Fall 2011 - Keep Trees - Alaska Quality Publishing, Inc.

Associated General
Contractors of Alaska
8005 Schoon St.
Anchorage, AK 99518
(907) 561-5354
Fax: (907) 562-6118
www.agcak.org
Contractor@agcak.org
Editorial Board
Margaret Empie
Mary Killorin
John MacKinnon
April Reilly
Vicki Schneibel
George Tuckness
Sandi Weber
8537 Corbin Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99507
(907) 562-9300
Fax: (907) 562-9311
Toll Free: (866) 562-9300
www.AQPpublishing.com
Publisher
Robert R. Ulin
Managing Editor
Rachael Fisher
Editor
Jamie Rogers
Graphic Designer
Justin Ritter
Project Sales Manager
Clem E. Mewmaw
Advertising Coordinator
Carol Choi
On the cover: Assessing flood
damage on Richardson Highway
in Keystone Canyon, 2006.
Cover photo by
Mike isa aCs, al aska Dot&pF
Features
Table of Contents
12 Prepare for disaster with a Continuity of Operations
Plan for your company by Gov. Sean Parnell
14 Alaska Dept. of Transportation and Public Facilities partners with contractors
for emergency response by Commissioner Marc Luiken
26 Natural disasters and the Department of Environmental Conservation by Ty Keltner
30 Community holiday programs seek help by Rachael Kvapil
32 Anti-Pebble ads fail the geography test by Orin Seybert
34 4th Annual Alaska Construction Law Conference registration
40 Talking in a crisis
Are we meeting Alaska’s emergency communications needs by Jack E. Phelps
50 In times of disaster Preparedness, response and recovery cornerstones
of DHS&EM’s mission by Jeremy Zidek
62 Alaska communities prepare for tsunamis by Jody Ellis-Knapp
67 ADOT&PF emergency procurements by Mark O’Brien
70 Project Update: Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory by Rindi White
76 The Move to Mertarvik: Saving Newtok by E. Colleen Kelly
80 Home, safe home
Emergency plans, generators can provide sweet relief during disasters by Jamie Rogers
83 Getting back to business
Disaster preparedness will help minimize downtime by Marie Lundstrom
86 Taking pride in what we do photo essay
88 Coming to the AGC of Alaska Convention in November: Bruce S. Wilkinson, CSP
90 24th Annual AGC Anchorage Invitational Golf Scramble
92 32nd Annual AGC Fairbanks Golf Scramble
94 AGC 2011 Sporting Clays Shoot photo essay
ProFiles
20 Neeser Construction Inc. by Carly Horton Stuart
46 Fairbanks Precast & Rebar by Rachael Kvapil
56 Seward Building Supply Inc. by Bambi Childs
68 Concrete Cutters by Tracy Kalytiak
DePartments
The Alaska Fall 2011
Publication of the Associated General Contractors of Alaska
www.agcak.org
4 Winning Bids and Construction Trends
8 President’s Message by George Tuckness
10 Executive Director’s Message by John MacKinnon
18 Safety Report by Chris Ross
24 Human Resources Update by Barbara Stallone
36 Contractors & the Law by Robert J. Dickson
38 Financial Services & Contractors by Robert Warthen
60 Beacon/WorkSafe by Don Bisby
89 AGC Annual Conference 2011 Registration
95 Member News
The Alaska Contractor is published by AQP Publishing Inc. for the Associated General Contractors of Alaska. Contents of the magazine are not necessarily endorsed by AGC of Alaska or AQP Publishing Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2011 by the Associated General Contractors of Alaska. For information about articles in this edition or for permission to reproduce any portion of it, contact AQP Publishing Inc.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 3

Note: Winning Bids and
Construction Trends
1) Source from projects advertised
in the AGC of Alaska Bulletin
2) Calculations based
on date of bid
3) Supply/Service; Non-Construction
bid results are not always
advertised in the bulletin
4) RFP results are not always
advertised in the bulletin
ArcTIc & WESTErn
ALAKANUK REPLACMENT SCHOOL PHS II
$23,680,868
DOWLAND CONSTRUCTUTION INC.
COLD BAY APRON/RUNWAY
SAFETY AREA
$7,353,644
QAP
UNALASKA BALLYHOO DRAIN/PAVE
$2,212,606
NORTHERN MECHANICAL
KOTZEBUE FRONT LP WATER MAIN EXT
$1,746,854
TWIN PEAKS CONSTRUCTION INC.
KOTZEBUE UAF FLIGHT/CLASSROOM
$1,343,252
UIC CONSTRUCTION INC.
DALTON HWY AGGREGATE
$1,339,800
ALASKA MARINE EXCAVATION LLC
DILLINGHAM UAF SCIENCE LAB/SPACE
$1,168,707
COHO CONSTRUCTORS LLC
KIPNUK K-12 RENO/ADD SEWER PHS I
$1,008,000
ELITE MECHANICAL
InTErIor
FBKS RICHARDSON HWY FLOOR REPAIRS
$8,965,263
QAP
FBKS GUARDIAN FLIGHT OPS CTR
$2,779,299
STEPPERS CONSTRUCTION
GALENA SHOP BLDG REPLACE
$2,494,000
TC CONSTRUCTION INC.
FBKS AURORA RD RECONST/DRAINAGE
$2,221,111.45
EXCLUSIVE PAVING
FBKS UAF CANHR HEALTH CLINIC
$1,680,182
GBC INC.
FBKS GOLDEN TOWERS
SPRINKLER UPGRADES
$1,220,631.80
G&S MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC
FBKS UAF WTP RENEWAL PHS I
$962,204
JOHNSON RIVER ENTERPRISES LLC
SoUTHcEnTrAL
AK SEWARD HWY RECONSTRUCT/
BRIDGES
$17,817,901.75
HAMILTON CONSTRUCTION
WASILLA SEWARD MERIDIAN PKWY
IMPROVE
$11,989,290.70
QAP
KODIAK LANDFILL LATERAL EXPANSION
$2,482,899
ANDERSON CONSTRUCTION LLC
EAGLE RIVER LP RD RESURFACE
$2,428,931.24
GRANITE CONSTRUCTION CO. INC.
ANCH PAVEMENT REHAB
$1,896,780
QAP
ANCH INDEPENDENCE DR STRIP PAVE
$1,823,125.70
ROGER HICKEL CONTRACTING INC.
AK PLOW TRUCKS/SANDERS
$1,807,229
TRAILER CRAFT INC/FREIGHLINER
OF ALASKA
ANCH ALEXANDER AVE RID
$1,385,352
NORTH STAR PAVING &
CONSTRUCTION
ANCH ELECTRICAL SVCS
$1,323,713.60
YUKON ELECTRIC INC.
NINILCHIK WATER TREATMENT FACILITY
$1,317,000
FRAWNER CORPORATION
4 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

ANCH WHARF 2011 PILE REAPIRS
$1,159,999.86
RICHARD PHILLIPS MARINE INC.
ANCH AIA RESIDENTIAL SOUND
INSULATION
$1,118,998
TBI CONSTRUCTION CO.
PALMER MTA EVENTS CTR ADDITION
$1,109,500
TC CONSTRUCTION INC.
ANCH SWITCHGEAR
$930,636
CONTROLLED POWER
NIKISKI TANKER/PUMP
$887,388
PIERCE MANUCATURING INC.
SUTTON JONES FIRES CAPPING/ROAD
MAINT
$885,709.70
BRISTOL DESGIN BUILD SERVICES LLC
PORT MACKENZIE DOCK EXPANSION
PHS II
$878,475
SWALLING CONSTRUCTION
COMPANY INC.
SoUTHEAST
OW FH43 ROAD IMPROVE SEGMENT 1,2&3
$30,647,941.38
SOUTHEAST ROAD BUILDERS
GUSTAVUS AIRPORT SAFTEY AREA
IMPROVE
$7,887,251
SECON INC.
HYDER SALMON RIVER ROAD REHAB
$7,440,684
SECON INC.
KAKE INTERMODAL TRANSIT FAC PHS II
$4,315,400
WESTERN MARINE CONSTRUCTION
JUNEAU BRH ROOF REPLACE
$1,749,725
CENTIMARK CORPORATION
POW KASAAN HARBOR IMPROVE
$1,372,534.29
POOL ENGINEERING INC.
SITKA MONASTERY WATER/SEWER
$1,271,532
AGGREGATE CONSTRUCTION
GUSTAVUS SCHOOL RENO PHS III
$1,260,000
ALASKA COMMERCIAL
CONTRACTORS INC.
KETCHIKAN PAVEMENT REFURBISH
$1,219,195
SECON INC.
SITKA STEEL BLDG
$1,138,918.20
CHG BUILDING SYSTEMS INC.
SITKA JAPONSKI LIFT STATION UPGRADE
$967,649
CBC CONSTRUCTION INC.
HAINES STREET IMPROVEMENTS PHS II
$957,910
SOUTHEAST ROAD BUILDERS
SKAGWAY DYEA ROAD BRIDGE REPLACE
$902,564.41
NORTH PACIFIC ERECTORS
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 5

$650,000,000
$600,000,000
$550,000,000
$500,000,000
$450,000,000
$400,000,000
$350,000,000
$300,000,000
$250,000,000
$200,000,000
$150,000,000
$100,000,000
$50,000,000
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
$450,000,000
$400,000,000
$350,000,000
$300,000,000
$250,000,000
$200,000,000
$150,000,000
$100,000,000
$50,000,000
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
$1,200,000,000
$1,050,000,000
$900,000,000
$750,000,000
$600,000,000
$450,000,000
$300,000,000
$150,000,000
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
$-0
$-0
$-0
highway
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
building
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
annual
TRENDS
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Source: Winning bids for projects advertised in the AGC of Alaska bulletin.
6 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

PrESiDEnt’S MESSAgE
Resource development
the key to Alaska’s
long-term economic growth
O
ur state is so rich in natural resources, which have
brought us great wealth. We have even weathered
the crash of the U.S. economy primarily because
of the income Alaska receives from bringing our natural
resources to market. However, our memory is short. We have
forgotten what it is like to not have the benefi ts provided
by these rich resources. As citizens we stand by, watching
complacently, while overbearing regulation, special interest
groups and disproportionate taxation gradually close the
doors of opportunity for petroleum and mining development.
Alaska is still rich with minerals available on state and
federal lands that are specifi cally set aside for petroleum and
mining exploration. All that is needed is to remove the road
blocks that makes them inaccessible or less cost-effective.
All of us at AGC need to become the public voice that says
yes to development.
We need to fi ll the trans-Alaska pipeline with new oil. It
has the unused capacity to transport 1.5 million barrels of
oil per day, and we have that in undeveloped fi elds awaiting
environmental or legal approvals. The line is now in danger
of being shut down, due to the technical complications of
transporting such a low volume of oil. It only makes sense
to increase production and secure its future.
Alaska has the resources even while Prudhoe and
Kuparuk are declining in production. The National Petroleum
Reserve, created in 1923, is a 23 million -acre site for
resource development and holds an estimated 15 billion
barrels of oil. Also, the 19 million acre Arctic Nation Wildlife
Refuge, including its smaller permafrost plain set aside for
oil development, in which only 2,000 acres is needed for oil
drilling, holds up to 16 billion barrels. To the north are the
Chukchi and Beaufort seas, holding 30 billion barrels of oil.
As you can see, plenty of oil is still there. We just need to
remove the road blocks.
Pebble is the largest copper, gold and molybdenum
deposit in the world. Experts estimate it holds 80 billion
pounds of copper, 107.4 million ounces of gold and 5.6
billion pounds of molybdenum. These minerals can be safely
produced on state lands specifi cally set aside for mineral
development.
You would think this is an ideal opportunity for development,
yet opponents to the Pebble project have created a
lot of negative attention about the potential threat to Bristol
GE O R G E TU C K N E S S
President
Bay fi sheries. Pebble is under attack for fear of hurting the
fi shing industry, but currently they are only trying to provide
answers through the permitting process, to prove that they
can be a good partner and coexist with nature. Alaska needs
these natural resources. We can all profi t from their development
and see the growth of an industry.
Little is said about the long-term economic benefi ts
of Pebble. It is a multibillion dollar capital investment in
Alaska. The project has spent more than $120 million in
environmental studies. There will be about 2,000 to 3,000
jobs during construction and 1,000 permanent operating
jobs for 25 to 35 years. Hundreds of millions will be spent
in our economy during operations, not to mention the state
and local tax revenue put in our coffers during the life of
the project. There will be supply and service contracts that
will produce additional long-term jobs. Pebble will be a
multibillion-dollar infrastructure investment in Alaska, if
given the opportunity.
Recently I was privileged to visit the Pebble project
to see fi rsthand how it operates; I was impressed by the
ability to minimize the footprint on nature. Every effort is
supported by helicopters. When you approach a drill site,
you can’t help but realize how much work goes into drilling
thousands of feet into the ground to examine the minerals
below. Yet when you look around, you can’t see anything
that shows signs of previous drill sites. The tundra and wildlife
have completely recovered. Pebble has drilled more than
1,000 holes to gather information about this resource, yet
the landscape is unharmed. I was impressed and convinced
they are serious about protecting nature and proving they
can coexist as promised.
Our economy stays healthy because of three income
sources: petroleum, natural resource development and
Federal government investment in Alaska. It is time to recognize
that the Federal government is running out of money
and will surely cut back its commitment to Alaska. Once this
happens, it won’t take long to see a decline in our economy
which will fi rst be seen in construction. We need to support
resource development, help it to help us remain strong
fi nancially and continue to have the fi nances to provide
strong capital budgets to create jobs for our industry. I hope
you too will become a positive voice for resource development
and construction.
8 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

