spring 2006

The biannual newsmagazine of the OSCO Construction Group OSCO construction group AISC Award for Boston’s Yawkey Center

State Renaissance Court • Moosehead Breweries • Highway 101 CentCenterBeamerBeam PlacePlace •• 20062006 OSCOSCOO OscarOscarss •• DeDetailingtailing PrProfileofile CONNECTIONS is the biannual magazine of the OSCO Construction Group, published every Spring and Fall to share news and information with our valued customers and employees. Comments and submissions are greatly appreciated and may be sent to the editor: Tammy Legacy, c/o OSCO Construction Group 400 Chesley Drive, Saint John, NB • CANADA • E2K 5L6 What’s e-mail: [email protected] OSCO construction group Inside... Photo: Bruce T. Martin Photography, Natick, MA OSCO Construction Group members include: cover image: Yawkey Center - Mass General Hospital steel Each year, the American Institute of Steel Construction recognizes unique steel projects OCEAN STEEL & CONSTRUCTION LTD - SJ office & plant 400 Chesley Drive, Saint John, NB • CANADA • E2K 5L6 through the IDEAS2 awards (Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Fax: (506) 632-7689 • Tel: (506) 632-2600 Steel) These awards recognize designs where structural steel forms a prominent architectural OCEAN STEEL & CONSTRUCTION LTD - Fredericton plant feature of the building, as judged by a panel of industry professionals. 550 Wilsey Road • Fredericton, NB • CANADA • E3B 7K2 Fax: (506) 444-7978 • Tel: (506) 444-7989 At this year’s North American Steel Construction Conference, an Ocean Steel project - the OCEAN STEEL CORPORATION - office & plant Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care (Mass General Hospital) - Boston, MA was a Merit Award 53 Shaw Road, Conklin, NY • USA • 13748 Fax: (607) 723-4882 • Tel: (607) 584-7500 winner in the category of “Greater than $75 million”. The project will be featured in Modern NEW ENGLAND SALES OFFICE Steel Construction magazine and also at the 2006 AIA National Convention. 25 Burlington Mall Road, Burlington, MA • USA • 01803 Ocean Steel supplied 3500 tons of steel and 800 tons of joists for this project. Fax: (781) 221-2155 • Tel: (781) 221-2152 OSCO REBAR SERVICES - office 400 Chesley Drive, Saint John, NB • CANADA • E2K 5L6 Fax: (506) 632-7689 • Tel: (506) 632-2600 YORK STEEL - metal service center 550 Wilsey Road • Fredericton, NB • CANADA • E3B 7K2 Fax: (506) 444-7978 • Tel: (506) 444-7989 what we do concrete Message from the President . . . .3 CFB Gagetown ...... 14 STRESCON LIMITED - office & plant Greystone Park Psychiatric . . . . .4 State Renaissance Court ...... 14 101 Ashburn Road • Saint John, NB • CANADA • E2L 3W2 Fax: (506) 632-7576 • Tel: (506) 633-8877 Milton Hershey School ...... 4 NS Box Beam Bridges ...... 15 STRESCON LIMITED - office & plant Point Lepreau Nuclear Plant . . . .5 Marco Polo Project ...... 16 131 Duke Street • Bedford, NS • CANADA • B4A 3Z8 NS Community College ...... 6 Draper Laboratory ...... 17 Fax: (902) 494-7401 • Tel: (902) 494-7400 pg.9 Moosehead Breweries ...... 7 Jean Canfield Building ...... 17 NEW ENGLAND SALES OFFICE 25 Burlington Mall Road, Burlington, MA • USA • 01803 Chapter House ...... 8 Misc Metals Division ...... 18 Fax: (781) 221-2155 • Tel: (781) 221-2153 Centerbeam Place ...... 9 OSCO Rebar Update ...... 18 STRESCON READY-MIX - plant Irving Paper ...... 10-11 Progress Snapshots ...... 19 1212 Berry Mills Road • Moncton, NB • CANADA • E1E 4R8 Highway 101 ...... 12 Metal Service Center ...... 19 Fax: (506) 856-5897 • Tel: (506) 858-7110 Irving Oil Refinery ...... 13 SCHURMAN CONCRETE - office & plant 240 MacEwen Road • PO Box 1416 • Summerside, PE CANADA • C1N 4K2 Fax: (902) 888-2959 • Tel: (902) 888-4331 SCHURMAN CONCRETE - office & plant 412 Mount Edward Road • Charlottetown, PE CANADA • C1A 7L3 how we do it Fax: (902) 566-1169 • Tel: (902) 628-0127 construction pg.22 Safety Milestones ...... 20 Payroll Management ...... 22 IT Help Desk ...... 21 Employee Surveys ...... 23 FCC ENGINEERING - office 400 Chesley Drive • Saint John, NB • CANADA • E2K 5L6 Detailing Profile ...... 22-23 Fax: (506) 632-1108 • Tel: (506) 632-7800

MARQUE CONSTRUCTION - office PO Box 6623 • 400 Chesley Drive • Saint John, NB • CANA- DA • E2L 4S1 Fax: (506) 632-1108 • Tel: (506) 634-1144 KENNEBEC CONSTRUCTION - office who we are 400 Chesley Drive • Saint John, NB • CANADA • E2K 5L6 Fax: (506) 632-1108 • Tel: (506) 632-7800 25 Year Club ...... 24 Fresh Faces ...... 27 For more info on our companies, please check out our websites at: 2006 OSCO Oscar Awards . . .24-25 Congratulations ...... 27 www.oceansteel.com Flashback Page ...... 26 Project Flashback . . . . .Back cover www.strescon.com pg.25 www.fcc-engineering.com CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 what we do Message from the President Diversification is the Key...

In the coming months our operating sectors (Steel, Concrete and the industry has experienced large volatility in the price of steel shapes Construction), along with our Group Services sector, will be conduct- and a slowdown in the New England market. A large number of our ing strategic planning sessions to review our 5 year plan and to make latest project awards have come from the mid-Atlantic market and adjustments for current business conditions. In particular, we want to without this added customer base, we would have suffered significant revisit specific sector/ business unit sales goals and to find ways to decreases in our backlog of work. We have also experienced “start- help our managers improve their people skills. Although our employee up” issues with our Conklin facility but good progress has been made. satisfaction scores have steadily improved since we started our surveys Our last big challenge is our productivity in the plant which is not in- in 2002, employee satisfaction should continue to grow with better line with our Canadian plants. This is not related to the quality work feedback and training programs. force we now have in-place; it is more a function of configuring our One of our key goals was to reduce the group’s exposure to unfa- workflows and processes to take advantage of the new computerized vorable currency fluctuations with the American dollar. As I mentioned manufacturing software. This facility is an important and integral part at our annual employee recognition dinner, we have made great strides of our future success. We remain committed to our US-plant strategy in the steel and concrete sectors since 2001. In the steel sector, we and I am confident that our team in Conklin will reach its productivity have reduced our US currency exposure from 75% (in 2001) to 43% goals in the near future. (in 2005). This was accomplished by obtaining more US currency All of our other business units are performing according to or sales in our US-based facility in New York while at the same time better than plan which will help the OSCO Group achieve its 2006 tar- increasing our Canadian-currency sales both in the reinforcing steel gets. No doubt the structural steel business will improve over time and and the metals service center. In the concrete sector, the reduction was we will remain patient to meet these better business conditions when even more dramatic; from 68% (in 2001) to 24% (in 2005). This was they arrive. In the meantime, our customer-base continues to grow and done by significantly increasing our Canadian-currency sales volume in as a result we have opportunities all along the entire eastern seaboard ready mix, pipe and precast (both Halifax and Saint John). The rapid from Newfoundland to Maryland. appreciation of the Canadian dollar against the US dollar in the last Our mission “to provide our customers with valued construction two years has highlighted why this goal was so important. solutions using our expertise in the design, manufacture and installa- Despite these efforts, our Canadian-based structural steel facilities are tion of building components” has not changed; nor has our vision of still finding business conditions challenging, although they’ve improved the future to “BE FAST • BE GLOBAL • BE CONNECTED”. We continue over the last few years. Along with the continued appreci- to add more diversification in customers, markets, product lines and ation of the Canadian dollar, territories to level out the peaks and valleys in our sales. At the same we remain focused on what business we’re in and what strategies we should follow as the world continues to change around us.

