Big-time Building: The Ozarks building boom

But concerns about the availability of qualified laborers and subcontractors have some in the industry wondering if the building boom will keep them from bidding on lucrative projects in coming months.

Kathy Baer, who administers an employment referral service for the Springfield Contractors Association, said the demand for construction workers and subcontractors already seems to have exceeded the local supply.

“I’ve got more … companies looking for help than I’ve got help to fill,” she said.

The list of large construction projects reshaping Springfield includes:

• the $101 million, 350,00-square-foot patient tower at St. John’s Hospital;

• the $67 million JQH Arena at Missouri State University;

• the $58 million midfield terminal building at Springfield-Branson National Airport;

• the $25 million interchange flyover at Interstate 44 and U.S. Highway 65; and

• the $21 million College Station, theater, retail space and parking garage in downtown Springfield.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like it,” contractor Kit Carson said of the building frenzy.

Phased construction has also begun on a construction project that dwarfs all others in comparison: City Utilities’ nearly $700 million Southwest Power Station Unit 2. Last month, contractors poured the concrete foundation for a 513-foot chimney at the site of the new coal-fired plant.

Carson’s company, Carson-Mitchell Inc., handled that project and is also general contractor for the $6 million Heer’s Car Park going up at Campbell Avenue and Olive Street. The five-story deck will provide overflow parking for College Station and the redeveloped Heer’s Tower, a long-delayed project the city is now negotiating with St. Louis firm McGowan|Walsh.

Carson predicted that the number of concurrent construction projects in Springfield may very well reach its historical peak some time next year.

“At some point, we’ll have to say, ‘It’s time to stop bidding and keep working,’ but we’re not there yet,” he said.

Calm before the storm?

Carson and his peers don’t expect business to slow down any time soon.

Other jobs waiting in the wings are the Heer’s Tower renovations, a hotel-office complex adjacent to the Springfield Exposition Center and a steady stream of Springfield Public Schools projects funded with a $96.5 million bond issue voters approved last year.

Springfield Public Schools has plenty on its plate, starting with a $12 million project at Cherokee Middle School that will encompass renovations, demolition and an addition.

That project is currently out to bid, and several contractors have picked up plans, said Scott Wendt, the district’s director of capital construction.

Next in line is a $4.9 million renovation and addition project at Weaver Elementary that should start this summer, followed by a $4.5 million project at Wanda Gray Elementary for a new gymnasium, kindergarten classrooms and air-conditioning, Wendt said.

The school district has been working closely with SCA to optimize bidding for local contractors by staggering upcoming projects, said Wendt, who was well aware of the construction challenges that lay ahead.

“The key thing (contractors have) told us is don’t put projects out on top of each other,” he said.

When the scope of potential construction work is expanded to include surrounding communities, the list becomes even more daunting.

Gulfstream Bioflex Energy LLC of Mount Vernon has hired Walton Construction Co. to build a $185 million ethanol plant east of Rogersville in Webster County, and company officials hope to begin construction later this year.

School districts in Clever, Mount Vernon and Carthage all have plans to build new high schools, and the Ozark R-VI School District recently solicited bids for a $5 million multipurpose athletic field. Farther south in Taney County, a 20-story condo development in Branson and airports in Branson and Branson West are on the drawing board.

Augmenting the work force

Carson said there are plenty of general contractors to bid on future projects, but he foresees a subcontractor crunch lurking around the corner. He sees overwhelmed architects designing many projects in the pipeline as a harbinger.

“This is going to stretch mechanical contractors pretty hard,” Carson said.

Baer at SCA echoed Carson’s concerns. When asked which trades are in demand, she mentioned carpenters, electricians, plumbers and equipment operators, adding “pretty much everything you can think of.”

Randy Ganz, senior vice president of DeWitt & Associates, said his company has 100 field workers who perform work that might otherwise have to be subcontracted. However, subcontractors for specialty work, such as drywall, masonry and concrete finishing, are in great demand, he said.

DeWitt & Associates would know; the company has been involved in numerous local projects, including the St. John’s patient tower, Jordan Valley Innovation Center and the College Station parking deck. Ganz said his company plans to ride the wave of construction until it breaks.

“We like the pace. We like the progress. We’re staffed up. We’re geared up. We’re ready for it,” he said.

The SCA is working diligently to deepen the pool of reliable laborers and subcontractors. Executive Director Sheryl Letterman said SCA members have sponsored three scholarships for a new construction readiness certification program at Ozarks Technical Community College. The five-week class taught by instructor Dave Aderhold begins May 30.

The class is an overview of virtually every type of construction skill and trade, from site preparation to detailed electrical and plumbing work, said Phil Davis, director of OTC’s Training Resource Group. The class was created in response to requests from SCA and the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield, he said.

Only a handful of people have registered for the class, which can accommodate about 18 students per session, but Davis is hoping the class will generate more interest over time.

“The first one’s always the hardest one to get off the ground,” Davis said.

Those who complete the course will receive a construction readiness certificate and, Davis hopes, land jobs with local contractors.

“Our goal is to put ’em all to work,” he said.

“With the demand that’s there, we think that will happen pretty easily.”[[In-content Ad]]