EXEcUtiVE DirEctOr’S MESSAgE
Practice the
Boy Scout motto
B
eing prepared is never making the same mistake once.
That’s why we’ve dedicated this issue to disasters,
because, as we learned after the 1964 Good Friday
earthquake, it’s not a matter of if one may happen but when
and where.
We take many things for granted – when we turn on the
faucet, we expect potable water will come out; the lights will
come on when we fl ip the wall switch; and when we fl ush
the toilet, what is in there will go away somewhere.
When one of those expected functions
doesn’t work for whatever reason, we
mumble a few #%&@##! at the inconvenience
but are confi dent knowing that the
responsible entity will soon have service
restored. The worst that happens when the
power is out is you miss the latest episode
of “Storage Wars” or “Pickers.”
Two years ago when Mount Redoubt
was huffi ng and puffi ng, and even more so
this spring with the quake and tsunami in
Japan, it made me aware how unprepared
and vulnerable we are. It doesn’t take too
much to imagine a scenario that could very
quickly make most of us wish we were
better prepared.
Imagine another major seismic event and tsunami (and
miraculously no lives lost) with substantial damage to utilities
and infrastructure – natural gas lines rupture, water and
sewer lines break, power lines are down, highway bridges
collapse and roads split open, and it happens in the middle
of winter. It’s really cold outside, you have no gas to run your
heating system and no electricity to run it even if you had
gas, and there’s is no water because the pumps that run the
system need electricity. It doesn’t do any good to call someone
because your phone lines are down and cell systems are out.
Your family comes fi rst, and if you aren’t prepared for
this, you might think about taking some steps to become
better prepared.
I’m not suggesting you build that apocalypse shelter
and become completely self-suffi cient, but there are a lot of
things we all should do to be better prepared. For starters:
at least a seven day food and drinking water supply, a good
wood supply if you’re lucky enough to have a fi replace and
extra propane bottles so you can cook on your gas grill (or
charcoal for purists). A battery-operated radio and fresh
We should all
take stock of our
own capabilities
and defi ciencies
and put some
effort into being
better prepared.
JO H N MA CKI N N O N
Executive Director
batteries (your TV won’t work), because that will be where
your emergency information comes from.
Your family comes fi rst, and once you have taken care of
them, your business, your equipment and your skills will be
needed.
You’ll read in this issue how the Department of Military
and Veterans Affairs regularly practices emergency preparedness
through the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency
Management and the State Emergency Coordination
Center or SECC. Whether it is an earthquake,
a major fl ood or a terrorist threat, the
SECC has had a number of tabletop exercises
to prepare for their response and put
plans, equipment and training to the test.
The Department of Environmental
Conservation, although not a fi rst responder,
is there after an event to ensure the safety of
water, air and food. They don’t do the actual
work to fi x things; they help coordinate the
resources to get them fi xed.
The Department of Transportation is a
fi rst responder to handle the cleanup and
restoration of vital transportation links after
a natural event. They do it on a regular basis
— at least once a year — and make use of a
multitude of private resources.
In an event of the magnitude we’re imagining, the
resources of the DOT, the electric companies and all the other
utilities that we take for granted as “always being there” will
be quickly overwhelmed and they too will be in the position
of assembling and coordinating private resources to get
services restored. They will need to muster the resources of
every contractor and every able worker in the state.
Coincidentally, at the time of this writing, Alaska Gov.
Sean Parnell and Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan held
a press conference to discuss emergency preparedness.
They have talked about this before and take it seriously.
They havebrought their own preparedness initiatives and
exercises forward, and we need to pay attention. For more
about what you can do to be better prepared, go online to
ready.alaska.gov.
The Boy Scouts of America have a good motto – “Be
Prepared.”We should all take stock of our own capabilities
and defi ciencies and put some effort into being better
prepared.
10 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

The familiar Alaskan mantra is:
“We don’t care how they do it in
the Lower 48. We’re different.”
When it comes to natural disasters,
we are different. Alaska has
unique conditions: Our cold climate,
long distances, diffi cult terrain and
tsunami-prone coastal areas are characteristics
that can challenge even the
most prepared communities.
Add to that our seismic location,
active volcanoes, annual river breakups
and lightning-sparked forest fi res in
remote areas. In any given year, many
natural disasters occur across the state.
Gov. Sean Parnell
Prepare for disaster with a Continuity of
Operations Plan for your company
But if they strike in winter, getting aid
to affected communities becomes a
unique problem for state emergency
responders.
My administration is focusing on
emergency preparedness. The budget
I signed this year contained $5 million
for electrical generators and water purifi
cation systems. This past August, my
cabinet met at the Division of Homeland
Security’s Emergency Operations
Center at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson,
to learn about and understand
the scope of our state’s response and
recovery capabilities, and better know
how each department responds.
In addition to a focus on preparedness
at the state agency level, I’m
encouraging Alaskans to be proactive,
and ready their families to be able to
care for themselves for seven days, in
the event of a widespread disaster.
The business community plays a
key role, too. If a major disaster occurs,
it’s imperative that companies have a
plan to quickly reopen their doors and
provide the services and products the
community depends on. Preserving
our economy and future will be essential
in that moment. For business
owners and managers, this means
having a Continuity of Operations
Plan (COOP) in place.
It’s not enough to just adopt a
plan from another company or pull
something that looks useful off the
Internet. The effective plan is the one
that you and your employees have
built together. Experience tells us that
a “boiler plate” plan is not worth much
more than the notebook it resides in.
Your company planning effort is as
important as the fi nal plan.
I also encourage business owners
and operators to talk with their
employees about creating family
disaster kits and plans. Workers can
return to their jobs more quickly,
knowing their families will be safe.
The quicker our businesses recover,
the quicker our communities recover.
Let’s make sure that our famous
Alaskan resourcefulness is matched by
equally robust Alaskan preparedness:
Get a kit. Make a plan. Be informed.
Learn more, gain knowledge and
fi nd tools to assist your company’s
preparedness at www.ready.alaska.gov.
Sean Parnell is governor of Alaska.
12 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

Alaska Dept. of Transportation
and Public Facilities partners with
contractors for emergency response
By Co M M i s s i o n E R Ma R C lU i K E n
Alaska’s diverse climate and expansive geography lends
itself to unique natural disasters including earthquakes,
forest fi res, fl ooding, volcanic eruptions, sea storms and
erosion. Alaska also faces natural disasters that are distinctive;
very few communities in the world are decimated by
ice jams. Often it is the rare location where a natural disaster
occurs that requires innovative or creative solutions. For
example, the remote Taylor Highway with its narrow width
and steep slopes can be markedly challenging for construction
engineers and maintenance crews.
City of Eagle after huge chunks of ice from the Tanana River pushed
all the buildings off their foundations and away from the banks,
May 2009. photo: alaska Dot&pF
Co M M i s s i o n E R Ma R C lU i K E n
When a natural disaster impacts commerce and restricts
access, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public
Facilities (ADOT&PF) Maintenance and Operations (M&O)
personnel are the fi rst line of response and repair. The M&O
crews are the daily guardians of our roads, throughout all
seasons. They are intimately familiar with each stretch of
highway, using their intuitive knowledge of the isolation,
available resources, equipment limitations and varying
applicable materials.
During the initial response to a disaster, ADOT&PF
14 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

M&O crews quickly assess the damage
in an effort to establish access, even if
it is initially very limited access. State
and local transportation agencies are
empowered to immediately begin
emergency repairs. Typical examples of
emergency repairs include regrading
of roadway surfaces, replacement of
roadway embankments, debris and
slide removal, erection and removal of
barricades and detour signs, flagging
and pilot cars during the emergency
period, placement of riprap around
piers and bridge abutments to relieve
severe ongoing scour action, construction
of temporary road detours and
erection of temporary detour bridges.
By providing
additional
equipment
and personnel,
contractors are
essential in the
overall response to
a natural disaster.
When supplemental resources are
required to complete emergency repairs,
ADOT&PF turns to local contractors
for help. By providing additional equipment
and personnel, contractors are
essential in the overall response to a
natural disaster. Contractors and M&O
personnel often stay at the damage
site until viable access is restored
and the project can be turned over to
ADOT&PF’s Construction section.
When the emergency has been
contained, then ADOT&PF Construction
assumes responsibility. It works
closely with contractors to make
comprehensive, permanent repairs.
In recent years ADOT&PF has faced
several disasters that required close
partnering with contractors.
2002 Denali Fault Earthquake
This earthquake tested the
emergency response capabilities of
ADOT&PF. The resulting damage of
the 7.9 earthquake involved multiple
roads separated by hundreds of miles
(from Cantwell to Northway) requiring
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 15

quick response by several sections of
ADOT&PF personnel. M&O worked
with heavy equipment on road and
airport damage while ADOT&PF
design personnel assessed necessary
repairs and appropriate mechanisms
to accomplish the repairs in the midst
of winter weather.
ADOT&PF utilized emergency
procurement procedures to fi nish the
restoration work as rapidly as possible.
Wilder Construction was instrumental
in repairs to the Northway Airport.
Wilder turned the shattered airport
surface into a useable and maintainable
gravel runway, allowing the
airport to reopen.
2006 Floods
Late-season rains accumulated
across southern Alaska, closing highways
leading out of Valdez and Seward.
Sections of the roads were under-
water, washed out or covered with
deep debris. Major damage occurred
in Keystone Canyon near Mile 13 of
the Richardson Highway.
Harris Sand & Gravel was contracted
to repair and reopen the fi rst 40 miles
of the Richardson Highway. Great
Northwest Inc. repaired the Richardson
Highway north of Mile 40, as well as
repairing and reopening the McCarthy
Road. Wilson Construction completed
necessary work on the Copper River
Highway out of Cordova.
2009 Eagle Ice Jams
During the spring, rapidly warming
temperatures resulted in accelerated
melting of ice and snow. The evening of
May 6, Yukon River ice began moving
downriver. A large ice dam just below
Eagle caused the river’s water level to
rise more than 30 feet within a few
hours, topping the banks and fl ooding
downtown Eagle. The river ice was
propelled onshore, and immense ice
blocks wiped out all of the homes
and structures along the river. At both
Eagle and the Village of Eagle, homes
and businesses were pushed off their
foundations or crushed to matchsticks.
Vehicles and fuel tanks were
upturned, resulting in spilled oil, gas
and chemicals.
The huge ice chunks, mixed with
chemicals and debris, cut off the only
road access into the Village of Eagle.
Due to the size of ice chunks and
depth of the ice fi eld (from 8 to 30
feet deep), it was determined that the
ice needed to melt before the tangled
debris could be removed. An alternate
route had to be established to access
the Village of Eagle.
During the fi rst week following the
disaster, an emergency procurement
contract was issued through limited
Village of Eagle after it is decimated by huge chunks of ice
from the Tanana River. River. River. Note the the the debris, upended homes,
overturned overturned fuel barrels barrels barrels and downed downed power power lines.
photo: MeaDow bailey, alaska alaska Dot&pF
16 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

procurement (solicited bids from several
contractors) to install a detour road.
The road construction involved clearing
a detour road and then covering the
detour road with temporary road mats
to protect the ground from vehicle traffic
and to provide a sturdy base for travel.
The 4,500-foot-long tundra mat road
was narrow, requiring flaggers on either
end to ensure vehicles traveled in only
one direction at a time.
Once the scope was defined for
work on the damaged road, the first
fully-advertised contract was advertised
through the Online Public Notice
system. This was a standard procurement,
with shortened advertisement (10
days), for an equipment-rate contract to
remove debris and construct permanent
road repairs.
2010 Taylor Highway
During July, a record amount of rain
fell in the upper Tanana Basin, resulting
in severe road damage, culvert washouts
and landslides in 43 unique sites along
a 50-mile stretch of the Taylor Highway.
Emergency work by ADOT&PF M&O
crews included debris removal, culvert
and ditch cleaning, filling wash-outs
and road repairs. Equipment-rental term
contracts were initially utilized for some
repair work.
An emergency procurement contract,
awarded through limited procurement,
was awarded for creek channelization.
Normal procurement equipmentrate
contract, with a general scope of
work was advertised and awarded for
the permanent repair of the road. The
contractor, North Star Construction,
expended commendable efforts from
August to November to assure that the
Taylor Highway would be available for
use after spring breakup in 2011.
ADOT&PF is often faced with unique
emergencies in challenging locations.
Communication with the management
team, other agencies and the public is
a vital piece of successful response to
an emergency or disaster. Due to the
support of knowledgeable contractors
and the expertise of diligent employees,
we can accomplish remarkable things.
When faced with jolting earthquakes,
massive ice chunks crashing through
villages or torrents of water flooding the
highways, The Great Land is prepared
with its greatest resource — great
people.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 17