Hans O. Klohn

Pictured (left to right): Hans O. Klohn, President John F. Irving, Vice Chairman Hans W. Klohn, Vice Chairman John (Jack) E. Irving, Chairman

CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 3 what we do companies involved: Ocean Steel Greystone Park Psychiatric Center -Parsippany, NJ - contributed by Brian R. Smith, Ocean Steel Corporation

Owner: New Jersey Economic Development Authority The new construction at Greystone Park Psychiatric Center is the most recent improvement to New Jersey’s premier 171-acre mental health facility. This state-of-the art facility continues the Architect/Engineer: The Vitetta Group 128-year history of quality patient care at the facility. The campus style new construction con- General Contractor: Torcon Inc. sists of 11 structures to be erected using two cranes. Our customer, Torcon Inc., is steadily progressing through foundation pouring. Steel erec- Erector: Stonebridge, Inc. tion began on March 20, 2006. Our structural steel erector, Stonebridge, Inc., is making Ocean Steel supplied: 2800 tons exceptional progress and we look forward to the successful completion of this 390-patient facil- structural steel & 430,000 square feet of deck ity. We are proud to participate in this important improvement. The OSCO sales team believes that the healthcare sector will continue to be a strong market for us in the Mid-Atlantic region. Steel Project Manager: Brad MacPhee

companies involved: Ocean Steel Sweet Deal for Ocean Steel

- contributed by Bernie Blakely, P.Eng., Ocean Steel beams. To remedy the situation, it was decided that some of the Ocean Steel & Construction Ltd. is proud to be part of the original school would be demolished, with other existing areas rebuilding effort of the Milton Hershey School Old Senior Hall brought up to code. Combined with the new additions, the in Hershey, Pennsylvania. school will be transformed into a state-of-the-art Middle School, The original school, known as the Hershey Industrial providing high-quality, free education for more than 700 stu- School for orphan boys, was established in 1909 by the founder dents. of the Hershey Chocolate Company Mr. Milton S. Hershey and The Construction Manager, Turner Construction, required a his wife Catherine. Saddened that they could not have children competent and capable fabricator to meet the aggressive con- of their own, and anxious to put their growing fortune to good struction schedule. Turner first approached Ocean Steel’s U.S. use, the couple made many provisions to provide the children based plant in Conklin, NY, however the plant was unable to of the local community with quality schools and opportunities meet the required fabrication schedule due to prior project for learning. commitments. Ocean’s two Canadian plants however, had the Over the years, a lack of preventive maintenance and dete- required capacity needed to meet the schedule, and were able rioration of expansion joints in the building, induced significant to negotiate the project directly with Turner. decay to the brickwork and also eroded several of the the steel The project is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2007.

4 CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 what we do companies involved: OSCO Rebar Services & Strescon Ready-Mix

Turning Up the Nuclear Heat (Then Sealing it Safely Away)

Atlantic Canada’s only nuclear power plant, the Point Lepreau ters above ground. These canisters are on the property of PLGS and Generating Station (PLGS) in Point Lepreau, New Brunswick are constantly monitored. accounts for up to 30 percent of New Brunswick’s in-province power The Project: generation. Owned by NB Power - Nuclear, the 635 MW unit, com- In 2005, OSCO Rebar Services and Strescon were contracted to missioned in 1983, was the first CANDU-6 to begin commercial supply rebar and ready-mixed concrete for the production of 80 new operation. During its 19-year history, PLGS has been ranked 12 times canisters. The project consisted of two concrete foundation bases, as a world leader for its lifetime capacity factor. reinforced with 73 tons of rebar each. Both of these foundations sup- The Process: ported 40 spent fuel canisters, each of which required and additional To generate power, “fuel bundles” of uranium oxide undergo a 7.3 tons of rebar (for a total of 500 tons of rebar supplied). Approx. fission process that releases thermal energy, which is picked up by a 5500 cubic metres of ready-mix was supplied by Strescon - about flow of heavy water (D2O) and transported to steam generators, half of which was a special type 50 cement mix with fly ash for the where the heat converts light water (H2O) into steam. The steam is Spent Fuel Canisters, designed specifically for a long transit (1 hour sent to the turbines, where the energy is converted to electricity via a haul time). The rest of the job was Lean concrete used to fill the generator. Each fuel bundle typically stays in the reactor between 6- large hole excavated to Rock prior to starting the Structural Mix. 18 months. When spent, they are removed and stored underwater. This fast-paced project proceeded under high security until Seven years later, the heat and radioactivity have decreased enough to completion in November of 2005. The rebar portion of the project allow the bundles to be transferred to dry storage in concrete canis- was managed by Stephane Belanger.

CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 5 what we we do do companies involved: Strescon-NS

- contributed by Lynn Allison, Academic Chair, Civil & Building Nova Scotia Technologies, NSCC

On March 28, 2003 NSCC for developing high-performance, Invests in launched a comprehensive develop- sustainable buildings. ment plan made possible by a Phase 2 landmark investment from the A Phase 2 campus building is its Future, Province of Nova Scotia. As a result, planned on this site, closer to our campuses have experienced some Pleasant Street. Detailed design for dramatic changes. Vibrant new learn- Phase 2 is expected by fall 2007 with with New ing spaces are already filled with anticipated opening in 2009. The NSCC students enjoying the enhanced Phase 2 building, which will cost $29 facilities – and more excitement is Million – is included in the province's Community coming as major construction proj- $123 Million investment in NSCC ects head toward the finish line. And announced in March 2003. of course, our new flagship campus College under construction on the Dartmouth One of the developments emerg- waterfront will be the crowning touch ing simultaneously is the School of when it opens in 2007. Trades and Technology’s new pro- Campus gram cluster for the Built Phase 1 Environment; the clustering of pro- Construction of our new flagship grams related to the building industry campus – the first purpose-built cam- with specific focus on sustainable "This is the single, largest pus of NSCC – began in August 2004. construction, revitalization, environ- Phase I is a 5-storey, 260,000 square mental concerns and green building. investment that government foot building located on a prime 25- has made, and the reason is This will start out with architectural, acre site on the Dartmouth environmental and construction-relat- clear. Skilled workers are the waterfront. The Phase I building is ed programming. We are also key to Nova Scotia's prosperi- scheduled for completion by January proposing the inclusion of a new Civil 2007, with a full complement of ty and Nova Scotia Engineering Technology program to 1,700 – 1,800 students on site when complement our other programs. Community College has a classes begin in September that year. Strescon’s Involvement critical role in preparing that The building was designed using whole-building "green" design prac- Strescon-NS supplied 210 - 7” job-ready workforce. This tices. NSCC will be formally thick Architectural Spandrel panel expansion will ensure that recognized for providing environmen- with a random vertical reveal pattern. Nova Scotians are ready for tal leadership in sustainable building The project was broken up into two the jobs of the future." design by receiving a LEED phases, the first of which began on (Leadership in Energy and June 22 and finished on July 07, Environmental Design) designation. 2005. Phase two started August 29, Honourable John Hamm, and all panels were installed by Former Premier of Nova Scotia The LEED Green Building Rating System® is an international standard September 22, 2005.

6 CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 what we do companies involved: Marque Construction

- contributed by Stacey Galbraith Moosehead Breweries & Jim Huellin, Marque Expansion Underway Construction

Moosehead Breweries is current- At the peak of the project an esti- roots to 1867. The company is one of the ly undergoing an $8.0 million mated 40 people will be last remaining Canadian-owned brewers. expansion at its Saint John, employed for this expan- The Saint John-based Moosehead is owned NB location, for the sion. Moosehead will and managed by New Brunswick's Oland installation of four new be utilizing 10 out- family, whose members currently represent fermenting tanks. The side contracting the fifth and sixth generation to work in the capacity for each of companies to help. family business. Moosehead sells its beer the tanks will be 6,000 Moosehead is throughout Canada, the United States and in hectolitres (600,000 undertaking the 15 countries around the world. litres) which equals expansion to Marque Industrial Division, under the 132,000 dozen bottles accommodate the supervision of Doug Johnston, has been of beer, for a total of growth of its own involved with general brewery maintenance an incredible 528,000 brands, as well to and upgrades at Moosehead Breweries dozen beer in all four tanks. expand capacity needed since 1999, including an expansion in The tanks are being for its contract brewing 2004, at which time Moosehead added two fabricated by MacDonald business. The Saint John- new tanks. Marque is expected to have a Steel in Cambridge, Ontario. based company is substantial involvement with Moosehead in February 1 marked the first currently brewing and this latest expansion as well. day of construction along packaging beer for four Mill Street, with the delivery of the world’s largest “The Saint John-based and installation of two tanks seven brewers - a testa- company is currently scheduled for July. The sec- ment to the local brewing and packaging ond set of tanks will be company’s expertise. beer for four of the arriving in October, with the Canada's oldest, inde- project scheduled for com- pendent brewery, world’s largest seven pletion in December. Moosehead traces its brewers”

CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 7 what we do

companiescompanies involved: StresconOSCO Rebar - NS Services

lion needed for repairs. All Saints would lease the land to Halifax-based real estate developer, Greenwood Lane Inc., for 75 years, after which owner- ship will revert to the church. One of the main stipulations of the agreement was that the development blend taste- fully with the facade of the stone cathedral. To achieve this, the architect select- ed architectural precast concrete panels from Strescon as the cladding for the building. After carefully review- ing several samples of panels fabricated using stone form liners and various concrete mixes with color pigments, a Georgetown Ashlar stone pattern with charcoal pigment was selected for the panels above the first level. The precast panels around the first floor were cast as large panels with strong lines to rep- resent buff colored sandstone blocks. With the building now complete, all involved can be proud of accomplish- Chapter House

Architectural Precast Panels Blend With Neighbouring Cathedral

Moments away from the Public ing the task of blending this new Gardens, nestled beside All Saints structure with part of the architectural Cathedral, the new Chapter House’s lux- history of Halifax. At the corner of urious apartments are a sanctuary of Tower Road and University Ave., Chapter gracious living in the heart of Halifax. House includes 12,000 feet of office A Halifax, NS landmark, All Saints space on the lower level, as well as 42 Cathedral was opened in 1910. The 255 apartments on the upper three floors foot long building was built of local and underground parking for 68 vehi- stone from across Halifax’s Northwest cles. The development provides a steady Project Details Arm at an original cost of $200,000. income for the cathedral to carry out Like many religious institutions repairs and charity work, without com- Brown-Zareski Inc., Owner: Halifax, NS these days however, All Saints Cathedral promising the integrity of the historic Architect: Duffus Romans Kundzins found itself with more repair bills than landmark. Rounsefell Architects Limited, income in the past few years. In an Strescon Limited supplied a total of Halifax, NS unusual but inspired move, the congre- 155 pieces of precast (approximately Engineer: Campbell Comeau gation approved the development of an 21,000 sq ft), of which 104 pieces Engineering Limited, Halifax, NS adjoining plot of land on the South side (12,000 sq ft) were Ashlar stone archi- of the cathedral, to raise the $1.6 mil- tectural precast concrete panels. Precast: Strescon Limited, Bedford, NS

