Build Maine Awards Celebration Includes Four Projects

Augusta, Maine April 12, 2017-The Associated General Contractors of Maine recognized four projects as the best of 2016 in a celebration at the Augusta Civic Center. The annual celebration is a kick-off to the upcoming construction season and a chance for firms to compete for the Build Maine Awards.

This year four projects were selected in various divisions. The first project, in the municipal division, was the Capisic Pond rehabilitation in the City of Portland completed by Sargent Corporation. The open water shrunk from 7.7 acres to less than 2 acres. By restoring the pond, the open water area is nearly 4.5 acres. It was the first time in 60 years the pond was dredged and habitat restored. The pond is a favorite spot for freshwater birdwatching, hiking, and pond hockey during the winter.

Reed & Reed Construction earned the distinguished industrial and energy award for the Hancock Wind Project. The project consisted of 17 Vestas wind turbines with a 117-meter hub height and 117-meter rotor diameter. Each turbine has a generating capacity of 3.0 MW for a total generating capacity of 51 MW.The V117 were tallest erected in the United States at the time of construction. 244,000 hours were worked on the 17-month project with zero OSHA citations.

Sargent Corporation earned another award for a utility project in the town of Oxford. The team from Sargent installed 17000 linear feet of force main and gravity sewer lines as part of an elaborate expansion project to attract new business and meet current needs. A complex dewatering system was designed to avoid ten feet of water filling the 14’ trench. The Sargent crew worked 18,325 hours without a lost-time injury.

RJ Grondin and Sons received the top highway award for the construction of Route 1 in Ogunquit. The 2.3 miles stretch included two bridges, 2.6 miles of new brick and paved sidewalk, 6.5 miles of drainage pipe, 181 pre-cast drainage structures, 4 miles of granite curbing, 21,000 tons of hot mix asphalt. A challenging project in a tourist area proved that the company could get the job done in advance of schedule and under budget. 73,000 hours were worked with no recordable OSHA violations or PUC violations.

“The work we do is important to every Mainer and celebrating the success of competitors who excel at their trade provides an incentive for everyone do better each day. I applaud the contractors who won this year and encourage every Mainer to think about the impact skilled workers have on your community and daily life,” said AGC Maine’s Board President Jon Smith of Great Falls Construction.

ABOUT ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS OF MAINE

Chartered in 1951, the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Maine is the state’s largest construction industry trade association. The Association maintains an office in Augusta and has 185+ members statewide. Member companies include general contractors, sub-contractors, and service and supply providers. For more information visit www.agcmaine.org