AK Safety
PLUS SAFETY REPORT
Small business
safety challenges
Achieving excellent safety
results can be daunting for any
contractor, but smaller contractors
have even more challenges than
their larger counterparts. Many larger
construction companies have more
resources, more overhead, committed
safety professionals and easier access
to information. Smaller fi rms fi nd
it diffi cult to develop robust safety
programs; many simply struggle with
bare-bones compliance.
Faced with limited resources,
diffi culty in meeting regulatory
requirements and disproportionate
cost concerns, small businesses also
tend to have higher fatality rates,
more frequent and severe injuries
and disproportionately high workers’
compensation rates.
Lack of knowledge can be another
problem for smaller companies. Larger
companies have had more experiences
(unfortunately including more
workplace incidents and injuries) from
which to build knowledge of how to
prevent future injuries. Smaller and
medium-size fi rms simply do not
amass enough man-hours to experience
all the potential hazards and
problems that can occur. This can cause
“tunnel vision” and build a false sense
of complacency. And when incidents
do happen, they can be far more devastating
to smaller fi rms simply because
of the lower number of hours to spread
out the impact of these events.
Yet smaller contractors do hold
some advantages over larger establishments.
There can be a sense of safety
values (e.g. “brother’s keeper”) and
teamwork in smaller companies where
employees, foremen and owners are
much tighter-knit. Paradoxically, not
having a dedicated safety professional
can be advantageous – provided that
the supervisor with line responsibility
has the knowledge and authority to
administer the site safety program.
Safety is always more effective when it
comes through the “line” organization
as opposed to being a separate, lessintegrated
function.
While OSHA compliance is a
strong driver, the incentive to create
a safe work environment may not be
connected with the desire to avoid
fi nes and violations. The payoff for a
safe work record is reduced workers’
compensation costs, increased morale
and productivity and more work from
owners and general contractors.
Small business compliance costs - 2008
All fi rms $610
Less than 20 employees $781
20 – 499 employees $650
More than 500 employees $500
sourCe: “the iM p a C t oF oCCupatioNal saFety aND health aND hoMelaND seCurity Costs oN sM a l l Fi r M s –
sM a l l busiNess aDMiNistratioN oFFiCe oF aDvoCaCy
By Chris Ross, CSP, CPLP,
President, The Engagement Effect
The good news is that myriad
resources are available for small businesses
to build strong safety programs.
The following resources can provide
information, resources and guidance
for fi rms wishing to improve their
safety programs.
b AGC of Alaska - AGC members
have access to a wide variety of
programs and services though the
AGC Safety website (http://www.
agcaksafety.com), including access
to resources and tools, an active
safety committee, a video lending
library, classes and workshops, an
awards recognition program and
much more.
b OSHA Consultation - Most
businesses are familiar with the
compliance side of OSHA, which
promulgates and enforces regulations.
But the other side of OSHA
provides assistance to employers
through its consultation program.
Alaska employers can utilize the
consultation services of AKOSH
(Alaska Department of Occupational
Safety and Health) or
Federal OSHA (depending on the
jurisdiction). These agencies will
provide ready answers to questions,
perform courtesy inspections
(be sure to have your programs in
good order before requesting this
service) and provide many workshops
and training opportunities.
The mission of consultation is
primarily to assist small businesses,
and they will prioritize
requests from smaller fi rms over
bigger ones.
The Construction Health and
Safety (SHARP) program is adminis-
18 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

tered by AKSOH to recognize exemplary
safety and health programs.
Participating in this program is an
excellent way to enhance your safety
program. You can read more about
SHARP online at http://labor.alaska.
gov/lss/ak_chase.htm.
b Safety Consulting Firms –
Alaska has a number of safety
consulting and training firms who
can assist with safety program
needs, including: basic compliance
training, developing written
safety and health programs,
enhancing supervisor safety skills,
changing safety culture, providing
advanced safety skills and many
other elements of your safety
system. These contract safety
professionals can help to fill gaps
in your program where in-house
resources may be lacking.
b Safety Trained Supervisor - The
Safety Trained Supervisor (STS)
certification program is intended
for companies that have individuals
who are managers or first line
supervisor with a safety responsibility
for a work group that is
part of other work duties. Safety
Trained Supervisors are not safety
specialists or safety practitioners.
Typical candidates have a safety
responsibility that is adjunct,
collateral or ancillary to their job
duties (usually less than one-third
of the total job duties).
The typical certified STS helps their
employer implement safety programs
at the worker level through supervisory,
safety committee or similar
safety and health leadership roles. To
achieve the certification, candidates
must meet minimum safety training
and work experience and demonstrate
knowledge of safety fundamentals
and standards by examination.
Additionally, OSHA recognizes the
STS-Construction credential. OSHA
compliance safety and health officers
consider it a factor in deciding on a
focused inspection.
b Safety Interns – The University
of Alaska has a safety degree
program for students who wish
to become degreed safety professionals.
Each year, students
seek internship positions with
employers to gain hands-on safety
skills and experience. This affords
small employers an opportunity to
get much-needed safety expertise.
To find out more about the UAA
safety intern program, contact
Lynda Kreps at (907) 786-6421
or email inllk@uaa.alaska.edu.
In Fairbanks, contact Marie
Scholle at (907) 978-6287 or email
mmscholle@Alaska.edu.
b Internet – Some helpful websites
are: www.osha.gov, http://www.asse.
org, http://www.nsc.org, http://www.
ishn.com, http://ehstoday.com.
The Engagement Effect, a division
of Ross Performance Group LLC, offers
solutions in organizational results, safety
and health, leadership, talent management
and culture change. Learn more about us at
www.theengagementeffect.com or email the
author at chris@theengagementeffect.com
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 19

MEMBER PROFILE
NEESER
CONSTRUCTION INC. By Ca R ly ho R t o n st U a R t
Anchorage-based design-build
company specializes in
high-profi le projects
The Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center,
the Alutiiq Center, South Anchorage High
School and the 188 W. Northern Lights
Building — much of Anchorage’s modern
cityscape was built by Neeser Construction Inc.
Covering a broad range of commercial work, including
remote site work, NCI specializes in the designbuild
method of project delivery. On design-build
projects, a single entity – the design-build team
– carries a project through from initial concept to
completion. “Design-build projects are a unique skill
set and NCI has the most experience of any contractor
in the state,” Senior Project Manager George
Tuckness said.
NCI was founded in 1974 by current owner and
President Jerry Neeser. Neeser and his brothers had
been trained in carpentry by their father, Louis,
and together they built schools, churches
and commercial buildings throughout the Pacifi c
Northwest. After the bottom dropped out of the
construction market in the early 1970s, Neeser
decided to head to Alaska. He held a commercial
contractor’s license, but he primarily worked as a
framing subcontractor. Slowly, he gained the trust
of clients “who realized they didn’t necessarily have
the construction savvy Jerry did,” Project Administrator
Gary Donnelly said. One of Neeser’s fi rst
high-profi le projects was the lockers and hot dog
stand at Anchorage’s Mulcahy Stadium.
Donnelly and Project Superintendent Sam
Adams joined up with Neeser in 1977. Design-Build
Coordinator Royal Field had joined two years prior.
“The three of us have been with the company the
longest, but there are a number of fi eld employees
who have been with us 30-plus years,” Donnelly
said. “That kind of continuity in personnel is really
An exterior shot of the award-winning Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center. When the center opened in October 2008, it
increased Anchorage’s civic and convention capacity by more than 300 percent.
20 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photo: © keN grahaM photography.CoM

Founder, owner and President Jerry Neeser
established NCI in 1974.
unheard of in the industry, and certainly
in our construction community. It’s a
whole different approach and philosophy
– this is very much a team and an
extended family.”
Donnelly attributes this team
approach to NCI’s success. Indeed, the
company has landed a number of highprofile,
high-dollar projects over the
years. The Dena’ina Civic and Convention
Center was one such project. Located
in the heart of downtown Anchorage,
George Tuckness, NCI’s senior project manager
and president of AGC of Alaska.
photos: Courtesy oF Neeser CoNstruCtioN iNC.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 21

photos: Courtesy oF Neeser CoNstruCtioN iNC.
From left to right: George Tuckness, Sam Adams, Jerry Neeser, Royal Field and Neil Bhargava.
the $79 million, 215,000-square-foot
concrete and steel structure utilized the
design-build project delivery method.
This method saved a full construction
season, delivering the project well ahead
of schedule while returning nearly $5
million in contingencies back to the
owner. It was completed August 2008.
“It was evident through the entire
project that the NCI team is the
premier design-build team in Alaska,”
Julie Saupe, president and CEO of the
Anchorage Convention and Visitors
Bureau, stated in a testimonial letter.
“The development and design-build
experts at Neeser Construction, Inc.
were the foundation for this facility to
become a reality.”
In 2009, the Dena’ina Civic and
Convention Center received the
AlaskaUSA Insurance Brokers Excellence
in Construction Award for a
vertical construction job over $15
million, and went on to win the 2010
Design-Build Institute of America
National Merit Award.
Other notable NCI projects include
the Rental Car Center ($52 million) at
Ted Stevens Anchorage International
Airport, the Togiak School ($22.3
million) and Manokotak School ($10.2
million) in Southwest Alaska, the New
Community Education Center ($12.5
million) at Joint Base Elmendorf-
Richardson, the Anchorage Jail ($46.6
million) and the Salvation Army SAFE
Campus ($17 million) in Anchorage.
“We successfully compete for the
high-profile projects due to the core
values instilled in us by Jerry Neeser.
NCI has a reputation and a resume
of projects that are on time and on
or below budget. Our work is of the
highest quality and done safely,”
Tuckness said.
Being members of AGC of Alaska
has also benefitted the company.
“They keep us abreast of what’s on the
horizon and the trends of the market,”
Donnelly said.
NCI employs a home office staff
of approximately 40 individuals. Six
project management units of five to six
individuals per team are located at each
project. The number of field personnel
varies. Donnelly said NCI employs as
22 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

Project Administrator Gary Donnelly has been
with NCI for nearly 35 years.
few as 70 to100 and as many as 300 to
400 depending on the quantity of work.
Current projects include the Norton
Sound Regional Hospital in Nome, the
Alaska Department of Public Safety
Crime Lab in Anchorage and the Goose
Creek Correctional Center. While NCI
has not been immune to the economic
downturn, Donnelly said the company
“is still going strong. It’s been spotty
in terms of work out to bid, but we’re
picking up a fair share of new work.
There are also some very nice projects
on the horizon, including the new engineering
building and sports complex at
the University of Alaska Anchorage and
some sizable military projects on JBER.”
“Many owners are starting to select
their contractor based on their reputation.
Even government agencies now
recognize the lowest price is not always
the best value,” Tuckness said. “NCI has
a reputation for fast-tracking projects.
We are finishing up the Goose Creek
Correctional Center six months ahead
of schedule and on budget. We hope
this kind of success leads to future largescale
opportunities.”
NCI is committed to employing
people who illustrate the highest integrity
in their work. Project managers,
estimators, accountants, architects and
carpenters – everyone is dedicated to
making NCI a company that commits
and delivers. “Now that some of us are
nearing retirement age, we are passing
on our knowledge to those who will
keep the company alive,” Jerry Neeser
said. “Ultimately, the goal is to create a
legacy and a continuation of a very fine
business. We look forward to the next
30 years.”
Carly Horton Stuart is a writer based
in Anchorage, Alaska.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 23

HUMAn rESOUrcES UPDAtE
Invest in the hiring process By
This column provides information about the law to help
users competently cope with their legal needs. But legal information
is not the same as legal advice – the application of law to
an individual’s specifi c circumstances. Although we go to great
lengths to ensure accurate and useful information, we recommend
consulting a lawyer for professional assurance and your
interpretation of a particular situation.
What do you mean invest in the hiring process?
The economy has started to rebound and you are
feeling more comfortable with expanding your workforce
by hiring more employees. This presents both a
challenge and an opportunity. If you hire the right person,
you may reach your goals, if you hire the wrong person, it
can be disastrous.
Discrimination legislation, worker’s compensation costs,
benefi t costs such as medical, dental and vision insurance
and the potential of litigation should be the primary motivator
to take the necessary steps to hire the right person for
the right job. Too often employers get in such a hurry to fi ll
a position they don’t take the time to invest in the processes
necessary to ensure the best possible outcome.
Before you begin the hiring process you should
carefully consider what you want to achieve. There are
multiple issues as stake:
• What do you want the employee to accomplish?
• What outcome are you looking for?
• What are the skills and abilities necessary to be
successful in the job?
• How do you fi nd someone with those attributes?
To fi nd the right person for your job, you may need to
look at non-traditional ways of looking for candidates.
The Internet is now the most common way for employers
to solicit candidates, but should not be the only way. Your
current workforce is an excellent source of referrals, as are
the state employment service in your area; professional
organizations and trade associations; direct contact with
prospective workers; websites that list job openings at no
cost to the employer; newspaper advertising that offers
Internet postings; and don’t forget to list your job opening
on your company’s website.
Then, if you have a well written job description and are
offering a competitive wage and benefi ts package for your
position, you should have candidates to interview. Review
resumes or applications and ensure the person you are
Ba R B a R a sta l l o n E, sphR
considering meets the minimum qualifi cations for the position
you are trying to fi ll. Schedule interviews with those
candidates that you think might be successful in the position.
Be sure to have them complete your company application,
as that is the legal process, to become an applicant.
After you have applications in hand begin the interview
process. There are multitudes of ways to conduct job
interviews but the most successful companies ensure that
the company’s process is legally protected. This may include
asking the same questions to each applicant with documented
responses, a one-on-one interview with the hiring
offi cial documenting the question and response, group
interviews, team interviews, or any other manner of interview
that is non-discriminatory. One of the reasons companies
use standardized questions is to ensure the questions
asked do not violate any of the legislation that is considered
to be discriminatory.
One of the best predictors of future job success is past
performance. Ask the applicant to explain how they have
addressed various situations in the past. Leave your questions
open ended so you don’t get a text book answer.
Once you have a fi nal candidate or candidates in mind,
do your due diligence before you make a fi nal decision or
make a job offer. This should include doing a background
check, and may include drug testing, reference checks,
education checks, criminal history check and a credit check
if state law allows and it is relevant to the job being fi lled.
These processes are just as important as the interview and
may help determine if you hire the best person for your
opening. The cost is nominal when you think about the
potential liability for hiring the wrong person.
The most successful companies invest in the hiring
process, ensuring the probability of the best possible match
between the person and the position. These companies have
the highest productivity levels and demonstrate the most
innovation and fl exibility resulting in low employmentrelated
expense structures.
A company may buy and sell their assets but until they
realize their employees are their greatest asset, they can
never be truly successful.
Barbara Stallone, SPHR is a partner in The Human Resource
Umbrella LLC, an Anchorage-based human resource consulting
company and AGC member. Send questions about this column
or suggestions for future columns to Barbara@HRUmbrella.com,
or call (907) 727-2111 or (888) 470-0903 Visit the website at
www.hrumbrella.com.
24 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 25

and the
Department of Environmental Conservation
By ty KE lt n E R, dEC pU B l i C in F o R M at i o n oFFiCER
When natural disaster strikes, the fi rst responders are
typically local and may include police, fi re, emergency
rescue crews, medical crews and even local
volunteers. However, there are often impacts that fi rst responders
do not address. Who determines if the air is clean,
the water is safe to drink and that food has not become contaminated?
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) plays an important role in disaster response. The
DEC’s routine business is to protect Alaskans and the environment
through programs that establish standards; permit
air emissions, drinking water facilities, and wastewater and
solid waste disposal; monitor the health of air and water;
plan for and respond to oil and hazardous substances;
ensure cleanup of contaminated sites; and inspect food
service establishments. Following a natural disaster and
Flooding in Eagle,
May 2009.
photos: Courtesy oF the DepartMeNt
oF eNviroNMeNtal CoNservatioN
after life-threatening situations have been addressed, the
DEC’s expertise is often needed in recovery efforts.
“We are not fi rst responders for a natural disaster, and
we don’t run out to a site as soon as a disaster strikes,” said
Alan Wien, DEC disaster response coordinator. “We are not
equipped to provide on-scene assistance in saving lives or
fi ghting fi res, but we will help after an event to make sure
people are safe and environmental impacts are resolved.”
In Alaska, natural disasters include earthquakes, tsunamis,
fl oods, volcanic eruptions, wildfi res, severe storms, erosion,
avalanches, landslides or a combination of events. Once fi rst
responders have assessed the situation, the DEC’s disaster
response coordinator manages requests for assistance. The
coordinator determines what resources and expertise are
needed and what can be provided.
26 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