8 CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 what we do

companies involved: FCC Civil; FCC Electrical; FCC Communication Cabling; OSCO Rebar Services

Front (l-r): Angus Melanson, Lorne Hubbard & Gary Cummings Back (l-r): Heather Wilen, Dan Fox, Robert Murphy, Albert Doyle, Kevin Hanlon, Steve Young, Adam Exterior facade & Sarchfield & Paul Watson. courtyard - after CenterBeam place

Centerbeam Place Heritage 2004 with FCC coming on-board in August Restoration in Saint John, New Brunswick, of that year. According to FCC Civil Division is one of the largest Heritage preservation Manager, Peter Sentell, this unique proj- projects currently in progress across ect has been much more challenging than Canada. The twelve buildings encompass a they imagined. “This project was ten times city block which had been designed by more difficult than erecting a new struc- some of North America’s top architects as ture. We had three problems with this a coherent unity in just three years after project: the existing buildings didn’t meet Saint John’s Great Fire of 1877. The years modern codes; they had seriously decayed; that followed, saw the buildings decay to and they required contemporary modifica- Above: Exterior facade & courtyard - before what many would have written off as tions to suit modern tenants. There were a unsalvageable. Instead, the Irving family’s lot of sleepless nights as we kept running commitment to the preservation and into unexpected problems and strange restoration of this 120 year old complex, surprises.” has helped spark the revitalization of the Bringing a structure up-to-code is a downtown core of the oldest incorporated unique challenge when dealing with an Above (l-r): Lobby - before and after city in Canada. With Harbor clean-up a top entire city block. To begin with, linking priority for all levels of government and them all to central systems required many projects planned for waterfront knocking through rock and brick walls development, the Centerbeam Place which were anywhere from 2-6 feet thick, restoration has helped raise awareness of and even through steel vaults, to run the history and vitality of the downtown wiring, ducts and plumbing. For heating core. The project started in the spring of continued on page 21 Above (l-r): Boiler room - before and after CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 9 what we do

companies involved: FCC Civil Division; Marque Industrial Division; OSCO Rebar; Strescon Ready-Mix; York Steel & OSCO Erection

Irving Paper Completes

of lower grade newsprint which the company the 2 meter thick Calender pile cap and Shear Marque Mechanical stopped producing in December 2004. Walls. Several concrete bases and pads were The Mechanical group completed the fol- $220 Million Upgrade for To facilitate the successful completion of also installed to accommodate the new equip- lowing during the upgrade, under the this program, the project was executed in sev- ment supporting the Calender operation. supervision of Mechanical General Foreman, Reg Doyle: eral smaller phases culminating with the Marque Construction’s Industrial Division also scheduled mill shut down commencing on played a major role. During the shutdown, • PM1 Vacuum - Remove existing “World First” Technology January 14th at 10 PM and ending on March Marque tradesmen worked around the clock, vacuum pumps and separators and 17th. on 10 hour shifts, for approximately 8 weeks. installed new vacuum pumps and all asso- FCC Engineering provided Project ciated piping. Management Services for Phase 1 and Phase 2 Marque Electrical & • Installed pumps & tanks for new - by Abbey Duguay, FCC Engineering & Candace Galbraith, Marque Construction Instrumentation: Months of planning and scheduling, fol- to complete the civil scope of work, under Softened Water System. Abbey Duguay lowed by weeks of execution, have resulted in Project Manager, , who was The Electrical & Instrumentation group • Installed pumps and associated piping Jim Cosman the completion of the most aggressive and chal- assisted by Superintendent, , and completed the following installations during the for the new Cull Roll Pulper. Heather Wilen lenging upgrades ever undertaken at Irving Site Clerk, . upgrade at Irving Paper, under the supervision • Installed steam and condensate line for Paper Limited. Phase 1 of Electrical General Foreman, Terry Hoar, & cooling and heating system for Hydraulic Irving Paper of Saint John, NB, recently Instrumentation General Foreman, Don Roy: Room. Phase 1 involved construction of partial • Installed piping system for the new completed a $220 million dollar upgrade, • 2300 meters of control cable from PLC Calender Foundations which included selective Roll Grinder in the Roll Shop. which had been ongoing since early 2004, by Racks to the Control Desk and various concrete demolition, 12” diameter steel pipe • Installed Salt Bath. installing the first Optiload Twinline Calendar to piles, and the installation of partial 2 meter equipment. produce high-end specialty grade SCA + thick Pile Cap Foundation and Shear Walls. The • 4 runs totalling 1200 meters of OSCO Rebar papers. The new equipment - the first of its major challenges to this project included: mini- 500MCM Coreflex to 4 1250HP Motors Ocean Steel’s Rebar Division supplied 115 kind in the world - will allow production of a mal access and headroom for equipment; from the Drive Room. tons of rebar to this project. high value, higher grade of glossy catalogue and venting of equipment exhaust to outside the • 1300 meters of motor feeders from #1 Strescon Ready Mix magazine papers. building envelope; stabilization of existing foun- Sub to the various motors around the Strescon supplied a special mix for the This investment in ‘world first’ technology dations and excavations; and above all, safety. press. is the company’s commitment to ensuring the • 650 meters of tray from the Drive upgrade, which gave 25 Mpa in one day typical- Phase 1 required no interruption or stoppage of ly and was designed for a quick turnaround, as future success of this mill in a fiercely competi- Room to the motors, from PM1 Rack the mill operations during the course of demo- time was of the essence. The ultimate strengths tive global marketplace. lition and construction. Room to the Control Boxes and from PM1 ended up going over 45 Mpa in most cases. The Between January 16 and March 10th, an Sub to various motors and control boxes. Phase 2 most unusual part of this job was the around average of 650 extra trades people were • 600V and 2300V Allan Bradley the clock service required. Total volume was employed at Irving Paper – 6500 man-hours of Phase 2 involved the completion of the Switchgear in the PM1 Sub. Approx. 900 cubic metres, but some instances work every 24 hours! In addition to the trades Calender Foundations, including the mass con- • Approximately 10,000 feet of tubing to required ready-mix in the middle of the night groups, 60 paper making equipment specialists crete demolition of: suspended slabs; shear the dryers and control panels. for just one load, or to be there on standby. came from Finland, the U.S. and Montreal. walls and grade beams; existing broke beater • Air and process connections for Press. York Steel Misc Metals The production of higher value catalogue chests; slab on grade; and existing pile caps • Lube oils for Dryer Sections 1, 2 and 3. York Steel’s Miscellaneous Metals Division paper provides for a more stable market, less and foundations. Twenty six 12” diameter steel • Air and process for Vacuum System. completed structural steel repairs and walkways subject to the serious downturns and volatility pipe piles completed the support structure for for the PM1 Dryer.

10 CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 what we do

“Between January 16 and March 10th, an average of 650 extra trades people were employed at Irving Paper – 6500 man-hours of work every 24 hours!” of lower grade newsprint which the company the 2 meter thick Calender pile cap and Shear Marque Mechanical stopped producing in December 2004. Walls. Several concrete bases and pads were The Mechanical group completed the fol- To facilitate the successful completion of also installed to accommodate the new equip- lowing during the upgrade, under the this program, the project was executed in sev- ment supporting the Calender operation. supervision of Mechanical General Foreman, Reg Doyle: eral smaller phases culminating with the Marque Construction’s Industrial Division also scheduled mill shut down commencing on played a major role. During the shutdown, • PM1 Vacuum - Remove existing January 14th at 10 PM and ending on March Marque tradesmen worked around the clock, vacuum pumps and separators and 17th. on 10 hour shifts, for approximately 8 weeks. installed new vacuum pumps and all asso- FCC Engineering provided Project ciated piping. Management Services for Phase 1 and Phase 2 Marque Electrical & • Installed pumps & tanks for new to complete the civil scope of work, under Instrumentation: Softened Water System. Project Manager, Abbey Duguay, who was The Electrical & Instrumentation group • Installed pumps and associated piping assisted by Superintendent, Jim Cosman, and completed the following installations during the for the new Cull Roll Pulper. Site Clerk, Heather Wilen. upgrade at Irving Paper, under the supervision • Installed steam and condensate line for Phase 1 of Electrical General Foreman, Terry Hoar, & cooling and heating system for Hydraulic Instrumentation General Foreman, Don Roy: Room. Phase 1 involved construction of partial • Installed piping system for the new • 2300 meters of control cable from PLC Calender Foundations which included selective Roll Grinder in the Roll Shop. Racks to the Control Desk and various concrete demolition, 12” diameter steel pipe • Installed Salt Bath. piles, and the installation of partial 2 meter equipment. thick Pile Cap Foundation and Shear Walls. The • 4 runs totalling 1200 meters of OSCO Rebar major challenges to this project included: mini- 500MCM Coreflex to 4 1250HP Motors Ocean Steel’s Rebar Division supplied 115 mal access and headroom for equipment; from the Drive Room. tons of rebar to this project. venting of equipment exhaust to outside the • 1300 meters of motor feeders from #1 Strescon Ready Mix building envelope; stabilization of existing foun- Sub to the various motors around the Strescon supplied a special mix for the dations and excavations; and above all, safety. press. • 650 meters of tray from the Drive upgrade, which gave 25 Mpa in one day typical- Phase 1 required no interruption or stoppage of ly and was designed for a quick turnaround, as Room to the motors, from PM1 Rack the mill operations during the course of demo- time was of the essence. The ultimate strengths lition and construction. Room to the Control Boxes and from PM1 ended up going over 45 Mpa in most cases. The Sub to various motors and control boxes. Phase 2 most unusual part of this job was the around • 600V and 2300V Allan Bradley the clock service required. Total volume was Phase 2 involved the completion of the Switchgear in the PM1 Sub. Approx. 900 cubic metres, but some instances Calender Foundations, including the mass con- • Approximately 10,000 feet of tubing to required ready-mix in the middle of the night crete demolition of: suspended slabs; shear the dryers and control panels. for just one load, or to be there on standby. walls and grade beams; existing broke beater • Air and process connections for Press. York Steel Misc Metals chests; slab on grade; and existing pile caps • Lube oils for Dryer Sections 1, 2 and 3. York Steel’s Miscellaneous Metals Division and foundations. Twenty six 12” diameter steel • Air and process for Vacuum System. completed structural steel repairs and walkways pipe piles completed the support structure for for the PM1 Dryer.

CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 11 what we do

companies involved: Strescon - NS

- contributed by David Webb, Strescon-NS Strescon Produces Pipe for New Exit 9 Interchange, Highway 101

In August 2005 the Nova Scotia prior to shipment to the job site. There pipe could begin as soon as the cast-in- Department of Transportation issued a was also a twin 48” diameter culvert at place base slab was prepared. There was public tender for new off-ramps and a another point in the stream realignment, also a large headwall structure that had to roundabout, to be constructed at exit 9 in also incorporating precast fish baffles in be completed before backfilling of the Avonport as part of their continuing work the pipe. The 48” pipe was delivered to culvert could take place. Strescon deliv- on upgrading Highway 101. The project the site and installed while excavation and ered all 46 pieces (16 loads) of the 84” consisted of removal and installation of preparation for the twin 84” culvert was pipe within two days, so the contractor new signage, reloca- could offload and tion of highway stockpile the pipe on lighting, ditching, and the site, using their stream realignment, crane. as well as the supply The next phase of and installation of work will begin this underground drainage spring, to complete structures. the work on the exit ALVA Construction ramps and round- Limited of Antigonish about. was the successful bidder and chose Strescon as their con- underway. What Strescon Supplied: crete pipe supplier. The tender was The next phase of the project requir- 134 m - 48” diameter concrete pipe awarded in late August and Alva was ready ing the 84” pipe was subject to tidal 112 m - 84” diameter concrete pipe for pipe to be delivered the next month. influence of the Minas Basin. This 100 m - 12” diameter concrete pipe Part of the stream realignment por- required the contractor to employ sheet 40 m - 24” diameter concrete pipe tion of the project consisted of the piling and sand bag cofferdams so the 6 ea -Precast Concrete Catch Basins installation of a twin 84” diameter culvert. pipe could be placed in the dry. It was One culvert line included fish baffles important to the contractor to have all of which were precast in the pipe segments the material on hand, so installation of the

12 CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 what we do companies involved: FCC Engineering; Marque Construction

Other Refinery Projects: In addition to IOR’s Training and Conference Center, OSCO Group’s Construction Sector is involved in a few other refinery projects: FCC to Oversee Construction ULSD/OSBL PROJECT Marque Electrical & Instrumentation, under the supervision of Troy Hoar and Don Roy, of Irving Oil Refinery’s New reached a manpower peak of 20 men working on all aspects of the electrical trade from instrumen- Training & Conference Center tation to rigid conduit. High standards of safety were expected and met by all Marque employees The Irving Oil Refinery in Saint John designed to maximize the acoustic quality involved in this project. As this project winds is constructing a new Conference and and performance of the space. down, Marque continues a good working rela- Training Center and FCC Engineering have Also included in the project is the tionship with the Major Construction Groups at been engaged as Project Managers. The expansion of office space into the the Irving Oil Refinery and looks forward to the new facility, located in the RCC Building, is Warehouse, involving construction of a upcoming projects. comprised of two main rooms - the steel frame structure creating a Mezzanine Training room and the Lecture Room. FCC Level within the existing building. This RCC PROJECT Engineering enlisted the services of TOSS space will allow for the relocation of exist- Solutions to head up the design effort ing staff, formerly located in the area of Marque Electrical, under the supervision of architecturally, while Pace Engineering and the Training and Conference Center. Mike Clinton, is currently installing the com- Tek Consultants are designing the mechan- Projects of this type located in an plete electrical for the new warehouse offices, the ical and electrical systems respectively. operating facility create significant chal- new Lecture Theatre and the new Training Center The Training Room will facilitate safe- lenges which can be best overcome for the Refinery Control Center. This involves the ty orientation and staff training in a through a cooperative effort by all parties demolition of all the old electrical and installation classroom type setting, designed for flexi- – which is the case on this Project. of the new lights, outlets and communications. bility and functionality with seating Through the cooperation of Irving Oil, and capacity of 48. The Lecture Room features hard work and planning by the Project SULPHUR PROJECT multi-level seating in a more formal setting Team and sub-contractors, it is anticipated Marque Electrical & Instrumentation, under with seating capacity of 37. that the completion date of August 30th the supervision of Mike Clinton and Don Roy, In addition to washrooms, the two will be moved ahead. is currently revamping Sulphur Plants 140, 142 & main rooms will be supported by a Crush 143 at the refinery. This work involves the demo- Area designed to allow break-away meet- PROJECT TEAM: lition of the existing Plant 142 instrumentation to ings, informal discussion, and FCC Project: Manager Rod Carson be replaced as part of SRU re-instrumentation, congregation prior to and after sessions. A FCC Superintendent: .Darryl Ross rerouting 2SPX503, K14202 Low Pressure shut- demountable wall system between the FCC Carpenter: . . . . .Rick Cobbett down to Hydrocracker FSC, installation of Crush Area and the Training rooms has FCC Site Coordinator: Sue Dort electrical heat tracing teck cable and tray, instal- been integrated into the design to allow for Architect: ...... TOSS Solutions lation of new 24 volt DC power distribution panel large Town Hall type meetings. Mechanical Engineer: Pace Engineering in South Satellite Rack Room and installation of An Acoustician was engaged by the Electrical Engineer: . .Tek Consultants marshalling panels and junction boxes. team to ensure all areas have been Structural Engineer: .Mayberry Engineering

CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 13 what we do

companies involved: OSCO Rebar & Strescon Pipe Division “Green” Homes for Soldiers OSCO and Strescon Contribute to LEEDS-Designed Barrack

In September of 2005, Gagetown, NB. Internet access. In addition to the bedrooms, Canada’s Dept. of “These new facilities will give Gagetown there will be common lounges and laundry National Defence award- the space it needs to support a growing facilities on each level. ed a $17.2 million Canadian Forces,” said General Rick Hillier, The building will also house the office contract to Maxim 2000 Chief of the Defence Staff. “The complex will for base accommodations and additional of Saint John, NB for the ensure that the living quarters provided to offices to assist those arriving at the base. construction of a single our soldiers are equivalent to the modern Construction of the facility began last fall quarters facility for per- facilities they train in.” and will be completed late this year. sonnel training at CFB The new four-floor barrack block will The building has been designed to a contain 247 rooms, each with a double bed, Leadership in Energy and Environmental built in desk, kitchenette (mini- Design (LEEDS) Silver standard. The bar- fridge, microwave and sink), en racks have also met Federal House in Order suite washroom with shower, and (the Government of Canada’s initiative for reducing greenhouse gas emissions within its own operations) criteria for Green Building design, and the Department has received $837,000 in OSCO REBAR: supplied and installed 192 tons of grants from the initiative for the imple- reinforcing steel. mentation of features to reduce STRESCON: supplied two Stormceptors, a Cistern, standard manholes and catch basins, greenhouse gas emission and energy and 135,000 sq ft of Strescore plank. consumption.

companies involved: Ocean Steel: Saint John, Fredericton and Conklin

owner, State Renaissance LLC, desired to State Renaissance Court insulate the building from vibrations - contributed by Brian R. Smith, Ocean Steel Corporation caused by passing subway trains. To accomplish these goals, Ocean Steel’s erec- The State Renaissance Court project is detailing and all three of our steel fabrica- tor placed 256 isolator assemblies on well underway. When complete, this $47- tion facilities. concrete or basement steel supports. million mixed-use building will consist of located above the Hoyt-Schermerhorn Twenty-one 89-foot long support girders 158 apartments, retail stores, and indoor subway station in Brooklyn, the 60,689 were then set on the isolators and tied parking. Several members of the OSCO square foot structure presented some together. With the base in place, erection team are involved, including in-house unique challenges. The basement and first of the superstructure building was able to floor; fabricated at Ocean’s commence. Ocean’s Fredericton Plant is State Renaissance Court New York Plant; developed currently fabricating the steel for the upper into a very complicated portion of the building. Steel erection E: structure. The New York City began in early April, with construction JECT FIL HE PRO Transit Authority wanted the completion expected in 2007. T , LLC issance ates te Rena Associ building to be totally isolat- The New York residential market is ER: Sta ullar & OWN es McC CT: Jam iates nt ed from the subway expected to remain very strong. We are RCHITE Assoc lopme A exler & ic Deve NEER: W trateg structure, particularly, if presently tracking several projects which ENGI CTOR: S ONTRA r steel ERAL C lasma ctural GEN ulty/G ons stru ylor there was a seismic event in are either designed in steel or converting RS: McN 563 t hn Ta RECTO LYING: 1 AGER: Jo E IS SUPP MAN the area. In addition, the to steel from concrete. SCO ROJECT WHAT O STEEL P

