Recognizing the demand forhigher education from the militaryand civilian communities,

Armstrong State University and the city of Hinesville areawaiting completion of the two-story, 21,000 sq. ft. (1,950.9sq m) Armstrong Liberty Center. The academic facility,approximately 35 mi. (56.3 km) from the main campus inSavannah, Ga., currently operates out of a leased structureone mile from the construction site.

“Armstrong Liberty Center has seen a 20 percent increasein enrollment for the last two years,” said Peter Hoffman,Liberty Center director. “To support this growth, we haveexpanded programs and increased course offerings. Thecurrent leased facility is at maximum capacity and addition-

al classroom space is required for continued growth. Armstrong State’s 268-acre campus is an arboretum adja-

cent to a cluster of shopping malls, movie theaters andrestaurants. A public university, it serves approximately7,100 students, and offers more than 100 academic pro-grams. Founded in 1935, Armstrong State is part of theUniversity System of Georgia. Its current Liberty Center isjust outside the gate of Fort Stewart, the largest militaryinstallation east of the Mississippi River, and home of the USArmy 3rd Infantry Division.

The new facility will have eight classrooms, ranging insize between 48 and 30 seating capacity. The classrooms willhave state-of-the-art smart boards and audio visual equip-ment. There also will be two science labs, tutoring rooms, a

student commons area and several breakout rooms.Administrative space will include offices for the staff andfaculty and a conference room.

“One area of particular constraint is the lack of adequatescience laboratories,” Hoffman said. “Our biggest area ofenrollment growth has been in the health professions, whichrequire science lab classes not supported in the current facil-ity. The increase in enrollment also demands space for stu-dent support services, such as tutoring, and advisement. Thenew facility has been designed to meet all of those needs andto accommodate the anticipated continued growth.”

The Armstrong Liberty Center serves members of the sur-rounding community who might not otherwise have access

Armstrong State University Awaits New Liberty Center

LAVONIA, Ga. (AP) The GeorgiaDepartment of Transportation has awardedan approximately $3.15 million contract tostart a construction project aimed at improv-ing the safety on some of northeastGeorgia’s most dangerous highway curves.

The Athens Banner-Herald reported that

82 sections of state routes in six counties willreceive construction work throughBurlington, N.C.,-based Triangle Gradingand Paving Inc.

DOT officials say engineers rode high-ways that have featured frequent wet weath-er crashes, compiling data to determine the

severity of each curve.

Georgia DOT District Engineer Brent

Cook said new signs will be placed along the

roads and traction on the asphalt will be

improved, among other changes. The work

will take place in Banks, Franklin, Hart,

Madison, Towns and Rabun Counties.

The construction is scheduled to be com-

pleted by June 30, 2016.

(This story also can be found onConstruction Equipment Guide’s Web site atwww.constructionequipmentguide.com.)

Georgia DOT Improving Safety of Curvy Northeast Roads

GEORGIA STATE EDITION A Supplement to:

Your Georgia Connection: Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479

“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”Bainbridge

Macon

Albany

Athens

Atlanta

Augusta

Columbus

Rome

Savannah

ValdostaThomasville

Moul- trie

Tifton

Blakely

Cuthbert

CordeleMcRae

Douglas

La Grange

Ameri- cus

Milledgeville

DublinOak Park

Lyons

Dorchester

Waycross Bruns- wickPearson

Statesboro

Swainsboro

Griffin

Madison

Cornella75

75

75

16

16

20

20

85

59

185

95

85

27

19

441

441

441

441

19

19

27

82

27

82

82

341

341

1301

301

84

8484319

82

1129

1

Armstrong State University photoThe new facility will have eight classrooms, ranging in size between 48 and 30 seating capacity.

see LIBERTY page 2

September 22015

Vol. XVII • No. 18

By Cindy RileyCEG CORRESPONDENT

Page 2 • September 2, 2015 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

to higher education.“The majority of our students are non-traditional, includ-

ing active duty military and working adults, and for these stu-dents, easy access to campus is important,” Hoffman said.“For the approximately 16,000 active duty soldiers and forthe associated spouses and family members, the Centeroffers access to Armstrong’s full range of degree programswith the affordability of a public university. The Center alsoprovides dual enrollment opportunities for local high schoolstudents and a non-resident option for traditional studentswho want or need to study close to home.”

Lavender & Associates of Statesboro, Ga., is serving asgeneral contractor on the project, while the firm Hussey GayBell was responsible for the architectural and interior design,as well as civil and structural engineering. Hoffman said thetiming for building the new Liberty Center is right for sever-al reasons.

“Hinesville is the county seat of Liberty County, and isone of the fastest growing cities in the state. Liberty Countyhas seen significant growth in recent years and that trend isexpected to continue. As industries move into the area, therewill be continued demand for higher education. We are alsoseeing an increase in military affiliated students. With a slow-ing of troop deployments related to the war on terror, moresoldiers are present at Fort Stewart and available to takeclasses. The number of veterans using their GI Bill is alsoexpected to increase as the overall military force goesthrough downsizing.”

New Classrooms to Feature State-of-the-Art Smart Boards

Hussey Gay Bell photoRecognizing the demand for higher education from the military and civilian communities, Armstrong StateUniversity and the city of Hinesville are awaiting completion of the two-story, 21,000 sq. ft. (1,950.9 sq m)Armstrong Liberty Center.