Hazmat team member in the decontamination
line as part of an exercise in April 2010.
The DEC follows fi ve primary natural
disaster response objectives. While all
are important, safety is always fi rst.
S AFETY: Ensure the safety of all
staff involved, responding or
exposed to the immediate effects
of the incident.
H EALTH: Assess the public health
threat and assist with protection
from the direct or indirect effects
of contamination of water, land,
air and food.
E NVIRONMENT: Assess the
environmental threat and assist
with the direct or indirect effects of
contamination.
C LEANUP: Ensure adequate
containment, control, cleanup
and disposal of oil or hazardous
substance contamination and
debris.
R ECOVERY: Assist in rapid
recovery from the incident.
The DEC’s role in recovery varies
depending on the type of incident. In
the case of volcanoes and wildfi res, air
quality is a signifi cant concern. The DEC
monitors air quality to determine the
concentration of smoke and volcanic
ash particulates and issues advisories
when unhealthy levels are reached. Air
modeling is conducted to determine
where to anticipate future impacts.
During a fl ood, concerns shift to
drinking water quality and surface
water contamination. In Alaska many
homes have home heating oil tanks
that break loose and spill. The DEC’s
spill response teams provide guidance
and oversight on cleaning up petroleum
contamination.
Flooded wells, outhouses and septic
systems can threaten human health by
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 27

photos: Courtesy oF the DepartMeNt oF eNviroNMeNtal CoNservatioN
Hazmat entry team responding to a simulated leaking chlorine gas
cylinder as part of an exercise in April 2010.
direct contact with sewage and contamination of drinking
water. DEC personnel will issue boil water notices to disinfect
sewage-contaminated water and advise how to sanitize
a well and clean up sewage.
After the fl ood, the DEC’s environmental health offi cers
work with restaurants, stores and homeowners to identify
what foods may be safe and what should be discarded or
sanitized. “We draw attention to things people normally
don’t think about,” says Kristin Ryan, director of environmental
health. “It’s common for people to think that
anything in a can is OK, even if it has been covered with
contaminated fl ood waters. That is not necessarily the case.
Food and beverage containers with screw-caps, crimped
lids, fl ip tops and home canned foods cannot be disinfected
and must be discarded.”
\If a disaster creates a danger involving hazardous
materials, the DEC can activate one of the state’s hazardous
During Spring 2011 fl ooding at Crooked Creek, this tank fl oated and
disconnected the fuel line, spilling oil.
materials response teams, made up of fi refi ghters trained
to work with biological, chemical, radiological and other
hazardous substances. These teams are in Anchorage, Fairbanks,
Juneau, Ketchikan and Kodiak; each is prepared to
deploy anywhere in the state they are needed.
28 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

A common misperception is that
DEC staff clean up and fi x problems
after natural disasters. However,
the DEC does not actually conduct
cleanup work or repair facilities. The
DEC instead will help to evaluate
impacts to the community and what
needs to be done to address them.
For spills and contamination, the DEC
can arrange for contractors to arrive
and respond accordingly. For example,
during a fl ood, the DEC would assess
damages and cleanup options and
hire a contractor to ensure the area
is cleaned of contaminants. The
DEC continues to provide technical
assistance to the responders and the
community throughout the process.
“While we don’t have the primary
role in response to a natural disaster,
DEC is an important support agency,”
Wien said. “We want to make sure
people know how to protect themselves,
their property and resources
from hazards that come from natural
disasters.”
To view the Alaska Department
of Environmental Conservation’s
Disaster Response Plan, visit:
http://www.dec.alaska.gov/spar/
perp/plans/adec_disaster.pdf
For more information on the Alaska
Department of Environmental Conservation,
visit its website at: http://www.dec.
alaska.gov/index.htm.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 29

Community holiday programs seek help
AGC members get involved
By Ra C h a E l KVa p i l
It might seem early to think about the holidays, but two
community programs are asking AGC members for assistance.
First, the Anchorage Home Builders Association
(AHBA) Associates Council is looking for sponsors for The
Shoebox Program, a program that provides a backpack full of
cheer to homeless and sheltered children. Also registration
will soon begin for Canstruction, a creative annual design/
build competition that benefi ts Food Bank of Alaska.
The Shoebox Program
It started with a shoebox fi lled with gifts and the desire
to bring holiday cheer to less fortunate children. And
though The Shoebox Program has graduated to backpacks,
the program’s name and intention remains the same. As fall
begins, the Anchorage Home Builders Association Associates
Council is starting its annual drive for backpack sponsors
and/or donations to make the holidays special for
underprivileged Anchorage students.
Vicki Portwood, executive offi cer of AHBA, said approximately
1,500 to 1,800 Anchorage students, ages 13 to 17,
fall into the category of homeless/sheltered living. These
students are identifi ed by school nurses and family school
AHBA staff
shop for items
to fi ll hundreds
of sponsored
backpacks.
Volunteers gather at Taylored Restoration to stuff monetarily sponsored
backpacks for pick up and delivery by school nurses.
service coordinators who pass the names, ages and genders
of students AHBA. Finding backpack sponsors starts with a
letter from “Santa” to AHBA’s 220 members. Backpack sponsors
can either pick up a backpack to fi ll or donate $50 so
that AHBA can purchase items. Approximately 600 backpacks
are sponsored through the program. AGC members
30 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photos: Courtesy oF ahba

Backpacks are prepurchased by The Shoebox
Program and then either picked up by sponsors
to fi ll or fi lled during a “stuffi ng party.”
To sponsor a backpack, donate
money or volunteer with The
Shoebox Program contact:
AHBA at (907) 522-3605
sponsored 20 backpacks last year.
“Our members have found very
creative ways to encourage sponsorships,”
said Portwood. “Some have
contests for the best decorated bag,
while others encourage their friends
and family to get involved.”
In addition to backpack sponsorships,
AHBA also relies on volunteers to
help with monetarily-sponsored backpacks.
AHBA shops for gifts and then
holds a stuffi ng party to fi ll each bag.
Purchased items include gifts and basic
hygiene items such as a winter hat, a pair
of gloves, a toothbrush, toothpaste and
dental fl oss, and soap. School nurses
pick up the backpacks the following
day and distribute them to the children
prior to their holiday break.
“Nurses tell kids that their names
were selected in a drawing,” said Portwood.
“Many of these kids already
face a lot of challenges and we don’t
want them singled out.”
AHBA does selective publicity of
The Shoebox Program as a way to
protect the identity of students and
their families. However, word of mouth
had gone a long way to encourage local
home building, lending and real estate
businesses to participate. To sponsor a
backpack, donate money or volunteer
with The Shoebox Program contact
AHBA at (907) 522-3605.
“Bulldozer” built by Enterprise Engineering of Anchorage won the “Jurors Favorite” award.
Canstruction
Food cans are no stranger to the art
world, but Canstruction has learned to
combine them with a unique design/
build competition to collect food for
community food banks. Teams of architects,
engineers, designers, construction
professionals and the students they
mentor get the chance to show their
artistic fl are by building a 10 by 10 by 8
foot structure using only canned food.
Then, after the competition in fi nished,
the food is collected and donated to
Food Bank of Alaska.
“It is a unique way of mixing art
and architecture,” said Jim MacKenzie,
director of development and communications
for Food Bank of Alaska.
“And the best part is we get to raise
food awareness and food for the food
bank in a fun and creative way.”
Though teams build their structures
in a 12-hour period, there is a lot
of planning that goes on beforehand.
Teams register in November and turn
in concept designs in mid-December
so they turn in canned food orders by
January for the February event.
Iris Matthews, chairperson for
Canstruction, said the timing of the
competition is important since less
food is donated in the months following
the holidays even through there is still
a signifi cant need.
“Shelves are really bare during
February and March,” said Matthews,
“Canstruction is a great way to help
Food Bank of Alaska restock a bit.”
Canstruction brings in more than
30,000 pounds of food each year.
According to MacKenzie the food
bank collects about 6.6 million pounds
a year. He estimates that 90,300 Alaskans
are food insecure and use either
food bank agencies or frequent soup
kitchens. To meet the basic needs of all
food insecure Alaskans, Food Bank of
Alaska would need to collect about 13
million pounds of food at a minimum.
“Canstruction encourages people to
get on board and fi ght to end hunger,”
said MacKenzie. “Many start with this
competition and then volunteer with
Food Bank of Alaska as sorters, then
as board members. Some continue to
donate in other ways.”
This year’s Canstruction will take
place Feb. 18, 2012 at the University
Center Mall. Registration starts in
November. Firms can participate by
forming a team or sponsoring a team.
Teams typically have six to 15 members.
For more information, contact Eric
Voorhees at evoorhees@dowlhkm.
com or Linda Hulteen at lhulteen@
dowlhkm.com.
Rachael Kvapil is a writer and
photographer who lives in Fairbanks,
Alaska.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 31
photo: Mark Meyer

Anti-Pebble ads fail the geography test COMPASS: Other points of view
By oR i n sE y B E R t
I
would be the last person in the
world to jeopardize the Bristol Bay
sockeye salmon fi shery, the largest
wild salmon fi shery in existence. I started
fi shing in the Ugashik River in 1950 and
made the money to buy my fi rst aircraft,
then start my airline, which of course
grew to be successful supporting the
fi sheries industry. To this day, my children
and grandchildren rely on Bristol
Bay to help with their livelihood, as well
as their subsistence needs.
However, the latest TV campaign
by the anti-Pebble group is ludicrous.
They are using a half-dozen residents
of the Chignik/Perryville area (of
which some are my relatives) to speak
against the mine, as if they are Bristol
Bay residents.
Look at a map. The Chignik area is
on the Pacifi c Ocean side of the Alaska
Peninsula, nearly 1,000 miles from
Bristol Bay by water. The Chignik Lake
sockeye fi shery is the second largest in
the state, next to Bristol Bay. It is much
more similar to, but larger than, the
Copper River, Cook Inlet and Kodiak
Island producers, which are all at least
in the same ocean.
As anyone familiar with the sockeye
salmon life cycle knows, they are hatched
in early spring and spend the fi rst year
growing to smolt in those streams and
lakes. Then they go out to sea, spend
two or three years growing, then return
to their point of origin to spawn.
The runs always return to their
place of origination to start the cycle
all over again. Thus there is no way any
disaster in Bristol Bay could affect the
Chignik runs, and vice versa.
Let us look at the facts. Apparently
there are very large, valuable mineral
deposits in the hills west of Illiamna.
In a worst case scenario, such as a dam
failure or ongoing leakage of toxic
material, there could possibly be two
systems affected, Talarik Creek on the
Lake Illiamna side, and the Mulchatna
River on the Nushagak side.
Both of these streams together
support only a very small percentage
of the total run spawning. The vast
majority of the Nushagak run goes up
the Nushagak and Wood Rivers to the
Aleknagik/Tikchik lakes systems, and
the vast majority of the Kvichak run goes
to the East and North parts of Illiamna
Lake, as well as Lake Clark. And of
course the Naknek, Egegik and Ugashik
systems are even more removed. It is
unthinkable that any major disaster in
one small area of the watershed would
impact the entire run.
As an example, Bristol Bay has
already survived two major volcanic
impacts. The fi rst was the Katmai eruption
of 1912, which sent many tons of
toxic ash down the Savanoski River into
Naknek Lake and the Naknek River,
which today is the second- or thirdlargest
run in Bristol Bay. Then there was
an eruption just six years ago of Mount
Chiginagak, which sent material down
Volcano Creek into Mother Goose Lake,
Painter Creek and the King Salmon
River (Ugashik), shutting down several
sport fi shing lodges for a few years.
Those runs are already coming back.
There is information available that
shows only 17 percent of Bristol Bay
permits are held by bona fi de yearround
area residents. The rest are held
by non-residents who live in the continental
U.S. or people with Bristol Bay
roots who do not live there but only
come for the two months to get their
share. It appears that the large amount
of money spent by the anti-Pebble
group is mostly funded by outside and
self-serving interests.
I am neither pro or anti-Pebble;
they have a long ways to go. First we
would like to see their plan of production,
which has not been done yet.
Then they have to go through extensive
local, state and federal permitting
processes, which will all be subject to
public review and input. We should at
least give them a chance.
Finally, if the anti-Pebble group
cannot even get the obvious facts
straight, how are we supposed to trust
the rest of their advertising?
Orin Seybert is the founder and retired
CEO of Peninsula Airways (PenAir). He
lives in Anchorage.
This column originally appeared in the
Anchorage Daily News on Aug. 17, 2011.
32 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

34 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

Scholarship testimonials
How to
apply
Landon Northey
Construction has been a part of
my life ever since I was a child and
I hope for this to continue into the
future. With the help of the Associated
General Contractors of Alaska I will
be attending Boise State University in
the fall to begin my further education
and pursue my goal of obtaining a
degree in Construction Management.
I look forward to completing this goal
and beginning a career in the construction industry. I would like
to sincerely thank AGC for making this possible and helping
me to begin building the road into my future.
Jacob Mathiesen
AGC scholarship has been a great help for
my schooling through the years. I just returned
to Alaska from a yearlong exchange program
through the UAA Construction Management
Program to (the) Northern Arizona’s CM
program. I am happy that I have been given
the opportunity of learning the Construction
profession from different perspectives that
develop my education, and to be supported
by AGC along the way. AGC has assisted in
sending students to Construction Expositions, Competing in Construction
competitions, and meeting members of the industry at their regular
events. I look forward to building Alaska along with AGC.
The Construction Education Foundation is involved in all levels of construction education in Alaska – from
students in secondary schools to older university students, to students looking to change careers or to take short
courses to upgrade their skills. The foundation’s goal is to provide the next generation of construction workers in
Alaska. To that end, CEF works with the Associated General Contractors of Alaska to offer scholarships to students
taking (or will be taking) classes toward a degree that will support the state’s construction industry.
To apply, download the forms at www.alaskacef.org/scholarships.html and return by deadline to the
CEF offi ce at 8005 Schoon St., Anchorage, AK 99518. For more information, call (907) 770-1826.