14 CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 what we do companies involved: Strescon - Nova Scotia

Bridging the Distance

- contributed by Larry Warren, P.Eng, Strescon- NS Builds First Box Beam Bridges Strescon-NS

Although they were built nearly 300 Side-by-side prestressed concrete tor, B. Spicer Construction Limited of kilometers apart, the Mavillette Bridge box girder bridges are erected with the Bridgetown, NS erected the structure for and the Shore Drive Bridge have one entire span typically being placed within the owner, Nova Scotia Transportation and thing in common - they were constructed hours. Before the deck can be cast, the Public Works. The structural design for with the first prestressed concrete box keyways between the beams are grouted this project was performed by the beams produced by Strescon Limited’s and the box beams are post-tensioned MacDonnell Group. Bedford Plant. The fabrication of the transversely at several locations along the Shore Drive Bridge AASHTO based box girders was completed span. Once placed, the beams provide a in the fall of 2005. secure working surface and require little The second of the structures to open was the Shore Drive Bridge, which is What are Box Beams? additional formwork to cast curbs and the topping slab. located in Bedford, Nova Scotia. The Box beams have thin walled rectan- bridge structure consists of 8 box beams gular cross sections that are formed in an Mavillette Bridge with a depth of 838 millimeters and a essentially flat sided form. The internal The first of the structures to open for span of 17.3 meters. The bridge was built voids in the beam are created by placing traffic was the Mavillette Bridge, which is for the Halifax Regional Municipality by specially cut Styrofoam block in the form. located in Mavillette, NS, approximately the contractor Leslie and Benn Piledriving Side-by-side box beams are becoming 30 kilometers north of Yarmouth. The of Port Hawkesbury, NS. The structural more popular because they are strong, bridge consists of 9 box beams with a design for this project was performed by durable, attractive and have low depth-to- depth of 686 millimeters and a span of the SNC Lavalin’s Halifax office. span ratio. 16.2 meters. A first-time bridge contrac-

“Side-by-side box beams are becoming more popu- lar because they are strong, durable, attractive and have low depth-to- span ratio.”

CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 15 what we do

companies involved: Ocean Steel

“This is extremely impor- tant and it took a lot of time to make it... It’s what we needed to take it to the next level,”

1851 in Marsh Creek as a cargo ship and was refitted in 1852 as a luxury passenger vessel. During its time as a passenger ves- sel it was renowned as the fastest ship in the world. On Dec.26, 1852, the clipper was declared the fastest ship in the world, cir- cumnavigating the globe in just six months. The Marco Polo completed the return leg of that voyage, from Liverpool to Australia, in just 76 days. Previous voyages had taken from 100 to 120 days. After the replica is constructed, the cradle may be used as part of the display, said Mr. Ogden. “We’re hoping that it will down towards the Market Square, Water Street Above: Barry Ogden, president of Marco Polo Project Inc., holds up a steel beam through the ribs of the area,” he said. “It will be up to the city to hull of the Marco Polo replica. Photo by Cindy Wilson/Telegraph Journal decide where it goes.” A final decision on the location for the construction and display of the ship has to be decided by the city and water- Ocean Steel Donation front development, Mr. Ogden said. He said the project was slightly behind schedule but he is still hopeful Aids Marco Polo Project that this spring work will begin on attach- ing the ribs of the ship. - article by David Shipley, as printed in the telegraph journal on Dec. 21-05 After that’s done they’ll begin putting the planking on the ship. The Marco Polo project is one step “This is extremely important and it Though the group is making closer to building the Marco Polo II took a lot of time to make it,” he said. progress in its effort, it still needs to raise thanks to a donation from Ocean Steel. The cradle is worth about $8000. more money, he said. Those interested in The company donated a steel “cra- “It’s what we needed to take it to the learning more about the project or mak- dle” that will help the Marco Polo Project next level,” he said, adding the wooden ing a donation can go to their website at Inc. assemble the ship from 92 wooden ribs are all ready to be assembled. http://new-brunswick.net/marcopolo/ ribs that make up its skeleton. The Marco Polo II, a replica of the index.htm. to find more information. “It’s a great gift,” said Marco Polo famous Saint John clipper, is a 27-metre “Things are moving ahead,” Mr. Project Inc. president Barry Ogden. non-sailing ship that will be 40 per cent Ogden said. “This is like a bed or a cradle for the the size of the original. It will have a flat “I’m very optimistic and Saint Marco Polo to be built on,” said Mr. bottom and will rest on land. Johners just seem to b e pulling together Ogden. The original Marco Polo was built in and making things happen.

16 CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 what we do companies involved: Ocean Steel: Fred & SJ plants companies involved: Schurman Concrete - Charlottetown Pouring It On... Schurman supplies 17 different mixes for Environmentally Friendly PEI Project.

When complete, the Government of project. One of the most complex ready- Draper Laboratory Canada's Jean Canfield building in mix jobs the plant has been involved with, Charlottetown will be the most environ- the Jean Canfield building required 17 mix Draper Laboratory dates to the 1930s, mentally friendly building ever constructed designs in all. Some with air entrainment, when Dr. Charles Stark Draper created a by Public Works and Government Services some without. Some with superplasticizer, teaching laboratory at MIT to develop the Canada. Situated at 191 University Ave., some without. Some with 20% flyash and instrumentation needed to make precise bordering on Fitzroy and Euston Streets, some with 40%. The original plans called measurements of angular and linear motion. construction began in June, 2005. for all concrete to contain 40% flyash, but The Laboratory was renamed for its founder In an effort to successfully integrate it was determined that set times and form in 1970 and remained a part of MIT until old and new, this four-story building will stripping would be affected to the point 1973 when it became an independent, not- blend advanced environmental design fea- where the schedule would be put behind. for-profit research and development tures and technologies, with the character As a result, 40% mixes were limited to corporation. and historic architecture of Charlottetown. footings below grade. Today, Draper remains headquartered in The building will serve as a showcase for Concrete specifications were submit- Cambridge, Mass.. Among its 1,025 employ- environmental technologies including a ted by the Structural Engineer, Reid ees, Draper employs more than 750 reflective roof, use of natural light and Johnes Christofferson of Toronto, to engineers, scientists, and technicians on a shade to moderate temperature and the Strescon, where their Saint John lab broad array of programs for government and recycling of rainwater to reduce water developed the mix designs and sent them commercial sponsors. consumption. back for approval. As with any government In May of 2005, Ocean Steel began Environmental friendliness doesn’t project, each pour was highly scrutinized detailing shop drawings for a nine-story come cheaply. Although drawings for the for air, slump, and strength requirements. biotech and laboratory addition to the existing project began in March of 2002, the initial No problems arose, and 28 and 56 day One Hampshire at Kendall Square Lab. The bids came back so high (4-5 million over strength tests well exceeds requirements. design incorporates a radiused winter garden budget) that new drawings had to be Schurman’s portion of the project will be area, with columns fabricated 10 degrees off developed to bring down costs. The final complete early this summer. plumb, and 2 spiral ramps connecting the design was a joint venture between Upon completion in the Summer of existing building to the new building. Bergmark Guimond Hammlund 2007, Public Works and Government Considerable outriggers and cantilevers Jones and Urbana Inc. of Charlottetown. Services Canada will have raised the bar required extensive internal connection design Pomerleau Inc. of Quebec is the for green building construction in Canada to ensure this project was able to be erected General Contractor for the project. and throughout North America. both economically and safely. Steel was jointly Schurman Concrete of The Jean Canfield building will house fabricated by OSCO’S Fredericton and Saint Charlottetown is supplying an estimated 500 federal employees representing a vari- John steel plants, in order to incorporate all 8000 cubic metres of ready-mix for the ety of departments, led by Veterans Affairs. of the ongoing revisions and changes on time, to meet the aggressive schedule. Steel erec- tion was finalized in April of 2006.

