Bring Your Patience to Work Day

Patience is a virtue for a reason. Today I found out that having patience stops a person from acting rashly and jumping to conclusions. We started our day like all others: coffee, quick run down of the days expectations on the way to work, review of the 7 habits in relation to our daily goal, arrive on job, and that's when things slowed down. The fact is the plumbers came in for their first day in the slab. The progress was extremely minimal. They are having problems getting through the rock. Woody talked to the foreman about getting more crews and heavier equipment, the PM on his end also called the plumbing company office and requested crews and equipment that can get the job done on schedule. The concrete crew also came today to continue forming the north west parking lot. Woody is scheduled to pour this by Friday. So I have to say the crews and Woody are trying to work patiently through all the rock but everyone knows were it not for the rock the project would be further along. A good note is the fact that the developer looks like they are finishing up their underground line work on the site. They'll bring that back to grade and we'll be able to pour concrete on that end as well. We are used to be in a fast paced construction site, so the rock issue is definitely trying our patience. Erik Egan, Project Manager at Parkway Construction, came by for a while to observe the work in progress. Erik's made quite a few visits to our site both here and in Irving. He'll return again later in the week.

Section of North East Parking Area Poured

The crews started coming in about 6am this morning. Soon after they were followed by the concrete trucks & pump truck. Pouring started about 6:30am. The work was steady and went off without a hitch. This will now be utilized as the staging area.

Form work in NE section is complete

Northeast section was compacted as it is prepared for flatwork. Terracon sent out a GEO Tech to verify the compaction and moisture. The section has been approved for tomorrow's concrete pour. Today, the McDonald's Partner & Area Construction Manager(ACM), as well as our Project Manager came out for the weekly site meeting.

Trench Work Complete

Crews finished the trench work in the building pad today. They are still working on hauling away all the rocks from the area. The area will be ready for the plumbers on Monday.

Things are moving along...

It's official carton forms have been eliminated! Today it's progressing at a better pace than yesterday. The men are continuing with the trenching and forming the northeast end of the lot for flat work. Actually the trenching is near completion and the rocks are being moved out of the way. Today we've had unexpected workers onsite again getting in the way of our progress, but it's a job requirement to adapt to the unexpected and change the plan that will allow us to continue irregardless. I guess the right saying would be, "You gotta roll with the punches." It seems that about the time we finish grading or prepare an area for flat work, the developer's contractor sends over a crew to work in that very area. Thinking over it now, it's just a challenge we have a job to do and so do they. It's just a matter of finding a way of working together towards a common goal. For now the ACM and PM have been patient with the delays these intrusions cause. BEST NEWS: CONCRETE IS STILL SCHEDULED TO BE POURED ON SATURDAY.

Hard Core Labor

These men have been working at least 12 hours a day doing the trench work complete for the plumbers to come in and do their work. This doesn't usually take so long, but the rock is making it difficult to do this at a faster pace. Thank goodness for the patience of the crews, their foreman, and Woody. Together they continue to discuss and work with the PM and ACM to do this task per plan but in a timely manner. Woody had a meeting with Jimmy Lopez today and also discussed the rock situation with the Engineers at Terracon. Changes may be in the works.

Woody the PROACTIVATOR

Woody has it going on today. It's always good when crews show up ready to work after a holiday break. Today the final of the grading is taking place. The concrete crew came back to continue the trench work. They encountered too much rock this weekend which damaged the equipment. Today they returned ready to progress via another strategy. The concrete foreman also brought out another crew to start forming the NW parking lot so they can pour concrete later in the week. The developer had a crew out here finishing the irrigation sleeve & continuing the electrical line relocation. They delivered anchor bolts, rebar, form materials, and storm water lines. It's been a busy day. We were finally able to get the load sheet information out to Oncor. Woody's been burning up minutes on the phone scheduling next week's work and confirming this week's work. All in all we had a very productive day.

Gustav moves In on Labor Day.