CONTRACTORS & THE LAW
When disaster strikes,
reach for the “force majeure”
When a genuine community
or area-wide disaster
occurs, attention will
necessarily be drawn to many things
other than contract documents. But if
the normal routines of life and business
in general have been disrupted,
a contractor’s ability to continue
performing contracts in place may
be substantially compromised if not
completely foreclosed, at least temporarily.
When these dire circumstances
arise hopefully the contracts in place
will have “force majeure” clauses.
A force majeure clause is a provision
in a contract that excuses a party
for its non-performance of the obligations
it undertook in the contract. In
other words failure to perform will not
be a breach of the contract. Unless the
contract addresses the grounds upon
which performance may be excused, a
contractor may rudely awaken to the
fact that he will have to perform the
contract even though the essentials
to complete it are gone. For example,
unless the contract specifi es otherwise,
if a contractor contracts to build
a building and it burns down before
acceptance, the contractor is obligated
to rebuild the building, and
further, will be liable for damages to
the owner for the delay in completing
it. Consequently it is important to
include in contracts a provision that
sets out explicitly the kinds of situations
that both parties agree would
excuse performance required under
the contract.
Most construction contracts have
what is in essence a “force majeure”
clause, but it is not called as such. In
the standard AGC contract document
between the contractor and owner, the
provision is found under the Section
6.3, “Delays and Extensions of Time”
clause. That provision starts out “if the
Contractor is delayed at any time in
the commencement or progress of the
Work by any cause beyond the control
of the Contractor . . . ” The provision
states that in that event the contractor
has the right to an equitable extension
of time as well as an equitable adjustment
in the compensation if additional
costs are incurred because of
the delay. The provision defi nes “cause
beyond the control of the Contractor”
to include decisions and actions of the
owner or designer, “labor disputes not
involving the Contractor; fi re; encountering
Hazardous Materials; adverse
weather conditions not reasonably
anticipated; concealed or unknown
conditions; . . . .” The AGC document
also provides in the next paragraph
that the contractor is entitled to additional
time and to additional costs
By ROBERT J. DI C K S O N
(but without additional fee) when the
delay is “caused by adverse weather
conditions not reasonably anticipated,
fi re, unusual transportation delays,
general labor disputes impacting the
Project but not specifi cally related to
the Worksite, governmental agencies,
or unavoidable accidents or circumstances
. . . .”
The AIA document is similar in
that it covers “force majeure” under
the “Time” article, and states at Section
8.3.1 “If the Contractor is delayed at
any time in the progress of the work [by
any actions or decisions of the architect
or owner] or by labor disputes,
fi re, unusual delay in transportation,
unavoidable casualties or any causes
beyond the Contractor’s control, . . . ”
Both the AIA document and the AGC
document, as well as most construction
contracts, do not excuse the contractor
from performing entirely, but simply
excuse the contractor from completing
by the agreed date and allow for additional
compensation if warranted.
A more sophisticated clause that
better takes into account the kinds of
disasters that may happen in Alaska
defi nes ‘force majeure” to include
“strike, lockout or other labor dispute;
fi re; fl ood; storm; ice fl ow; lightening;
earthquake; volcanic eruption; explosion;
war; civil disturbance; blockade;
act of God; governmental restraint
imposed or caused by federal, state,
borough or municipal law or by any
rule, regulation, ordinance or order
of or delay or failure to act by a
federal, state, borough, municipal or
other governmental agency; inability
to secure required federal, state,
borough, municipal or other governmental
permits, approvals or easements;
any judicial acts or restraints;
accidents; uncontrollable delays in
36 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

delivery or transportation of materials
or personnel to the site; inability to
obtain necessary materials in the open
market; or any other cause, except
the inability to pay money, beyond
the reasonable control of the party
claiming force majeure.”
Typically, all of the force majeure
clauses require the party who is
claiming such to provide notice to the
other party as soon as the event or
problem has manifested itself. Even if
the duration of the problem cannot be
reliably predicted when it first occurs,
the contractor should notify the owner
or the other party to the contract of
the force majeure event as soon as the
contractor becomes aware of it.
If a contract document does not
include a force majeure or excusable
delay clause, there are a number of
common law doctrines that can provide
relief when performance has become
something substantially different than
what had been originally contemplated.
These include mutual mistake,
frustration of purpose, impossibility,
commercial impracticability and intervening
illegality. But all of these legal
doctrines require that the risk of the
problem occurring has not been placed
on the contractor, either expressly in
the contract or impliedly, i.e., inferred
from the explicit terms. The contract
does not have to explicitly mention
an event for a court to conclude
from the rest of the document that
the contractor bares the risk that the
problem might occur. Consequently
it is always best to have an explicit
clause in the contract that excuses
performance under conditions that are
beyond the contractor’s control.
This column provides information
about the law to help users competently
cope with their legal needs. But legal
information is not the same as legal
advice—the application of law to an individual’s
specific circumstances. Although
we go to great lengths to ensure accurate
and useful information, we recommend
consulting a lawyer for professional
assurance and your interpretation of a
particular situation.
Robert J. Dickson is a partner of the
Anchorage law firm Atkinson, Conway
and Gagnon Inc.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 37

FINANCIAL SERVICES & CONTRACTORS By Ro B E R t Wa R t h E n
Commercial Loan Offi cer,
Alaska USA Federal Credit Union
Help your lender help you
In today’s economy, partnering with a fi nancial institution
that understands your business and is willing to
fund your dream is essential. If you’re thinking about
applying for a loan or line of credit, there are a few things
you can do to make the loan process easier.
Know what’s expected when you apply. A smooth
loan process starts with accurate and easily understandable
fi nancial statements. The key factors lenders look for
when analyzing a loan request are profi tability, liquidity and
leverage. Your fi nancial package should include:
• Three years tax returns on the company
• Current year-to-date fi nancial statements to include a
balance sheet and a profi t and loss statement
• Current accounts receivable aging reports
• Current inventory reports
• Job status/work in progress reports
• A current personal fi nancial statement from each owner
who has at least a 20percent ownership in the company
• Three years personal tax returns from same owners
above
Lenders analyze this information to confi rm whether the
cash fl ow generated from the operations of the business will
be suffi cient to repay the loan and all of the business’s other
existing and proposed obligations.
Aside from the cash fl ow, lenders also look for secondary
sources of repayment of proposed fi nancing — specifi cally,
collateral and personal guarantees from owners. Lenders
may even ask borrowers to pledge personal assets to further
support a loan request, which can include their primary
residence.
Presentation matters. Take the time to put together a
well-organized, complete package. Keep in mind that your
lender wants to know what your business does, how much
money you want to borrow, how the money will be used
and how you plan to repay the loan.
If you want your lender to review your business plan,
drop it off a day or two before your meeting so they have
time to review it.
Know when to apply. Plan to request your loan at a
time of year when all of your fi nancials are ready and available
for review. For example, a line of credit is renewed every
12 months, so you should plan the maturity date for a time
that makes sense — when you know your tax returns will be
done; when you have income to report; and when you have
time to gather your documentation.
Borrow where you bank — or bank where you
borrow. It’s always a good idea to have your accounts with
the same institution you have fi nancial credit with. Your
lender will consider your relationship during the approval
process, and you may even receive more favorable pricing
since the risk of lending to account holders is often lower
than non-account holders.
The bottom line. Give your business every advantage
possible. Knowing how to make your lender’s job easier can
go a long way in securing your loan, and having an organized,
full package is a great start.
38 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 39

Talking in a crisis
Are we meeting Alaska’s
emergency communications needs?
By Ja C K E. ph E l p s
A brief history
The need for emergency responders from multiple agencies
to be able to communicate effectively with one another
in a crisis has been recognized for many years. Some 20
years ago, the Association of Public Safety Communications
Offi cials (APCO) took the lead in seeking solutions to this
problem.
In the late 1990s, the State of Alaska began reviewing
emerging technologies to address this issue. After extensive
analysis, Alaska adopted the APCO Project 25 standard to
meet its future emergency communications needs. It was the
fi rst of the 50 states to do so. The decision was prescient. P25
has since become the de facto national standard for public
safety communications, according to APCO.
P25 involves the use of digital, trunked radio technology that
is backward-compatible with conventional two-way radios. It
can also accommodate an array of frequencies operating within
the same network, allowing users of different frequency bands
Typical equipment arrangement inside a remote shelter. This particular
shelter is on the Seward Highway, south of Anchorage.
The site site on High Mountain, near near Ketchikan. This
was a brand new radio site site for the State State State of Alaska.
Unlike many many many ALMR sites that were adapted
from conventional radio radio sites, sites, sites, the High High Mountain
location had to be built from the the ground up up and all all all
materials had to be fl own in by helicopter.
photo: photo: Courtesy oF soa
40 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photo: Courtesy oF soa

SOA Engineer John Lynn at the Zone Controller
computer monitor. From this location, technicians
can monitor everything that is going on
at remote sites system-wide. Alarms can be
checked and often cleared from this single chair.
to talk with each other. Law enforcement
agencies, fi re departments, emergency
medical personnel, transportation offi -
cials and military personnel can use the
system discreetly during normal, day-today
operations and yet, with the fl ick of a
switch, talk to one another freely during
an event that requires their cooperation
and mutual aid.
The Department of Defense in Alaska
was interested in working with the State
to develop such a system. Because of
the large military presence in the state
and Alaska’s unique global position
and diverse geography, the DoD identifi
ed an operational need for a stable,
interoperable radio network. Moreover,
it was conscious of its Defense Support
for Civil Authority mission.
By 2001, the State and the DoD had
established the Alaska Land Mobile
Radio (ALMR) partnership. They developed
a plan to deploy a Very High
Frequency P25 radio system along the
major roads and in key outlying areas,
especially in major population centers in
Southeast and strategic points around
Prince William Sound.
Shelters at one of the remote sites along the
Glenn Highway.
photo: JaCk phelps
photo: Courtesy oF soa
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 41

photos: Courtesy oF soa
The new site at Sunnahae Mountain, just southeast of Craig. This site is critical for law enforcement
activity on Prince of Wales Island. It enables Troopers deployed on POW to communicate
with dispatch and detachment headquarters in Ketchikan.
Creation of the system was
understood to be a daunting financial
and engineering task. It would
require significant state and federal
investment. The State and the DoD
were committed to pursuing the
funding because they believed P25
would provide the best interoperable
communications service to the military,
civilian public safety agencies and
other emergency responders.
The events of Sept. 11, 2001,
changed the funding picture significantly.
The attack in New York brought
into focus the need to use new technology
for the safety and effectiveness
A military helicopter lowers the antennal
tower into place during construction of the
High Mountain site near Ketchikan.
of first responders, especially in the
event of a multiagency response situation.
Congress enacted large grant
programs to help state and local agencies
acquire P25 equipment, including
both infrastructure and mobile devices.
Alaska’s plan called for a joint
buildout of 90 sites and two zone
42 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

controllers (the brains of the system), all
connected via digital microwave and fiber.
Since Alaska already had in place more
than 100 microwave sites, most of which
were in the necessary locations, connectivity
became a major role of the State. Of
the 90 radio frequency sites, 41 were to be
built and maintained by the DoD.
Fast forward to 2011
Of the originally planned sites, 83
have been installed and activated, said
State of Alaska Senior Engineer Dean
Strid. Some additional sites have been
installed, the need for which emerged
during system construction. Moreover,
the Municipality of Anchorage has added
a third zone controller and a network of
sites to service all territory covered by the
Anchorage Police and Fire departments.
This is where the flexibility of P25
shines through. Anchorage chose to use
the 700 MH band for its part of the system,
believing it would suit Municipal needs
better than VHF, which was deemed
more suitable for coverage outside the
Anchorage bowl. Yet, the APD and State
Troopers can talk to each other on their
everyday radios even though they operate
on different parts of the radio spectrum.
As State of Alaska Engineer John Lynn
said, “The P25 system is frequency blind.
Dean Strid, senior engineer for the State of
Alaska. Dean was responsible for designing the
system, mapping the spectrum and coordinating
the technical side of installation at all the ALMR
sites. Without him there would be no ALMR.
photo: JaCk phelps
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 43

Fire Station #12 in south Anchorage is an
important repeater site for both the State’s
VHF system and the Municipality’s 700 MH
companion system.
It simply doesn’t care what frequency the
signal comes in on. The zone controller
just sends it to the right talk group.”
The Valdez Police Department was the
first agency to use ALMR operationally
for its primary communications needs. It
has now been joined by dozens of local
agencies which operate off the same
network as the Troopers, the Department
of Transportation, the Alaska Railroad
and many others.
Problems in paradise
The system is clearly an operational
success. It is being used daily by
large agencies like the State Troopers
and by small organizations such as the
Mendeltna Volunteer Fire Department. It
has been used successfully in one actual
terror threat (Valdez in winter 2003).
More than 200 law enforcement officers
from across the state participated in the
joint effort. Lt. Col. Jeff Badger, then-
Operations Officer for the Alaska Army
National Guard, said, “ALMR really
saved the day. Once they understood
what ALMR could do, many agencies
(including the FBI) chose to use ALMR
instead of their own radios.”
The success is not unqualified.
One problem is the decline of available
funding to complete the system
and operate it in areas that still need
coverage. An example is Prince of Wales
Island. ALMR coverage is available in
Ketchikan, where the Trooper station
is located. However, the Troopers are
responsible for more miles of road on the
island than in the city. The ALMR site on
Gravina Island provides connectivity to
Craig via a site on Sunnahae Mountain,
but the State of Alaska lacks finances to
operate that site, much to the chagrin of
Troopers in the area.
44 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photo: JaCk phelps