Owner: Charles Stark Draper Laboratories Architect: Symmes, Maini & McKee Associates Structural Engineer: McNamara/Salvia Inc. General Contractor: John Moriarty & Associates, Inc. OSCO Supplied: 1700 tons of structural steel & 2100 sqs of decking Steel Project Manager: Jeff Keith

CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 17 what we do

WHARVES & BRIDGES – JW Lindsay – 31 Tons of Route 1 Viaduct, St. Stephen, rebar – 33000 sf of mesh NB – Vail Civil Contractors – Ritchies Carpet Warehouse 436 Tons rebar Moncton, NB – Tricor Develop- Murphy’s Pond Wharf Murphy’s ments Ltd – 35.3 Tons rebar Pond, NS – Albert J MacDonald Addition to Blue Cross Bldg Const. – 35 Tons rebar Moncton, NB – Lancor Midgell River Bridge – Midgell Concrete Cont. Ltd – 45 Tons of River, PEI – HR Civil Contract- rebar, 50100 sf of mesh ors Ltd – 64.2 Tons rebar Addition to Superstore Tantramar River Bridge Riverview, NB – APM Group – Sackville, NB – Modern 40 Tons rebar, 10700 sf mesh Construction – 45 Tons rebar New Superstore – Sussex, NB – INSTITUTIONAL APM Group – 34 Tons rebar INDUSTRIAL Miscellaneous Metals Division will tackle any size Dieppe City Hall – Dieppe, NB IPI shutdown – 115 Tons rebar job, big or small. We regularly deal with a variety – Acadian Const. Ltd – 45.8 with FCC Eng of people, from General Contractors, to the gener- Tons rebar & 67000 sf mesh Midland Terminal – 140 Tons of KC Irving Hall, UNBSJ – Saint al public. Our work comes from all areas of the rebar with FCC Eng John, NB – Avondale Const. 9.8 construction industry, including: Commercial; Sobeys Warehouse Water Tons rebar & 16000 sf mesh Industrial; Residential; Wharves & Bridges; any- Tank – Oromocto, NB – Maxim Upper River Valley Hospital, thing needed... we can do it. Miscellaneous Metals 2000 Inc – 35 Tons rebar Slab Contract – Waterville, NB Day & Ross Terminal – Saint completes approximately 400 jobs per year, uti- – Springhill Const. Ltd – 214 John, NB – Rideau Const. Inc. – lizing structural steel, misc. metals and rebar. Tons of rebar 33 Tons rebar, 16600 sf mesh Bethany Bible College Irving Oil Refinery, Misc work A few of our recent jobs: Sussex, NB – Rideau Const Inc Saint John, NB - FCC Eng, Gulf – 54 Tons of rebar • Morrow Bridge, Oromocto NB, NB DOT, Operators Ltd -156 Tons rebar Carleton Manor – Woodstock, Dairytown Warehouse 10.6 tons of struct. steel NB – Avondale Const. Ltd. – Sussex, NB – John Flood & • 30 ft Logging Bridge, Dalhousie NB, 65 Tons rebar, 98600 sf mesh Sons Ltd – 26 Tons of rebar Bowater Maritimes, 5.3 tons of struct. steel Singles Quarters, CFB Exterior Slabs, Georgia Pacific, SGR Sawmill Modernization Project Gagetown – Oromocto, NB – • , St. Port Hawkesbury, NS – All Steel 211 Tons rebar, 42300 sf mesh Leonard NB, 25.6 tons of struct. steel, deck Coatings Ltd – 33 Tons rebar Center For Labour Force & misc. metals Equipment Bases and Innovation – Charlottetown, PEI Turbine Pit Platform Mezzanine Slab, Maritime • , Keswick NB, NB – Schurman Const. Ltd – 35 Brewery – Moncton, NB – Ross Power-Mactaquac Dam, 2.2 tons of steel Tons rebar, 37600 sf mesh & Anlin / Lancor Conc. Cont. • Platform & Ladder, Saint John NB, Irving Turnbull Nursing Home Ltd – 52 Tons of rebar Oil Ltd, 2.5 tons of steel Addition – Saint John, NB – Water System Improvements C2 and C3 Access Walkways Simpson Bldg Const. – 65 Tons • , Madawaska Campbellton, NB – Foulem of rebar, 52400 sf of mesh Maine USA, Fraser Papers, 14.6 tons of steel Cont. Ltd – 229 Tons of rebar Wellness Centre Arenas – Lifting Plates for Concrete Bridge Solid Radiaoactive Waste • Summerside, PEI – Fitzgerald & Management Facility – Pt. Girders, Woodstock Area Twin Highway, Snow – 127 Tons of rebar, Lepreau, NB – Opron Strescon Ltd, 85 tons of steel plates 10600 sf of mesh Maritimes Ltd – 679 Tons rebar PM1 Dryer Structural Steel Repairs & Hartland Community School, • 2 Wind Turbines – Glace Bay, Phase 4, Hartland, NB – Walkways, Saint John NB, Irving Paper Ltd, NS – Lingan Builders Ltd – 65 Springhill Const. Ltd – 12 Tons 14.6 tons of steel Tons of rebar of rebar, 104400 sf of mesh RESIDENTIAL • Calendar Upgrade Phase 2, Saint John NB, FCC Havelock School – Havelock, Engineering, 27.2 tons of struct. Steel & misc. metals NB – Simpson Bldg Const. – Regency Condominiums, Fred. • Fixation Facility Addition, Tracyville NB, 25 Tons of rebar NB – Colpitts Developments – Marwood Ltd, 21.0 tons of struct. Steel COMMERCIAL 18 Tons of rebar Apartment Residence, UNB – Heritage Place – 8.0 Tons of Fred. NB – Kings Const. Ltd – rebar with FCC Eng 39 Tons of rebar. Moncton Honda – Moncton,NB

18 CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 OSCO Rebar what we do s t

o “Another great job! I look forward to future busi- h ness with you guys and s hope to see you soon.” p Charlie Dougherty, Cornell & Company a n S

s s e r

g Project: Bally’s Player’s Club Diamond o Location: Atlantic City, NJ

r Company Involved: Ocean Steel P

P roject: L Oddfe ocation llows : New Rebec Comp York, N ca Ho any In Y me (wi volved th phot : Ocea o abov n Steel e)

Project: ad Blue Canoe (with photo behind) Wellness Center A Project: Marr Ro Location renas : Summerside, PEI Location: Rothesay, NB Comp any Involved: OSC Company Involved: FCC Civil O Rebar Services

Customer Projects Summerside Wellness Ctr • 20 tons Northeastern Enterprises Skyway Steel Misc Job • 16 tons Lane Home Furnishing • 27 tons Kent Building Supplies Dear Lake Airport • 54 tons Bourque Industrial 40 tons Bid Canada METALMETAL Machine Shop Job • 16 tons Kruger Job • 60 tons Machine Shop Job • 23 tons JDI Sawmills SERVICESERVICE Irving Oil Refinery Job • 16 tons Sunny Corner Various sawmills • 50 tons CENTERCENTER Trac Industries Plate Job • 16 tons A division of Various projects • 43 tons Ocean Steel & MacDougall Steel Construction Ltd. Sussex Superstore • 27 tons ar CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 19 how we do it

- contributed by Rob Feltus, Safety MilestonesOSCO Group Services Other Achievements Strescon Saint John Ready-Mix has maintained a RIR of zero for the past 34 months and are approaching 100,000 hours lost time accident-free Strescon Atlantic has maintained a RIR of Zero for 12 months Strescon-NS Plant: 36 Months No Lost Time Schurman Summerside has main- tained a RIR of zero for a year and a half The Strescon-NS plant has worked 36 months and over 500,000 hours worked since the last lost time accident. Ten years ago, the year they imple- FCC Electrical is approaching 200,000 mented the first comprehensive safety program within the OSCO group of hours LTA-free companies, they experienced 25 LTAs, the next year 8, and since then the aver- age has been less than one per year. Congratulations Bedford! Personal Achievements OSCO-Fred. Plant: 12 Months No Lost Time Marven Jordan (York Steel) - 35 years accident-free The Fredericton fabrication plant has celebrated twelve months and over 100,000 hours worked lost time accident-free. Not only have they not experi- George Chapman (OSCO Plant) - 30 years enced any lost time accidents, but at the time of this writing they have not had accident-free any recordable incidents during this same period, resulting in a Recordable Greg Currie (Strescon-NS) – 20 years Incident Rate (RIR) of zero. Congratulations York! accident-free. Greg is co-chair of the JHSC

Above (l-r): Harrison Wilson and Marven Jordan OSCO Erection: 5 Years No Lost Time The Ocean Steel Erection Division has worked over five years and 150,000 hours worked since the last lost time accident. In addition, they have main- tained a Recordable Incident Rate (RIR) of zero since June 2005. Considering the high-risk nature of this trade, this is a significant achievement for the iron- workers. Congratulations to Bruce Durley and his crews! Above (l-r): Greg Currie and Rob Feltus

20 CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 how we do it Can We Help You? Most In-House User Concerns Can be Handled With a Click of Your Mouse.