Let me begin by thanking everyone that inquired about Woody's family in Louisiana & Mississippi. His nieces in Lake Charles, LA didn't evacuate, but did take shelter in a safe location. His sister, mom, dad & stepmom are all doing okay and were very prepared for the storm.

Here is a picture of the trench work completed so far. It's questionable whether it's far enough along for the plumbers to start. This week we've scheduled utility contractors, plumbers, electricians, and termite treatment.

Happy Labor Day!

Trench Work in Progress

Trench work started late yesterday afternoon. Today the concrete crew returned to continue the trench work. The goal is for them to finish by the time the plumbers come to work on Tuesday. The foreman running the concrete crew is as agressive as Woody. He'll be getting a crew started on Tuesday ready to pour a portion of the parking lot. Hopefully, they will make more progress tomorrow or Monday.

Piers are Complete!

This Friday morning is off to a mix of surprises and scheduled work proceeding quicker than expected. As is usual for Friday's we had a site meeting. Usually the McDonald's Area Construction Manager would be present but he was unable to attend today. However, Michael Sawyers, Parkway Construction Project Manager, and the McDonald's Partners and his associates were able to attend.

Today we completed all 52 piers! The grading should finish tomorrow despite the delays. All in all, we made wonderful progress when you consider we were unable to work 16 days this month. The concrete foreman and his crew really came through today. We'd planned that they would be working through the weekend on piers. They definitely beat the deadline.

Above is a picture of the three drilling rigs early this morning. Below are photos of the grading before lunch.

Pier Drilling Continues

Here's Woody doing what he does best! It's been very exciting having crews on site grading the lot, drilling piers, setting up cages, pouring concrete, and most importantly, making progress. Tomorrow we expect not only our Project Manager, McDonald's Project Manager, but also the McDonald's Partners and their associates. Trucks continue to come in and out hauling out the dirt that is cut from the site. Surveyors have started blue topping the site. Our GEO Tech company has had an agent onsite through the process of drilling, setting, and pouring the piers. Altogether, the day has progressed at a much greater speed than yesterday. The concrete foreman and his crew completed 30 piers today! Excellent work.

Grading & Pier Work

Grading is scheduled to be completed by the end of this week. Meanwhile, we will begin drilling the piers today. That meant the GEO Tech company was onsite to conduct inspections throughout the process. Furthermore, we had a City Building Inspector come out to do the city inspection for piers and cages. Woody has started scheduling work for next week. We'll lose a work day right at the beginning of the month with the Labor Day holiday. Our goal is to be able to meet our scheduled weekly deadlines in the four day work week, all the same.

Grading Makes Great Progress

The excavating crew has continued to cut the site and haul dirt away rotating between four semi-trucks. The concrete forman sent a crew out to the site to begin preparing for the drilling rigs arriving tomorrow. We've scheduled the city inspection as well as the one with the Geo Tech company.

Building Pad is Certified

Woody is seen here with Reese the Superintendent for the development where we are constructing this latest McDonald's. Reese often comes out to the site to see how things are progressing. They are both pleased to finally have crews back to work and begin making progress. The grading company sent a grader and trucks early this morning to resume grading. The ground was dry enough to return to work. The Geo Tech co certified the building pad!

Preparing to Resume Work

Finally, the rain has come to a stop and the ground is dry enough to resume work. We've had to reinstall the job site id banners and the SWPPP board. All notices are now posted and workers are scheduled to return tomorrow.

Rained Out Aug 15th to Aug 23rd

Last Friday, we changed the location site for our weekly site meeting. We discussed the delay due to grading issues and rain days with the McDonald's Partner. Discussions continued regarding decor, kitchen equipment, exterior wall coverings and colors, etc. Woody showed Mr Jasper and Michael Sawyers the changed grading plan that Ben Sims provided him yesterday. We've sent the changes to the grading company. On Thursday, although the site was too wet to work, the concrete crew came out and began pumping water off the building pad. We're hoping to return to work on Monday. The sun has been in and out over the weekend drying the ground some.