Moreover, the original buildout
plans were drawn up before the population
boomed in the Matanuska Valley.
Strid said, “Coverage is weak in Knik,
Houston and Big Lake. There are just too
few channels to handle the increased
activity out there.” Site Summit (above
Fort Richardson) provides the best
coverage, but it is also the key site for
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
There are not enough repeaters there
to handle all the traffic, Strid says.
Commander Tom Remaley of the
Palmer Police Department also reports
difficulties in the Valley. “We are no
longer using ALMR,” he said. “I think
the system is great and we’d love to
be back on it, but it just didn’t consistently
work because of connectivity
issues. Too often my officers could
not reach dispatch.” The problem has
been reported to ALMR, but funding
priorities have prevented a fix. So PPD
is using their old conventional system
while they wait.
To make matters worse, the DoD has
now decided that its need to participate
in ALMR has decreased. According to
Administration Commissioner Becky
Hultberg, the Army has served notice
The shelter at Site Summit above Fort Richardson off
the Glenn Highway. This site provides some of the most
extensive coverage of all the sites in the ALMR system.
on Alaska that it will turn ownership
and operations of its 41 sites over to the
State no later than July 2012. If the State
of Alaska does not accept responsibility
for the sites, the DoD will decommission
them and remove the equipment.
This would cripple the system that is
now depended upon by thousands of
emergency responders, including state
and local law enforcement. Hultberg
and Public Safety Commissioner Joe
Masters are faced with the problem of
securing sufficient financing to assume
full responsibility for ALMR or lose all
the communication advantages that
have been gained in the past decade.
Jack E. Phelps is a freelance writer in
Alaska.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 45

MEMBER PROFILE
FAIRBANKS
PRECAST & REBAR By Ra C h a E l KVa p i l
Customization provides limitless
opportunities for Interior manufacturer
Ryan Johnson, general manager of Fairbanks
Precast & Rebar, is pretty confi dent when
he says, “Nothing scares us.” He speaks
highly of the company’s experience and
the resources that allow them to build highly customized
products. In fact, Johnson says customized
products make up a bulk of their orders since many
construction projects need things built to design.
Much of what Fairbanks Precast & Rebar provides
isn’t necessarily identifi able by the consumer’s eye,
such as concrete pads, traffi c barriers, containment
barriers, utility vaults, manhole sections, panels and
beams. Some of its products are featured in landscape
designs such as concrete planter boxes, trash
cans, benches and barriers. Some products, like
custom bent and sheared rebar and welded wire
mesh, are only ever seen by construction crews.
However a product is used, Johnson says that Fairbanks
Precast & Rebar has produced products in
just about every shape and size over the years.
Bent and sheared rebar and welded wire mesh are all customizable to spec.
“We have good quality forms and intelligent
people with lots of experience,” said Johnson.
The company, originally named Fairbanks
Precasters, was started in 1984 by Mike Dillon and
Sandy McKenzie. In 1990, Mike Dillon bought out
Sandy McKenzie and ran the business until he
passed away in 2001. The company was purchased
in December 2005 by Anchorage Sand & Gravel
and the name changed to Fairbanks Precast &
Rebar. Johnson’s main team in North Pole includes
manager Tyler Beck in rebar and Tim Collette in
sales and shop foremen Dennis Vahlsing and Steve
Harvison.
Johnson said their ability to build custom products
to customer specifi cations allow Fairbanks
Precast & Rebar to take on a variety of projects.
Fairbanks Precast currently builds various custom
products for Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., Doyon
Utilities, British Petroleum and ENI Petroleum.
Fairbanks Precast has also produced Texas barriers
46 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photos: Courtesy oF FairbaNks preCast & rebar

An example of Texas barriers produced for the
U.S. Army (Fort Wainwright and Fort Greely).
for the U.S. Army (Fall/Winter 2009),
and custom barriers for containment in
Prudhoe Bay for various contractors.
For the past three years, Fairbanks
Precast & Rebar has provided Osborne
Construction with several thousand
feet of precast custom utilidor lids for
a project on Eielson Air Force Base.
Darrel Behrent, project engineer of
Osborne Construction, speaks highly
of the company’s ability to work on a
flexible schedule and meet the project
schedule.
“They are cost effective and stand by
the quality of their work,” said Behrent.
“Plus they’re responsive to our needs
and go out of their way to incorporate
changes and make sure everything is
done when we need it.”
Travis Malin, project manager of
H C Contractors, echoes Behrent’s
praise. Fairbanks Precast & Rebar
produced several products for H C
Contractors including concrete barriers
and storm drain catch basins. Most
recently, it provided custom-made sewer
manholes for the renovated storm drain
system outside the University of Alaska
Fairbanks Life Science Building.
“This project is a lot like a puzzle,”
said Malin. “Each piece has to fit perfectly
to tie in with the museum. Fairbanks
Precast & Rebar has done an excellent
job working with last minute design
changes and making sure everything is
done correctly.”
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 47

Fairbanks Precast & Rebar has been an AGC member
since November of 1984 when it was still run by the original
owners. Johnson said it is important to maintain membership
with AGC because it allows him to network with
people who are involved in projects in the Interior. Though
Fairbanks Precast & Rebar has maintained a steady workload,
he feels this is important to keep up on changes in the
construction industry, especially in a changing economy
where construction is down and work on military bases is
uncertain.
“We do have to be cautiously optimistic even though
we are in a good position,” Johnson said. “On the plus side,
we have the ability to morph into anything. If projects are
small then we can go small. If large, we can accommodate
those too.”
In addition to creating custom products, the company
also stocks certain standard items: D.O.T. junction boxes,
traffic barriers, standard utility vaults, type I and type II
manholes, custom retaining wall blocks, wheel stops, splash
blocks and different sized pads. The primary goal, according
to Johnson, is to expand into all facets of the precast and
rebar industry necessary to meet the demands of construction
companies within Interior Alaska. Despite the uncertainty
in the economy, Johnson is confident in what the
company can accomplish.
An example of manholes such as those created for the University of
Alaska Fairbanks Life Science Building sewer renovation project.
“The scope of work within the precast and rebar industry
is limitless for us,” said Johnson. “We strive to be the best at
everything we do for all our customers in and around the
North Star and North Slope Region.”
Rachael Kvapil is a writer and photographer who lives in
Fairbanks, Alaska.
Fairbanks Precast and Rebar frequently produces painted barriers for contractors, military facilities and other Interior companies.
48 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photos: Courtesy oF FairbaNks preCast & rebar

In In times times of
of
disaster
disaster
JEREMY ZI D E K
Public Information Offi cer,
Division of Homeland Security
and Emergency Management
It’s just a matter of time …
The importance of time is obvious during and immediately following a disaster, when
life, health and safety issues are paramount and speed is of the essence. Time is also
the common element in preparing for, mitigating against, responding to and recovering
from disasters.
Some disasters are “no notice” events, with little time for last-minute preparation. Earthquakes,
avalanches, locally generated tsunamis and volcanic eruptions may occur at any time.
Other events are seasonal and therefore somewhat more predictable. The effects of fall sea
storms, extreme cold weather events, spring fl oods from ice jams and summer wildfi res vary
by year, condition and location. For both types of events, the best preparation is advance work,
for once an event occurs, preparation ends and response begins. The effectiveness of disaster
response and recovery relates directly to time invested in planning and preparation.
50 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

Assault on Crooked Creek – Ballistic ice slammed into
the Kuskokwim River village of Crooked Creek during
this spring’s river break up. The massive blocks of
river ice, raised by high floodwaters, destroyed homes,
public buildings and other critical infrastructure.
photo: Courtesy oF Dhs&eM
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 51

Alaska’s Division of Homeland
Security and Emergency Management
(DHS&EM) provides critical services
to protect lives and property from all
hazards and provides rapid recovery from
natural and other disasters. Preparedness,
response and recovery are the
cornerstones of DHS&EM’s mission.
It’s just a matter of using time …
to plan and prepare
Preparing for a disaster begins long
before a community is affected in a
continuous preparedness cycle in which
partners plan, equip, train, exercise and
evaluate to ensure an effective disaster
response and recovery.
Ideally, planning occurs at all levels:
local, regional, state government;
private and nonprofit entities; as well as
individuals and families. Since disasters
happen locally, local planning is essential.
When community leaders, first
responders, schools, utilities, health care
providers and other critical personnel
plan together, the plans are more
effective and the process itself creates
working partnerships essential during
an actual response. Emergency operations,
evacuation, hazard mitigation and
other plans establish roles, responsibilities
and processes by which a community
gathers incident information, calls
residents to action, assigns response
duties, establishes priorities and calls
upon resources. Unalaska used their
evacuation plan to successfully evacuate
their entire community on June 23, 2011,
after a previously installed siren signaled
a potential tsunami.
During the planning process, entities
identify their existing capabilities and
gaps in planning, trained and exercised
personnel, essential equipment and
other resources. DHS&EM provides
52 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

state and federal funding and technical
assistance for emergency warning
systems, communications and other
essential equipment; planning; training;
and exercises. DHS&EM vulnerability
assessments identify opportunities to
strengthen critical infrastructure and
key resources. Mitigation projects that
derive from the planning process reduce
the likelihood of future damages based
on known risks.
Training at all levels ensures
expertise and experience. “Training
an individual to use a single piece of
equipment or one plan is fairly straightforward,”
said John Madden, director
DHS&EM. “Ensuring many people
from different fields and agencies work
in unison requires prior collaboration.
When this occurs, we achieve a timely
and orchestrated effort to address the
needs of those affected by disaster.”
It’s just a matter of time …
until the ‘next big one’
Exercises put plans, equipment and
training to the test. An exercise can be
a simple guided discussion at the local
level, a drill that tests a few organizations’
ability to address a limited situ-
ation or a full-scale event that brings
together multiple partners in various
venues. Statewide Alaska Shield exercises
occur every two years. The next
statewide exercise, in February 2012,
will test response capabilities in cold
weather. The state has already begun
planning for a catastrophic earthquake
scenario for Alaska Shield 2014,
the 50 th anniversary of the 1964 Good
Friday earthquake.
“If we wait until a disaster to develop
skills, relationships and expertise, we
have failed,” Madden said. “We must
prepare when the sun is shining, with
time with time to think things through
and build experience free from the
emotion and confusion of an event.”
It’s just a matter of minimizing
time … to respond effectively
Communities, particularly larger
communities with more resources,
manage incidents, including fires, floods,
storms and other events with limited
size and effect locally, with or without
a local disaster declaration. Jurisdictions
can request assistance through joint
predeveloped mutual aid agreements,
as with the Tri-Borough Agreement
among the Municipality of Anchorage,
the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and
the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
Communities may request assistance
through the State Emergency
Coordination Center (SECC), led by
DHS&EM. The SECC responds on
average to 36 incidents annually, with
more than 225 state and federally
declared disasters in its history. SECC
staff members provide telephonic or
in-person assistance, or coordinate
emergency response by state agencies
and other entities. A governor’s
state disaster declaration may follow
a local disaster declaration, when local
capacity for response and recovery
is exceeded. The state, in turn, may
request a presidential federal disaster
declaration. However, none of those
formal actions is required to address
immediate life, health and safety
needs. DHS&EM has the authority to
call upon state resources and assets
to address the immediate emergency
needs of a community.
The SECC becomes a hub of activity
during a major event. The Department
of Public Safety, Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities,
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 53

Fully Activated SECC. Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management personnel and multi-agency response partners staff the State
Emergency Coordination Center during the Alaska Shield-Vigilant Guard-Arctic Edge exercise. The exercise tested multiple plans, communications and
response equipment, and emergency operations training.
Department of Environmental Conservation
and Department of Health and
Social Services liaisons fill key operational
roles and provide critical information,
while field personnel work in
the affected areas. (Each agency also
becomes the lead for their specialty
areas.) DHS&EM calls upon numerous
nonprofit disaster support organizations,
volunteer agencies and others
as necessary to support response and
recovery.
“Positioning key response organizations
in the SECC allows us to
gather a comprehensive picture of
a developing incident and provide
timely assistance,” said Bryan Fisher,
DHS&EM Operations Chief and
SECC Incident Commander. “Each has
a unique role and expertise.”
Decisions to evacuate, establish
shelters, distribute emergency supplies
and numerous other decisions are local.
“DHS&EM works closely with local
leaders as needed, but they have the
responsibility and specific expertise to
make critical decisions,” Fisher said.
It’s just a matter of time …
until winter
Little time passes before recovery.
Once immediate life safety needs are
met, recovery begins. When damages
are severe, governmental assistance
becomes critical to a community’s
recovery. Unlike most states, Alaska
has state programs to support recovery
in the absence of a federal disaster
declaration. A governor’s disaster
declaration activates the state’s Public
Assistance and Individual Assistance
programs, managed by DHS&EM.
The state’s Public Assistance
Program is designed to help local, tribal
and state governmental entities, and
eligible private nonprofit organizations
restore infrastructure damaged by the
declared disaster to predisaster conditions.
The state’s Individual Assistance
Program provides timely assistance to
individuals or families to meet eligible
disaster-related necessary expenses and
serious unmet needs. The state provides
funding, technical assistance and grant
management to eligible applicants, who
complete their funded public assistance
projects or replace items damaged or
destroyed in the disaster.
“This spring the village of
Crooked Creek experienced an ice
jam flood which destroyed 14 homes
and damaged additional structures.
Knowing that a rebuild of these
homes would require a significant
recovery effort, we laid the recovery
ground work while the response effort
was still under way,” Madden said.
“DHS&EM and our partners developed
a comprehensive plan that puts
people in adequate housing before
winter arrives. Building many homes
from start to finish is never an easy
task; building on a tight time frame in
rural Alaska is a tremendous challenge
DHS&EM readily embraces.”
54 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photo: larry DixoN, keNtuCky eMergeNCy MaNageMeNt