To better serve the OSCO Once an issue is logged by the user, they can Group, the IT Dept has built an check back to view written updates on progress. issue logging system on the Eighty-seven percent of all tasks are resolved within oscoinfonet, which enables 24 hours. users to register and track In addition to general IT issues, a new “One issues and problems. World” services section was added to the online The “Computer Support Help help menu this past January. Since its inception, the Desk” is accessible through a link from development team has completed 430 One World the main page of the oscoinfonet. The issues for the various departments. Enhancements to online help system ensures that problems this system currently under development, include a receive attention in a timely manner, project approval system which will allow the team to according to priority status. Some of the most ensure that managers are aware of, and agree with common user problems include issues with pass- projects before proceeding, as well as an applica- words, printers and scanners, as well as network tion that will allow users to see tasks by department connectivity issues and backup/data recovery. to avoid duplication of issues.

continued from page 9: Centerbeam Place

alone, workers had to run 8,500 ft. of pipe. etc... That goal was met. ovated, the space was eagerly snapped up by “We’ve had a lot of unexpected situations, For FCC Project Supervisor, Dan Fox, it tenants. The largest tenant (for which the you couldn’t pinpoint one problem as the has been one of the most labor intensive jobs building is named) and now occupying over worst.” said Site Foreman, Paul Watson. he’s ever worked on, but also one of the 17,000 square feet, is Centerbeam; an IT “Going through the vaults was a labor-inten- most rewarding. One of the things he has Solutions company headquartered in San sive job. They were built to keep people out. personally gained from this project is a new Jose, California. In addition, the block has Every building had its own vault so the chal- sense of history. “There were very few days enticed many other new and existing local lenge of removal was repeated over and over. when we didn’t uncover some history hidden businesses, including Kane Travel, Birks, and Once you fix your problem, you move on.” behind a demolished wall, or uncovered an the new Opera Bistro restaurant, to set up Heritage conservation/restoration old bottle or artifact. I gained a real interest shop there. requires more than hard work; it requires cre- in the history of Saint John as I began Each phase of development has seen a ativity and the reuse of materials. “Masonry researching some of the items found”. Little number of victories in what has been a conservation was a phased program” said bottles and tiny ceramic vessels bearing unique and difficult project. Now that the Sentell. “Wherever we had to create an open- names of stores which existed in Saint John West portion of the block is filling up, focus ing, we salvaged all the brick we could. It’s the before 1900; old books; an old bowler hat; has shifted to the East portion, where a new right colour, the right size and shape, not like even a beautiful pair of branched hanging set of challenges awaits. Plans by architect contemporary brick”. According to Paul gas lamps, hidden for years behind a false Tom Johnson are underway, and work has Watson, one of the goals was to save approxi- ceiling; are just a few of the many interesting already commenced on the demolition, ele- mately 10,000 heritage bricks from the site, to items which have been recovered. vator installation, heating plant installation use for restoration where needed for infills, With the West portion restored and ren- and various accesses and stairwells.

CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 21 how we do it Department Profiles

The Technology Hammering out the of Detailing Although most Detailing work was done by hand (and pencil) in days past, in 2006 it requires extensive Details - contributed by Details Tammy Legacy knowledge of computer software. Some of these programs are indus- try-specific, like Design Data SDS/2, which OSCO uses for steel. The “Within our two Saint John, NB detailing departments Tekla software which Strescon uses alone, our detailers have over 423 years of experience.” has become the Building Information Modeling (BIM) platform used by sev- design drawings, Detailers have to ensure each piece is too short or too narrow, a completely eral prominent structural consulting and every bolt and angle is correct; and every new piece must usually be made, incurring engineers. Tekla is also the other major detailing software used in the piece of rebar is lined up correctly for the hun- even more delay and expense. structural steel industry and was the dreds of drawings they The job is not only precise, product that the Precast Concrete must generate on each but fast paced. When lost Software Consortium developed for project. One current construction days equal the precast concrete industry. project at Strescon, hundreds of thousands of Battery Wharf in lost dollars, deadlines loom Whether you believe “God is in Boston, will require quickly. Detailers are also the detailing and fabri- responsible for deciding the details” or “the devil is in cation of close to 800 what materials need to be the details”, one thing is certain: pieces - that will purchased and working

in the construction industry, poor detail- require close to 1000 Battery Park details by Strescon Detailing with purchasing to ensure it ing will spell certain death for a project. drawings sent to the arrives. Another thing that’s certain: the previous shop. In manhour terms, these drawings will Fortunately, the OSCO Group is lucky to fact puts a lot of pressure on detailers to take 14 weeks of full-time work for 5 people. have detailers with the knowledge and experi- do their jobs well. Once the steel or concrete is fabricated ence to ensure smooth projects. Within our For both the Steel and Concrete indus- and arrives on site, it has to fit or the project two Saint John, NB detailing departments alone, tries, detailing is exacting work which is gets delayed. Although steel can sometimes be our detailers have over 423 years of work critical to the project. After interpreting the modified on-site, in the case of concrete, if the experience.

Better Payroll Management January 12, 2006 was a significant mile- gations being met is in sight. stone for the OSCO Construction Group; all We have begun identifying best practices with Canadian employees were paid through the regard to payroll management. We are currently J D Edwards ERP System. We now have investigating the option of filing on-line the tools in place to manage our Government reporting and remittances capabilities employee’s compensation & benefits in to streamline our processes. a timely fashion as well as increased None of this could have been possible without reporting capabilities. Our ultimate the strength and dedication of our Payroll Team - goal of ensuring that all employees their vast knowledge of our business culture along are paid accurately, on time and with their acceptance of the many changes we have with all contractual/legislative obli- faced has made this conversion goal possible.

22 how we do it

Strescon-SJ Detailing Dept

Left to Right: Tim MacDonald – 6 years at Strescon Donald Spicer – 1 year at Strescon Matt Crowley (seated) – 2 years at Strescon Raymond Roy – 36 years (5 years at Strescon) Serge Boudreau – 17 years ( 9 years at Strescon) Kevin Young – 7 years (6 years at Strescon) Angela Teehan (missing from photo) – 5 years at Strescon Amy Ames-Slipp (missing from photo)– 4 years (3 years at Strescon) Ocean Steel-SJ Detailing Dept

Front Row - Left to Right: Terry King – 40 years at Ocean Steel Ron Estabrooks – 20 years at Ocean Steel Brian Lane – 41 years (30 years at Ocean Steel) Susan McClusky – 2 years (1 year at Ocean Steel) On Stairs - Left to Right: Denise Brown – 15 years (9 years at Ocean Steel) Joel Harris – 1 year at Ocean Steel John Doiron – 37 years at Ocean Steel Ann Eagles – 7 years at Ocean Steel Steve MacNeill – 33 years at Ocean Steel Lisa Frazee – 6 years at Ocean Steel Ralph Whittaker – 50 years (42 years at Ocean Steel) Jayna Presley – 2 years at Ocean Steel Dave Loomer – 44 years at Ocean Steel Shane Fulton (missing from photo) – 8 years at Ocean Steel Don Ritchie (missing from photo) – 33 years at Ocean Steel

Employee Surveys Employee Opinion Since 2001, we have been conducting our Annual Employee Opinion Survey. Survey Results The survey is one of the tools we use to promote positive changes within our e

Group as we strive for a rewarding work environment for all of our employees. s

n 85.00

In the past 5 Years, we have seen improvement in all four areas the survey o p 80.00 measures. s e r Our goal is to create a work environment that allows us to retain our employees, 75.00 e v i 70.00 and be recognized by potential new outside candidates as one of the best t i s 65.00 employers, offering fulfilling and rewarding careers. o p Thanks to all who offer their honest feedback each year - it is because of 60.00 % 2002 you that we've been able to improve the work environment for everyone at the 2003 2004 OSCO Construction Group. 2005

CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 23 who we are 20062006 OSCOOSCO OscarOscar AwardsAwards

The 2006 OSCO Oscars at the Delta Brunswick Hotel in Saint John, NB, was another fantastic success, with over 187 employees and their guests in attendance. A few key improvements were made this year, including changes to the agenda and the addi- tion of many new awards. This year’s Peer-Nominated Awards were changed to: the Above & Beyond Award; the Corporate Citizen Award; the Customer Focus Award; and the Process Improvement Award. Management- Nominated Awards were a new category this year, and included: the Leadership award; the Operational Excellence Award; and the Growth & Development Award. Bernie Blakely once again served as the master of ceremonies, kicking off the event with a warm welcome. George Paisley 25 Year Club was kind enough to say Grace and hold a Moment of Silence for past employees again this year. - contributed by Vanessa Bastow, OSCO Group Services Service pins were awarded to 5-20 year recipients during dinner; followed by the 25- As in years past, the 25 Year Club Dinner was held at the Delta Brunswick Hotel. On November 25th 2005, 105 employees gathered for this year’s celebration of dedica- tion which was extra special as it also marked the beginning of OSCO Construction Group’s 50 year anniver- sary celebrations. As a special treat OSCO presented everyone at the dinner a gift of a 50 year hat and pin with the Company’s 50 Year logo. Peer-Nominated Awards The Delta once again put on a wonderful dinner, and the evening began with George Paisley’s blessing of the CORPORATE CITIZEN: ABOVE & BEYOND: meal and moment of silence for those members who have passed on. The Fiddlers provided background music as Nancy Maynard (Construction) Abbey Duguay (Construction) people dinned and prepared to induct our 3 new mem- Denise Brown (Steel) Lori Li (Steel) bers into the 25 Year Club. For OSCO Group Services, Greg Osmon (Concrete) Chris Greer (Concrete) Gerry Higgins was welcomed to the 25 year club by Jim Juliana Bogliuni-Wright Juliana Bogliuni-Wright Isnor. For Strescon, Eric Nolan and Gary Cairns were (Corporate) (Corporate) welcomed by Don Isnor. CUSTOMER FOCUS: PROCESS IMPROVEMENT: The evening was a success as everyone enjoyed Jim Johnson (Construction) Heather Fox (Construction) spending time outside of work exchanging friendly hand- Jeff Keith (Steel) Ann Eagles (Steel) shakes and tales. Thank you all for attending and we Tracy James (Concrete) Mitchell Webster (Concrete) hope to see you there again next year! Kelly Lamont (Corporate) Shannon Patino (Corporate)