End of the Week Ends in Rain

The weekly site meeting was moved to the McDonald's Partners' other Fort Worth location due to the rain. Needless to say, the grading work has ceased for now. We'll hope for sunshine to dry out the wet ground over the weekend, so we can return to work on Monday. Meanwhile, we were able to meet with Jimmy Lopez and the Jaspers to discuss changes, scheduling, and site grading issues. Ben Sims, Engineer, reviewed grading plans with Woody and agreed to provide him with a solid plan by Tuesday of next week.

Relocating and Grading

Today the grading crew continued to grade the site & 4 trucks were used continuously throughout the day to haul out the dirt. The concrete crew came in to start constructing the pier cages to be used next week when we begin drilling the piers. We had to move the job trailer and portolet to allow the developers electrician to relocate their electrical line. Woody continues to be uneasy about the depth of the cuts made on the site. Jimmy Lopez, McD Area Construction Manager, came out to get a visual of Woody's concerns. Concerns will be addressed at tomorrow's weekly site meeting. For now Woody is progressing per plan.

Grading Resumes after Job Hold

Grader started early this morning cutting the lot. Trucks have been coming in and out hauling dirt away from the site. It wasn't long before an electrical line was uncovered. This is newer line installed by the developer through the McDonald's job site. Originally it was installed the mandatory depth below grade per code. However, this was according to the developers grade without consideration to the McDonald's permitted grades. It has been determined that the developer will have to have their electrical contractor relocate their line so that it will be underground per code per the McDonald's grading plan. Grading continued throughout the day. Seen above is the depth measurement, the broken line, and Reese determining consistency of line depth.

JOB on Hold Aug 7 to Aug 12

Today is the 6th day we've lost due to the temporary hold on the project. The questions Woody raised on the 6th of August regarding the depth of the cuts were taken seriously by our Project Manager and the McDonald's Area Construction Manager. It caused the job to be placed on hold while an investigation was started. The engineering company and developer were brought in to shed light on the situation. Finally, today we held a meeting regarding the conflict in the topo numbers. Ben Sims came from the engineering company and Dan Dover and Reese were present to represent the developer. After the meeting we were given permission to continue with the grading per plan. Woody scheduled the grading company and their surveyors to return tomorrow to continue grading the lot.

McDonald's: Grading & T Pole Inspection

The City of Fort Worth sent out an Electrical Inspector who checked the temporary electrical pole. He then signed off on it. The grading crew continued to cut into the lot. Woody has raised concerns with the Project Manager and the McD Area Construction Manager regarding the depth of the cuts. There appears to be a conflict between the TOPO numbers on the plans and the actual existing numbers.

First Onsite Site Meeting

Today we had our Project Manager, Michael Sawyers, as well as the McDonald's Area Manager, Jimmy Lopez and the McDonald's Partner come to the job trailer to get a visual of the job site and grading work in progress. Grading continues with trucks continually hauling the dirt that is cut out of the lot. We passed our stake inpection with the City of Fort Worth. The electricians installed a temporary electric pole.

Silt Fence Installed

Grading company sent out a crew to put up the silt fence. This is of course a requirement per our Storm Water Pollution Protection Plan. They finished today which will allow grading to begin tomorrow.

Preparing for work to Take Off

Soon the lot will have a variety of crews from surveyors, utility workers, grading crews, and concrete crews. We received delivery of the portolet today. This is a very necessary item when we have so many people on site. We also checked to make sure we are ready for the scheduled stake inspection on Monday with the City of Fort Worth.

Grading Work to Begin

Woody has scheduled the grading crew and GEO Tech company for Monday. We've spent most of Thursday and part of today at the Parkway Corporate office. Woody also scheduled the stake inspection for Monday. Aside from scheduling work, we've been setting up the job trailer and bringing office setup from storage. We are definitely ready to begin this project