In a state disaster with no federal
declaration, DHS&EM coordinates
local input, local work to secure and
prepare new building sites, individual
grant awards, funds available for rental
assistance, state resources and technical
assistance, partner agency resources,
volunteer agency funding and direct
support, donations and any other available
resources. DHS&EM convened the
Disaster Housing Task Force (DHTF) to
coordinate the current Crooked Creek
rebuild and to facilitate local, volunteer,
state and private partner collaboration.
The DHTF designs, procures funds,
manufactures, assembles and delivers
the materials required to complete
homes during the short construction
season known to all Alaskans. Volunteers
from Samaritan’s Purse and Christian
Reformed World Relief Committee
will construct the homes once materials
arrive. Expensive air travel, unpredictable
barge travel due to low water and
vast distances between supply centers
and Crooked Creek make efficient
logistics a necessity.
Alaska’s large geographic area,
sparse population and wide range of
threats and hazards create unique challenges.
In 2009, the state responded to
four simultaneous events – flu, flood,
fire and fallout: the H1N1 pandemic,
the historic Yukon/Kuskokwim ice jam
flooding which affected 40 communities,
the Mile 17 East End Road Fire near
Homer and the Mount Redoubt eruption,
which threatened the Drift River
oil loading terminal. Low visibility from
the fire grounded planes, and materials
had to be moved by small boats so
volunteers could continue construction.
Coordination and problem-solving in
a nationally recognized local-volunteer-state-federal
partnership ensured
homes were rebuilt in 106 days in four
communities, including 25 percent of
homes in Eagle, prior to winter’s onset.
DHS&EM and all its partners take
time as part of each planning session,
training, exer cise, equipment installation,
mitigation project and real-world
event to evaluate and improve readiness
for the next event. No one knows
when the next event will occur, and we
must all be part of a Ready Alaska. For
information on simple steps you can
take to prepare yourself, your family
and your organization for disasters,
visit www.ready.alaska.gov.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 55

MEMBER PROFILE
SEWARD BUILDING
SUPPLY INC. By Ba M B i Ch i l d s
Diverse opportunities
for unique entrepreneurs
Nestled in the foothills of the Chugach
National Forest, the waterfront town
of Seward is a unique place fi lled with
familiar faces and many people who have
known each other for a lifetime. In 1972, Seward
Building Supply Inc. was started by Don and Joyce
Simpson, people who were interested in bringing
something new and useful to the small, quiet
Alaska town. They operated the company as a
building supply distributor and sold merchandise
to fi t construction, domestic and building needs.
In 1984, ownership of Seward Building Supply
changed into the hands of the Simpsons’ daughter
and son-in-law, Jean and Blaine Bardarson. The
savvy and creative pair have been childhood friends,
high school sweethearts and successful business
partners for more than 30 years.
The building supply part of the company was
sold to Spenard Builders Supply in 1997, which has
allowed the duo to create a multitude of ventures
under the company umbrella while keeping the
original name, Seward Building Supply Inc.
“With businesses always changing and evolving,
trying new things is the only way to get rid of dead
weight,” Blaine Bardarson, CEO/general manager
of Seward Building Supply said.
“Living in a town as unique as
Seward, you can’t just have your
hand in one thing. One has to pay
attention to the trends. Be able to
predict people’s needs and the
changes in the market. Be proactive
and reactive.”
For example, to meet the needs
of companies looking to provide
affordable, comfortable and
temporary housing for seasonal
employees, the owners of Seward Building Supply
began to convert steel containers into warm, ventilated,
dorm-style bunkhouses that are compliant
with state and local building codes.
Seasonal Bunkhouse Solutions offers temporary living quarters in re-purposed
Conex containers and are stackable to reduce footprint during the off-season.
56 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photos: Courtesy oF se w a r D builDiNg supply iNC.

Jean and Blaine Bardarson owners of Seward
Building Supply Inc.
Operating under the name Seasonal
Bunkhouse Solutions, the company
offers living quarters that can safely
house six people per unit. The steel
construction allows these containers
to withstand harsh elements, and the
locking steel doors provide safety and
security. All units include smoke and
carbon monoxide detectors, ample
lighting, and are temperature controlled.
And when not in use, these temporary
housing units can be moved and stacked
away in storage, allowing employers to
avoid permanently tying up the land. This
year 150 employees are being housed
in Seward, and in 2012 that number is
projected to rise to 225. Seasonal Bunkhouse
Solutions is looking into the
opportunity to provide housing in Bristol
Bay, Kodiak and Homer.
Seward Building Supply and partners
also saw an opportunity to economically
thrive on boat storage and maintenance
needs prompted by the community’s
access to prime fishing and boating
locales such as Resurrection Bay. Seward
Boat Storage and Raibow Fiberglass
were created to offer winter storage and
blocking, blister repair, wood restoration,
polishing, mechanical repair and more.
The fully licensed and insured company
allows people to maintain their vessels
and enjoy them in the same location.
And knowing Alaska to be a top
travel destination, the Bardarsons saw a
chance to share what they know about
The Last Frontier. Bardy’s Trail Rides
was created to provide educational and
relaxing horse pack trips, overnight or
daily, along Resurrection Trail and into
Chugach National Forest. The horses
are appropriate for all skill levels, and all
riders start the journey in the old town
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 57

of Seward seeing beautiful wildflowers and maybe even
wildlife along the way. The overnight journey will follow
along Resurrection Trail to cabins that were originally built
in the ‘20s, where guests spend the night in these restored
dwellings. If visitors have only a day, they have the option of
taking one of two daily pack trips. These daily adventures last
approximately two hours and in April 2010, Bardy’s daily Trail
Rides ranked among The Top 10 Trail Rides in the country by
USA Today.
The Bardarsons, who joined AGC in the ‘80s, find that
through AGC membership some of their needs as small business
owners can be met. In particular the Bardarsons, being
the only two full-time employees of the company, appreciate
and use the health services that the association provides.
“With insurance being a big issue these days it works out
well for our particular situation,” said Blaine Bardarson. And
they also value other AGC members as potential customers.
Blaine Bardarson, in addition to all of his other endeavors,
is a ramp agent for the port in Seward. He also operates
American Viking Lines with TOTE/Horizon and is an agent
who provides storage containers for multiple purposes to
local fish processing plants.
Jean Bardarson, co-owner of Seward Building Supply
finds that family, diversity and being busy are just a few of
the things that satisfy her day to day. “Satisfaction is knowing
that things get done. I work better while being busy because
it seems I can get more tasks completed. With that I am able
Bardy’s Trail Rides ranked among The Top 10 Trail Rides in the country by USA Today in 2010.
Each bunkhouse contains three two-person dorm-style rooms.
to look back and feel a sense of accomplishment,” she said.
She not only shares the responsibilities of maintaining the
family businesses with her husband but she is also a dental
hygienist and the vice-mayor of Seward.
“The ability to be creative and not always going with the
status quo has been the key to success for the Bardarsons,”
said Lori Draper, Wells Fargo district manager, former banker
for Seward Building Supply and family friend. “With one
58 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photos: Courtesy oF se w a r D builDiNg supply iNC.

Each bunkhouse meets uniform building and
fi re codes as well as square footage and headroom
requirements.
being the internal optimist and the other
taking the more grounded approach,
they are able to complement each other
and form a very balanced partnership.”
Noticing a problem or unmet need
and fi nding a solution is the goal of
Seward Building Supply. “The mission
of our company is to seek out all opportunities
and act on them with a simple
rule: Say what you’re going to do and do
what you said,” Blaine Bardarson said.
Bambi Childs is a writer who lives in
Anchorage, Alaska.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 59

BEACON WORKSAFE
Drug testing measures
starting to pay off?
With the increased acceptance
of drug testing in the
workplace, many donors
have tried to “beat” a drug test by using
a variety of products. These products
range from solutions for the donors
to drink to adding compounds to their
urine specimens after they have voided
to substituting the specimen with other
fl uids or even obtaining negative urine
from friends or vendors. Many of these
products attempt to affect the initial
screen in hopes that it will produce a
negative result, while other products
interfere with the confi rmation test in
hopes that a legally defendable result
will not be obtained.
Knowing that these products are
available and are being used by many in
the workforce has employers concerned
with whether their employees are truly
drug-free or if they have just “beat” a
test. I was recently monitoring one of
the popular Internet chat sites for drug
users, and I found a conversation that
I found interesting. A female worker
was asking if anyone could tell her
what product to use to help her pass
an upcoming drug test that she had
convinced her boss to allow her to
retake. She explained that her fi rst test
was positive and her boss believed her
story that the lab made a mistake. She
indicated that she had quit smoking
pot three weeks previous to her test
and was hoping that enough time
had elapsed to allow her to test negative.
To make things worse, she had
recently found out that she was pregnant,
making it even more imperative
that she keep her job. She sounded
desperate, almost begging for someone
to help her. The conversation that
ensued between her and another drug
user basically concluded by the drug
user assuring her that she would pass
her test if she used a certain synthetic
urine product. This drug user was so
sure that no testing technology existed
that would detect synthetic urine as
long as it was used correctly.
After reading this, it made me
aware of how confi dent drug users
are becoming with synthetic urine
and how arrogant they can be about
beating the system.
Now for some good news —
Congress recently introduced the “The
Drug Testing Integrity Act of 2011, HR
707” which states:
The Drug Testing
Integrity Act of 2011, HR 707
The Act prohibits the manufacture,
marketing, sale, or shipment in interstate
commerce of products designed
to assist in defrauding a drug test.
BAN OF PRODUCTS DESIGNED
TO DEFRAUD DRUG TESTS.
(a) Conduct Prohibited - It shall be
unlawful to knowingly manufacture,
market, sell, ship, or otherwise
provide to another individual any
product with the intent to assist
such other individual to use such
product to defraud a drug test.
(b) Defi nition - As used in this Act, the
term ‘defraud a drug test’ means —
(1) submit a substance that purports
to be from an individual other
than its actual source, or purports
to have been excreted or collected
other than when it was actually
excreted or collected; or
BY DO N BISBY
Beacon OHSS Drug and Alcohol
Compliance Consultant
(2) engage in any other conduct with
the intent to produce a false or
misleading outcome of a test for the
presence of a controlled substance.
In recent years, other actions have
also been implemented by the federal
government to try to reduce the
number of employees using “cheating
products.”
One of the changes occurred on
June 25, 2008, when the Department of
Transportation (DOT) published a fi nal
rule amending 49 CFR Part 40 to make
specimen validity testing mandatory.
Specimen validity testing is the evaluation
of the specimen to determine if
it is consistent with normal human
urine. The purpose of validity testing is
to determine whether certain adulterants
or foreign substances were added
to the urine, if the urine was diluted or
if the specimen was substituted.
According to Dave Michaelson, Certifying
Scientist at Pathology Associates
Medical Laboratory (PAML), the
National Laboratory Certifi cation
Program has taken a strong and active
role in specimen validity testing. Each
laboratory must determine whether
a donor has submitted a valid specimen
with the following qualifi ers:
Adulterated: The specimen either
contains a substance that is not a
normal constituent of human urine or
contains an endogenous substance at
a concentration that is not a normal
physiological concentration.
Substituted: Test results document
that the specimen does not exhibit the
characteristics of normal human urine
(i.e., it could not have been provided by
the donor).
60 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

Dilute: Specific gravity and creatinine
values are below the lower limits for
normal human urine, as established
by the program. Donors may deliberately
dilute specimens by consuming
large amounts of water or other liquid
or by adding liquid to their urine
specimens.
Laboratories are conducting
validity testing on every specimen
tested. Michaelson says, “With the
current amount of products available,
and the new ones hitting the shelves
each week, laboratories are working
hard to identify each donor as they try
to beat their drug test.
I am glad to report that the determination
and persistence that is shown
by some of the laboratories in finding
ways to detect synthetic urine is starting
to pay off as more and more users are
getting caught using synthetic urine.
Michaelson reported that with the
validity testing that is currently being
conducted, employers are receiving test
results that are reported as “Invalid,”
instructing employers to “re-collect
under direct observation,” due to the
urine characteristics not being consis-
tent with human urine. Validity testing
is eventually catching those employees
who are using synthetic urine, and
it is causing a great concern among
“cheaters.”
In addition to validity testing, the
Department of Transportation, on
Oct. 1, 2010, also made the following
changes to its drug testing rules:
In addition to lowering the
cutoff levels for amphetamines
and cocaine, the U.S. Department
of Transportation (DOT) joined
the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (DHHS)
to require urine testing for the
heroin marker, 6-acetylmorphine,
or 6-AM specifically.
Dr. Barry Sample, Director of Science
and Technology for Quest Diagnostics
Employer Solutions, said that “the
newly mandated testing process for
the heroin marker 6-acetylmorphine,
or 6-AM, revealed a nearly 20 percent
jump in positive results in 2010.”
I feel good about the changes that
have been made and are occurring in
the drug testing industry and which
are significantly reducing the number
of people who are cheating on their
drug tests. Anyone who would like
to support HR 707, “The Drug Testing
Integrity Act of 2011,” can write to their
congressman asking that they vote to
pass this act into law.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 61

By Jo d y El l i s-Kn a p p
Earthquakes in Alaska are always
a major cause for concern and
are a big consideration when it
comes to disaster preparedness. But
for towns that sit on Alaska’s coastline
that concern increases dramatically
with the added danger of a tsunami.
Devastation by tsunami is an unfortunate
part of Alaska’s history, the most
memorable being the tsunami that
Alaska communities
prepare for tsunamis
New sirens signal improvements to warning systems
struck Alaska’s coast with the 1964
earthquake. The 1964 Alaska tsunami
killed 119 people and caused almost
$400 million in damage to Alaska
communities.
Today’s technology is designed to
help prevent such a loss from occurring
again. The NOAA West Coast
and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
in Palmer literally has its finger on
the pulse of Alaska’s coastal areas.
According to director Paul Whitmore,
who has been at the center for 25
years, staff members are always developing
new procedures and processes
to improve the function of the warning
center. “Our responsibility is all of
North America, Puerto Rico and the
Virgin Islands,” he said. “We bring in
data from networks all over the world,
photo: Courtesy oF paul wh i tM o r e, Noaa, west Coast aND alaska ts u N a M i warNiNg CeNter
62 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