24 CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 who we are OSCOOSCO OscarOscar AwardsAwards

50 years of service pin presentations on stage. winner’s manager, by sector. Three retirees were recognized this year; all from York Steel: The final two award categories of the evening were the Debbie Bourque, Bob White, and Arden Jones. Harrison Employee Satisfaction Awards and the Safety Awards. Employee Wilson gave a speech congratulating Arden on his retirement, and Satisfaction Awards were divided by sector and awarded to the outlining the wonderful contribu- departments who had the most tions he has made to our improved ratings since the survey organization over his many years was first conducted. The group of service. Arden then said a few with the best overall results for words about how much he 2006 was also recognized. Safety enjoyed working with our compa- Awards were divided into three cat- ny and meeting so many nice egories this year; Field, Large people. The other two retirees Plant, and Small Plant. were unable to attend. Rounding out the successful Following intermission, evening, were draws for great door Group President Hans O. Klohn prizes, including OSCO Group took the podium, outlining the clothing, gift cards for Irving Oil progress the company has made Gas, “Dinner and a Movie” gift cer- over the past year in achieving tificates, and a Grand Prize of our corporate goals. Mr. Klohn thanked all the employees who had $1000 CASH! In celebration of the Group’s 50th Anniversary, special worked so diligently to help OSCO achieve these goals. 50 Year edition brochures were distributed to all employees present. The General Managers announced the winners of the Peer- A big thank you to everyone who joined us this year - see you Nominated Awards by sector, followed by the presentation of the in 2007! Management-Nominated Awards. Speeches were delivered by each

- contributed by Vanessa Bastow, OSCO Group Services

Management-Nominated Employee Safety FIELD SAFETY GROWTH & Satisfaction George Lawson (Concrete) Ocean Steel Erection Div. DEVELOPMENT: Nick Hatt (Corporate) MOST IMPROVED Adam Sarchfield (Construction) LARGE PLANT LEADERSHIP: Heather Wilson (Steel) Corporate: IT Dept York Steel Molly Knorr Civil Site Sajjadul Haque (Concrete) (Construction) Construction: SMALL PLANT Ron Estabrooks (Steel) Concrete: Engineering Design Ian Hudson (Corporate) Strescon NB Ready-mix Alden Killen (Concrete) Steel: Administrative Support EXCEPTIONAL T: OPERATIONAL Carrie Watson EXCELLENCE: (Corporate) OVERALL PERFORMANCE Candace Galbraith Strescon Bedford, Quality Strescon NS in recognition (Construction) Assurance of working 36 months with- Jeff Keith (Steel) out a lost-time accident.

CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 25 who we are

flyer: early 1960’s and asked if I could come up and give him a hand to catch it so he could release it in the woods. He didn’t have to ask me twice as I raced up the ladder and went to the opposite side of the door so that we could corner the beast. There were only about three feet between Sonny and I and the raccoon and our mission was going to be complete. Just then the helper we had for grinding and washing the plate decided that he was going to try out the new plasma machine. Not real- izing what he was doing he set the pail of thinner on fire. It was seconds and the west end of the shop, along with Sonny and I and the raccoon were not visible anymore with the black smoke. It would be our luck that our foreman that week, Alfie Rigby (deceased) came through the paint room doors and saw all the smoke. He rushed up the shop and asked our wheelabrator operator, Walter Patterson (deceased), what was going on. Walter told him not to worry, because it was only Sonny and Pat smoking out a coon. We couldn’t see Alfie because of all the smoke, but we could sure hear him. George Chapman, our fitter, was busy getting the fire extinguisher. Sonny got in the cab of the crane and drove down the shop while Alfie calmed down. When I reached the floor, I’d swear Alfie had a bad case of rabies. His teeth were showing and he was frothing at the mouth with rage. It took over an hour for me to convince True Confessions him not to fire me. I believe that was the - contributed by Pat Oakley, Ocean Steel - Saint John Shop 12th time in 10 years that I had to do so. It was the early 1980s and Ocean Steel on the trailers. To clean the plate, we used Sonny laughed at me the whole time. As for had won a contract to supply stainless plates two gallons of thinner in a five-gallon can the raccoon, it was trapped two weeks later and fittings to the Edmundston Pulp Mill. For and some rags. The overhead cranes we and released in Rockwood Park. cutting the stainless steel, Ocean Steel used to handle the plates were operated bought a new hand held plasma machine. from the cab instead of remote control like Most of the guys thought it did a good job we use today. DO YOU HAVE MEMORIES TO SHARE? and they also wanted to try it out but I was Our night shift started routinely, but Send them in! If they are included in an the lucky one who got to use it the most. things were about to change. Sonny Curry upcoming issue, you could win an OSCO It was decided that the stainless would (deceased) our crane operator that week, Anniversary fleece shirt! All original be cut, ground, and cleaned at the far west shouted down to me that there was a big photos will be returned. side of the shop so that it could be loaded raccoon walking across the overhead doors,

26 CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 FRESH FACES who we are Ocean Steel congratulations! Deborah Keyes . . . .Document Runner Joel Harris ...... Detailer Family Additions (Strescon-NS) employees who obtained Paul Basque ...... Project Manager their provincial overhead traveling Elizabeth Guitard . .Document Printer Nancy Maynard (FCC-Marque) wel- crane certificate this past March: Adrian Verboom . . .Project Manager comed new granddaughter, Ainsley Dave Hume, Paul Benoit, Jim Mark Waye ...... Detailer Elizabeth on Jan.19th. Ainsley joined Pettipas & Chris Desmond. proud parents Derek & Nicki Maynard, Strescon and siblings Parker & Emma. Congratulations to the following Strescon-NB employees who completed Lorne Hubbard Laboni Haque . . . . .Design Engineer (FCC-Marque) wel- Tekla training courses: comed new baby girl, Arial Hubbard, Christine Smith . . .Administrative Assistant Basic Training Certification: on Mar. 23rd, @ 5lbs 5oz. She has 3 Laboni Haque Billy Gibson ...... Inspector siblings: Shania, Lorne and Curtis. Advanced Training Certification (Custom Nicole Maillet . . . . .Project Manager Pat Bagley (FCC) and wife Monica Component Design): FCC Engineering welcomed new son, Cohen Alexander Matt Crowley & Dave Mahaffy Bagley, on Mar. 21st. Advanced Training Certification (Drawings & Reports) Enrique Barahona-Espinosa..Proj Manager Alex Pitre (GROUP SERVICES) & wife Matt Crowley & Dave Mahaffy Philip McGee . . . . .Estimator Jackie welcomed daughter Victoria Jacqueline Pearl on Nov 14th, 2005. Best of luck to Justin McAdam (OSCO OSCO Group Services Group Services) who is heading to Sajjadul & Laboni Haque (both of Newfoundland in June for the Canadian Donald Higgins Strescon-NB) welcomed daughter . . .Legal Counsel National Karate Championships. He’s Cynthia on Oct. 23rd, 2005 Said Baadel ...... Programmer Analyst one of the top-rated participants in New Teena Thampan . . .Accounting Specialist Kerri Scott (GROUP SERVICES) & hus- Brunswick and is on the national team. band Colin welcomed daughter (Transfer to Full-time) Congratulations to the following FCC Abigail, on April 26th. OSCO-Fredericton Fab Plant employees who recently obtained Gold Engagements Seal Certifications: Richard Babcock, Joseph Odo ...... Shop Foreman Shauna Miller & Abbey Duguay. J.P. Lachance Carl Leavitt ...... Store Keeper (Strescon-NS) is Congratulations to Steve Adams Tricia Perry engaged to Jennifer Robitaille. They (OSCO Group Services), recently ...... Receptionist plan to get married in March 2007, in Suzanne Leclerc . .Inside Sales awarded the National Certificate of the Dominican Republic. Merits from the Credit Insitute of Ocean Steel Corporation Canada. This prestigious award is pre- Weddings sented to Credit Professionals who have Christopher Terzella . . . .Prod. Supervisor Eric Gauthier (Strescon-NB) married made significant or outstanding contri- Amanda (Henderson) Gauthier on butions to the organization. Nov. 26, 2005, at St. Paul’s Anglican Great work to the FCC employees led Church, in Hampton NB. by the Centerbeam Place crew, who Teresa Stewart (OSCO Group showed such giving spirit this past Services) and Bernie Blakely (Ocean Christmas. On hearing of a mother and Steel) got engaged this past March her three small children who had recent- (03-04-06) and were married on April ly left an abusive situation with nothing 5th at 7pm (04-05-06@7). more than the clothes on their back, Brian R. Smith (Ocean Steel they collected donations totalling over Corporation) married Megan M. $1200 to purchase items for the family. Pearce on May 21st, 2005, in Longview, WA USA Congratulations to Norma Little Applause (OSCO Rebar Services), who has sur- Did You Get vived 2 teenage girls with the following Congratulations to Jean Bourque challenges: acne; boyfriends; sneaking (Strescon Ready-Mix) who has been on the phone with boyfriends; sneaking YOUR Copy? elected to the Board of Directors of the out the door with boyfriends; sneaking M.N.E.C.A. (Moncton North East on the internet with boyfriends; mood PicturConstructioned (l-r): Matt Lo Association).ve and Rod Macintosh swings; relentless arguing; and when the Copies of the OSCO Construction Group 50-Year Anniversary Brochure are now arguing stops the conspiracies begin….. available. To get yours, contact Vanessa at telephone: 506-632-7543 or Congratulations to the following email: [email protected] CONNECTIONS • Spring 2006 27