LIBERTY from page 1

see LIBERTY page 6

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 2, 2015 • Page 3

Bobcat®, the Bobcat logo and the colors of the Bobcat machine are registered trademarks of Bobcat Company in the United States and various other countries. 14-B267

The latest M-Series excavators feature new improvements – and smooth hydraulics – that enable you to dig your way out of extremely tough jobs.

STOP BY YOUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP FOR A DEMO AND CHECK OUT THESE FEATURES:

Fuel-saving, communication-improving auto idle

Effortless auto downshift

Efficient two-speed drive motors

Productive angle blade

The industry’s only clamp-compatible extendable arm

Protective, triple-duty rear counterweight and access panel

Bobcat of Atlanta

Page 4 • September 2, 2015 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 2, 2015 • Page 5

Page 4 • September 2, 2015 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 2, 2015 • Page 5

Page 6 • September 2, 2015 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide

Designers Adhere to Georgia Sustainability Standards Construction is about 40 percent finished.

The majority of site work related to thebuilding has been completed, with site workfor the parking and final grading and land-scaping left to be carried out. The buildingfoundation, steel frame, slabs, metal studframing, roofing and exterior sheathing aresubstantially complete, with MEP rough inclose to completion. Architectural cast stoneand masonry are scheduled to start, followedby installation of windows and doors. Onceit is dried in, interior finishes can begin.

According to Katie Twining, ASU’s direc-tor of facility services, a priority of a projectof this scope and visibility where local, state,and institutional clients are involved is tofocus on developing consensus and commu-nication.

“Fortunately, participants have beenexceptional in their efforts to keep this proj-ect on track, including the design and con-struction team. Another issue has beenweather. This has been one of the wettestsprings in several years and can make sitedevelopment tricky. We’ve been lucky thesite itself drains exceptionally well,” saidTwining.

The site for the new building was gifted toASU by the city of Hinesville and is com-posed of 11 separate parcels of land. The sitewas free of structures at the start of con-struction, with two parcels BrownfieldRemediation sites. That work had been com-

pleted by the city of Hinesville to removeunderground storage tanks (USTs).

“The discovery of additional USTs, aswell as the vapors being given off by thesoils, delayed the start of construction byabout three months,” Twining said.“However, Lavender & Associates hasworked diligently throughout construction,and we are now on target for a buildingopening in January of 2016.”

Originally, the building was scheduled forcompletion in the fall of 2015, according toTwining.

“The owner and architect providedprompt responses to the discovery of addi-tional USTs, which assisted in reducingdelays as much as possible. At the start ofconstruction, an additional five USTs werediscovered on other parcels and were reme-diated and removed from the site. Due to thehigh number of USTs found, ground-pene-trating radar was used over the entire site toverify no additional USTs were in place.Groundwater monitoring wells were also putin place, and additional vapor testing of thesoil was also completed, as the soil con-tained a strong odor of petroleum due to thenumber of prior businesses on the site, suchas gas stations and automotive facilities.”

Twining said while all soil and groundwa-ter tests came back negative, Armstrongauthorized the addition of a vapor mitigationsystem to the project.

“This system provides a vapor barrierbetween the foundation slab and the soil, aswell as venting of any potential vapors fromthe soil out and away from the building,ensuring a healthy indoor air environmentfor the building occupants.

“While the spread footing foundationshave been completed, early geotechnicalreports indicated that liquification during anearthquake could cause up to two inches ofdifferential settlement. Further studies haveallowed the foundations and framing to bedesigned to handle the settlement and avoidthe use of expensive earthquake drains.”

A variety of equipment has been used onthe Liberty Center project.

Mini-excavators have been needed forMEP rough-in and foundations. Man-liftswere required for exterior metal framing. Anexcavator, motorgrader and roller are beingused for the parking lot, while a crane isrequired for the fire pump house. In additionto masonry, 90 tons (81.6 t) of structural steelis being used during construction, along witha total of 500 cu. yds. (382.2 cu m) of con-crete.

The owner, architect and contractor haveworked as a team to provide each the infor-mation needed to keep the project movingforward. The onsite project manager meetswith the inspections officials to keep themapprised of all situations and events regard-ing issues such as erosion control.

While not a LEED project, the new struc-ture was designed with the environment inmind.

“Georgia has sustainability design stan-dards called PEACH, which this project hasadhered to,” said Twining. “Armstrong isalways concerned with being good stewardsof the environment and providing healthyenvironments for working and learning.Some examples would be the willingness torevitalize a former Brownfield site and theuse of low-emitting materials within thebuilding.”

Hoffman said, “Our students and the com-munity in general are excited about the newbuilding. It will not only allow us to expandour academic offerings, but will help to ener-gize the downtown area, as well. The facili-ty is one block from the historic downtownsquare, which will allow easy access to localshops and restaurants.

“It’s also only a minute walk from thehigh school, so students can take dual enroll-ment classes with minimum disruption totheir high school schedule. The location,only three-fourths of a mile from the frontgate of Fort Stewart, will allow soldiers totake lunchtime or evening classes. The feed-back from our students has been very posi-tive.”

(This story also can be found onConstruction Equipment Guide’s Web site atwww.constructionequipmentguide.com.)CEG

LIBERTY from page 2

Hussey Gay Bell photoAccording to Katie Twining, ASU’s director of facility services, a priority of a project of this scope and visibility where local, state, and institutional clients are involvedis to focus on developing consensus and communication.

Construction Equipment Guide • Georgia State Supplement • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • September 2, 2015 • Page 7

Page 8 • September 2, 2015 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • Georgia State Supplement • Construction Equipment Guide