundwork
FOR SUCCESS
Remarkable feat, 18 months in the making

By LUANNE J. HUNT

FROM grading to landscaping to the finishing touches, the construction of Citizens Business Bank Arena moved along like clockwork. That is a remarkable feat considering there were 52 contractors hired to work on the 225,000-square-foot building, said Kevin Dow, vice president of Turner Construction Co.

The city of Ontario hired Turner Construction to oversee the building process, and construction on the $150 million arena began in March 2007.

Dow said the project required 1,137 pieces of structural pre-cast frames, 1.6 million pounds of rebar, 5,000 cubic yards of precast concrete, 1,820 tons of steel for the roof and trusses, 13.5 miles of pipe in the ice floor system and a dozen 224-foot trusses.

Once assembled, the result was a first- rate sports and entertainment venue.

"It's a very iconic structure and is going to be a fabulous addition to our city," said Ontario Development Director Otto Kroutil. "The arena has been in the making close to 14 years, so we are happy to see it completed and couldn't be more pleased with the way it's turned out."

Citizens Business Bank Arena is situated on a 37-acre parcel between Haven and Milliken avenues, two blocks north of Interstate 10.

Along with playing host to a Lakers exhibition game and concerts, it also will be home for the Ontario Reign ice hockey team of the ECHL, the professional development league for the National Hockey League.

Prior to construction, 52 contractors submitted bids and received contracts from the city. They were told they had to finish all work before the arena's grand opening on Oct. 18. It took 18 months to complete and about 425 construction workers were on site each month, Dow said.

"I had a very good staff," said Dow, who works out of Turner's Anaheim office. "I had a lot of supervisors and architects, and everyone was in it together. Everybody pulled their weight."

The arena is an 11,000-seat entertainment complex that can be configured for various types of events with different seating capacities. It has 36 luxury suites, refreshment stands, merchandise kiosks, 7,000 square feet of storage space and locker rooms and training areas.

Dow said constructing a building as complex as the Citizens Business Bank Arena required strategic planning in every phase. Turner Construction had the knowledge and expertise to meet the demands of such a monumental project.

The 106-year-old company is a recognized leader in the industry, with experience in commercial offices, educational and sports facilities, hotels and motels, health care, pharmaceutical, multiunit residential, correctional and entertainment and public assembly. The New York-based company's philosophy is centered around integrity, teamwork and commitment.

Phase I of the project began with moving 70,000 cubic yards of earth for the event-level bowl, Dow said.

Next, the land was graded so the foundation could be laid.

"Getting to the depth of the event level was critical," said Dow. "We knew we had to have it completed by the end of May 2007 to stay on schedule."

Once the foundation was in place in August 2007, Dow said 1,137 pieces of structural, pre-cast steel were installed.

Pre-cast steel framing is more challenging to install than traditional steel, but it comes with an advantage: There is less finishing work with pre-cast frames, because they can be left exposed and are still pleasing to the eye.

"The exposed frame makes a really nice-looking product," Dow said. "And using this type of frame saves on material costs, as well."

After the framing was finished, 12 steel roof trusses — each 224 feet long — were erected in two sections. Dow said because of their size, it took nearly six months to put them up. The crew also lost some days because of rain and winds.

While the trusses were being placed, the electrical system was installed. From mid- March to mid-September this year, drywall, painting and other finishing work was completed.

During the final months of the project, the entire west end of the building had to be built from scratch, Dow said. The area had been left open during construction so cranes could have access and stadium seating could be installed.

"It was a mad rush to finish the construction of the west end, but it was advantageous to leave it open because we were able to simultaneously work on the roof and have the stadium seats installed," Dow said.

Although most of the work went smoothly, Dow admitted there were some hurdles to overcome.

The biggest was figuring out the schedules for all 52 contractors. Ontario City Manager Greg Devereaux said reviewing the bids and hiring them also was no easy feat.

"Under the state public works code used by all cities, you have to hire a separate contractor for each part of the job," he said.

"It was very cumbersome to have 52 bids out at the same time."

With every project, Dow said safety is of the utmost importance. Turner Construction is dedicated to promoting an injury-free environment and providing the safest workplace possible for its employees, subcontractors, clients and others who enter the construction sites.

According to Turner's Web site, www.turnerconstruction.com, the company's motto is: "Every worker goes home from each of our jobs, every day."

To facilitate its safety goals, Turner has a policy that every job costing more than $20 million must have a full-time safety director on site.

Dow said the safety director's main task is to ensure that everyone understands the site rules and security procedures and knows how to use the protective equipment. He also meets daily with the foreman to get a safety report and updates.

"It has been very rewarding for Turner Construction Co. to lead and orchestrate this group of very qualified contractors to complete over $68 million of work in the last eight months," Dow said. "When I look back, what we did was quite an accomplishment. Thanks to our team effort, the construction of the arena was a success."