Warning siren in the city of Valdez.
both seismic and sea-level data that is
analyzed and used to make forecasts.”
Whitmore said that warning sirens
in Alaska communities are installed
through state grants and are operated by
local communities. The warning center
issues guidance when there is danger.
“We’ve improved our warning systems
quite a bit,” he said. “When the Japan
tsunami occurred, we were able to get
the right level of alerts to many different
regions. We can issue warnings to
evacuate or just warnings about strong
currents that do not require evacuation.”
Several towns in Alaska have received
new, upgraded warning systems in the
past few years, including Seward and
Valdez. Both communities were hit
hard by the 1964 earthquake, forever
changing the attitudes of those living
there and making tsunami preparedness
a top priority.
David Squires, chief of the Seward
Volunteer Fire Department, said that
warning sirens installed five to six years
ago replaced the civil defense sirens that
had been the town’s warning system
since the 1980s. “It was a borough-wide
decision to have the new units installed,”
he said. “The sirens we had were older,
and we needed new technology.”
The sirens are controlled via an
Internet link and are all connected on
the peninsula. They are tested weekly
and maintained by the borough. The city
of Seward does checks and points out
any problems, and the computer software
that triggers the sirens includes a
photo: Courtesy oF Mark s. taNs, iNtegrateD NotiFiCatioN sy s t e M s, llC
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 63

Graph showing the placement of warning sirens in Valdez.
64 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
graphiC : Courtesy oF george keeNey, eMergeNCy MaNager, City oF valDeZ

self-diagnostic check to verify that the
sirens are operating properly.
When asked about any potential
problems with the sirens, Squires said,
“These sirens do not always penetrate
houses. If you are inside watching
television, you may not hear them.
We’ve also had some problems with
these sirens being activated in areas
we do not need to notify, something
that is going to be modified. The Kenai
Peninsula will be going back to local
control, with dispatch centers being
responsible for siren activation.”
In Valdez, there were originally
two old sirens that could give off two
different signals. Replacing these with
the new warning systems means that
the city can now broadcast messages
in combination with the sirens. George
Keeney, fire chief and emergency
manager of Valdez, said that the city
now has warning units throughout the
community. “We worked with a team
from Federal Signal, from whom we
purchased the units, and our contractor,
Integrated Notification Systems, to
calculate the best locations to cover the
greatest population,” Keeney said. “We
worked at covering even the farthest
NOAA operates two tsunami warning centers in the United States: the West Coast/Alaska
Tsunami Warning Center and the Richard H. Hagemeyer Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The
West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center area-of-responsibility consists of Canadian coastal
regions, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the ocean coasts of all U.S. states except Hawaii.
subdivision to bring them into our
notification realm. Each station can be
individually activated for broadcast in a
single section of the community.”
Keeney explained that when there
is an incident, dispatchers can activate
the entire system or just an individual
section of the community. In a major
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 65
photo: Courtesy oF paul wh i tM o r e, Noaa, west Coast aND alaska ts u N a M i warNiNg CeNter

earthquake, a dispatcher is authorized
to hit the “all call” warning button. “With
our Port of Valdez we are susceptible
to locally generated tsunamis,” he said.
“We rely on the dispatcher to activate
the system immediately. They are told if
shaking goes on for over 20 seconds and
is enough to move items at the station,
hit the button. We have residents in the
harbor and other low-lying areas that
need time to get to higher ground. We
do not tie into a state system due to our
location and the mere size of Alaska. We
rely on our city manager, police, mayor
and fire chief to activate the system
when disaster warrants.”
The Valdez system is designed to
continuously check itself. City maintenance
teams also do monthly checks on
the units, and a contractor is hired annually
to evaluate and maintain components
of the system.
Paul Merkouris is the manufacturer’s
representative for various communication
and public safety products in Alaska.
He has worked on behalf of Federal
Signal Corp. on the installation of the
new signals. “I worked closely with Fire
Chief Keeney to investigate and look
at potential sites for the distribution of
our Federal Signal Modulator sirens to
provide both digital (voice) and siren
tones that could be activated by city
personnel,” Merkouris said “We looked
at sites that would give the best coverage
of voice and tones to adequately warn
the city of impending disaster.”
The new warning system can also be
used for events such as power outages,
informing residents when power might
be restored. It could also alert residents if
a hazardous chemical had been released,
telling them where to go for shelter.
Keeney said this lets the city quickly
notify residents of any incidents and
potential disasters, with capabilities that
far exceed the old sirens that sat atop the
police department and fire department.
“By teaching the public what the system
does and when to listen to local radio
stations for broadcasts, we can really
reach out and inform them,” Keeney said.
“We can do so much more with them,
and they are much more functional than
what we had before. We don’t even like
to call the new warning system sirens;
they are more than that.”
Jody Ellis-Knapp is a writer who lives in
Anchorage, Alaska.
66 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

ADOT&PF emergency procurements
CO N T R A C T O R S P R O V I D E R E S O U R C E S F O R D I S A S T E R R E S P O N S E
By Ma R K o’BR i E n, Ch i E F Co n t R a C t s oFFiCER
When disaster strikes Alaska, the
State Emergency Coordination
Center is tasked to lead the
response. The SECC gathers, processes
and reports emergency situation intelligence
to aid in state policy and decision
making; supports local communities as
they direct and control disaster emergency
response operations; and accounts for the
state’s response costs.
When the SECC is activated, agencies
come together to process information and
start recovery and repair procurements.
Several agencies may initiate procurements
and repair contracts for municipal-owned
or privately owned facilities contracts,
temporary accommodations and services.
The Alaska Department of Transportation
and Public Facilities follows
procedures in the Incident Field Operations
Guide when responding to incidents
affecting roads, highways, airports
and state facilities. When supplemental
resources are required, the ADOT&PF
scopes out the extent of immediate work
for emergency repairs. These are the
repairs needed during, and immediately
following, a disaster to restore essential
traffi c, minimize the extent of damage or
protect remaining facilities.
The ADOT&PF has “term contracts” in
place for various aspects of maintenance
and repair services throughout the state.
These contracts may be for heavy equipment,
guardrail items, providing road
surface material, for crack and surface
repairs, as well as many other items. If
established term contracts include in the
scope some emergency repair and maintenance
activities required, then work
orders/notice-to-proceed may be initiated
under those established contracts for
emergency repairs.
If extensive damage repairs require
capabilities beyond existing term
contracts, the ADOT&PF will assemble
scoping and specifi cations for soliciting
quotes. The ADOT&PF operates within
uniform procurement procedures defi ned
by the State Procurement Code, Alaska
Administrative Code and department policies
and procedures for emergency (alternate)
procurements.
Under emergency conditions there
often exists an immediate threat to
public health, welfare or safety which
makes procurement through competitive
sealed bidding impracticable or contrary
to public interest. Under these circumstances,
emergency procurements may
be made. Those supplies or professional
services required to relieve the emergency
situation may be procured with an
emergency procurement and “shall be
made with competition that is practicable
under the circumstances.” Generally, if
time permits, this means the department
will solicit quotes. In some situations
there is not suffi cient time to request
quotes and a single contractor may be
selected to mobilize immediately.
Once the immediate emergency has
passed, normal competitive procedures
are used for contracting. However,
contracts may fall under a waiver of
standard advertising period allowing for
three to 14 days advertisement. In these
cases, the ADOT&PF posts a notice in
the Online Public Notice system that a
bid package is forthcoming. To subscribe
to updates through the OPN system,
visit http://notes3.state.ak.us/pn or, if
you have a smart phone, you can scan
the following code to take you to the
website.
For construction-related contracts, all
contractors must have an Alaska business
license, appropriate contractor registration,
insurance, bonds, a Notice of Work
and pay applicable fees to the Alaska
Department of Labor and Workforce
Development, regardless of the contract
dollar amount. State and federal prevailing
wage rates may apply.
In facing natural disasters, the
ADOT&PF relies on the pool of Alaska
contractors to provide resources to repair
our roads, runways and facilities.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 67

MEMBER PROFILE
CONCRETE CUTTERS By tR a C y Ka ly t i a K
Fairbanks couple carves out
new life, business together
Just about every building in Fairbanks with
window, door or other holes drilled through
concrete has involved the expertise and toil of
Concrete Cutters.
“It seems we’ve changed the landscape of Fairbanks,”
said Denise Taylor, who co-owns Fairbanksbased
Concrete Cutters with her husband, Jim
“We’ve cut just everything — the hospitals, Eielson,
Wainwright, the university. You’d be hard-pressed to
go down the street and not fi nd someplace we cut.”
Construction has been a part of Jim Taylor’s life
since he was a boy. His father worked in construction
but died after falling from a building when Jim
was 11.
Jim worked two jobs while growing up to
help support his mother, who had fi ve children.
Although Jim worked in construction, it wasn’t his
fi rst career choice.
“He wanted to be a doctor,” Denise said. “He
was putting his sisters through college and couldn’t
afford the tuition required for medical school,
so he compromised and got a degree in medical
lab technology. But, you’re just a hand behind a
slot in the door. It was very impersonal, and Jim’s
a very outgoing person. It wasn’t what he was
anticipating.”
So Jim returned to construction and found work
in Washington. “It paid the bills,” Denise said. “It
was a stepping stone, one after another.”
Denise met her husband while they were
working for Columbia Basin Cubers, a business
that compressed fresh-cut hay into cubes to be sent
overseas for dairy cows to eat. They married 5 1/2
years after their fi rst date in 1977. Denise worked
as an escrow offi cer for a title company before the
couple launched Concrete Cutters. They now have
a daughter and two sons.
Jim fi rst started concrete coring in October 1984
after the owner of a local concrete-coring business
talked to him on a worksite, offered him a job and
sent him to Washington to learn to cut concrete.
When that company went out of business, Jim and
Denise started their own enterprise.
“Concrete cutting is concrete cutting,” she said.
“It’s pretty cut and dried with concrete cutting —
either the hole is there, or it’s not.”
Jim and Denise Taylor, co-owners of Concrete Cutters.
The couple started with one core drill and one
hand saw.
“That was tough,” she said. “I quit my job and
was doing the books. We would start at 7 in the
morning, fi nish at one job at 3 in the afternoon,
and the next job we’d fi nish at 2 in the morning.
I’d throw clothes in the washer and dryer and we’d
start again at 7 in the morning. That was brutal. All
the hours we were working, we waited 15 years
before having kids. My mom gave up on us. All the
baby blankets she had made and set aside, she gave
them all away.”
About fi ve years after starting the company, the
Taylors hired coworkers. Concrete Cutters currently
has eight employees. Six of those cut concrete,
while Jim supervises and Denise runs the offi ce.
The business is primarily a seasonal employer.
“We cut with water, which limits the exterior
construction we can do in the winter,” she said.
Denise says she thinks the biggest thing that
has changed in the business over the years has
been the paperwork.
“We’ve seen a phenomenal increase over
the years in what’s required by everybody — not
with homeowners but by government jobs,” she
said. “There are insurance requirements, certifi ed
payroll, reports, drug policies, EEOs. It’s insane
how much the paperwork has increased. It’s one of
those things, especially since some of it is required
68 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photo: Courtesy oF CoNCrete Cutters

efore you start up on the job. It’s just
a requirement of the job.”
Concrete Cutters joined Associated
General Contractors of Alaska on July
23, 1993. The most important benefit
Denise has seen is access to AGC’s
plans room and, through that, access
to everything that is bidding in the
state that’s not private.
“I use it a lot more online than in
their office,” Denise said. “That makes
it convenient. Going through the
drawings … I don’t have to spend as
much time in their office, so I spend
more time in mine.”
The member services are also key,
she said.
“Having our name associated with
AGC, being in the member directory
— it’s just one more form of advertising
having our name up there.”
One of the more unusual jobs
Concrete Cutters took on was removing
the face and walls of the University of
Alaska Fairbanks’s Rasmuson Library,
which was being remodeled by
Ghemm Co. Inc.
“It was just really comical,” Denise
said. “All these suits showed up, all
these professors wearing suits and
hardhats. Boys and their toys; it doesn’t
matter how old the boy, they love to
demolish or watch something being
demolished.”
A challenging job involved the
Wescott Pool.
“We used a deep-cut slab saw for
that,” Denise said. “This particular
job had exceptionally thick concrete
around the pool, 24 to 28 inches thick.
They were installing a new mechanical
system 20 to 30 inches deep and
needed a saw that could go down that
deep. In addition, a large volume of
concrete had to be removed to install
new footings for the new water slides
that were installed.”
Kevin O’Hara of Watterson
Construction has been working with
Concrete Cutters since the early 1990s.
“A remodel on the Fire Station at
Clear AFB, that was my first experience
with them,” O’Hara said. “We
had some block walls we had to have
cut and removed, cut and demo on
several doorways, part of a foundation
that needed to be taken out,
plus the usual coring for plumbing
and electrical piping. We did a dorm
down there the following year that
was a lot more involved. They’re
always responsive and real friendly;
they keep on top of it and are neat,
for concrete cutters. It’s not the most
glorifying job in the world.
“They’re good to work with, always
there when you need them, even when
you pull the ‘typical contractor’ on them
and tell them, ‘I needed it yesterday; if
I needed it tomorrow I would call you
tomorrow.’”
Concrete Cutters has also helped
remodel some large barracks at Eielson
Air Force Base.
“There was a lot of poured concrete
walls between rooms, plumbing and
heating lines, cutting floors for ductwork,”
O’Hara said. “Anything from
concrete to asphalt, those guys do
a little bit of everything. Anything
harder than wood to cut, we give
them a call.”
Tracy Kalytiak is a writer who lives
near Palmer, Alaska.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 69

photos: © keN grahaM photography.CoM
Project
Update
Scientifi c Crime Detection Laboratory
New facility to help analysts tackle State’s backlog of evidence
An open stairway is a focal point in the entryway of the
new state Scientifi c Crime Detection Laboratory being built
in Anchorage. This photo was taken in May. The $87.5
million facility is set to be complete in June 2012.
70 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

By Ri n d i Wh i t E
How many construction projects
in Alaska require installation of dense
impact-resistant steel and Kevlarreinforced
rubber to prevent a stray
bullet from escaping? Or fume hoods
strong enough to allow law enforcement
officers to safely make methamphetamine
so they can understand
what to look for when investigating
drug crimes?
Building a scientific crime detection
lab is not something Alaska
contractors are asked to do frequently.
The facility includes a lot of laboratory
space and houses a sophisticated air
system that ensures both the safety of
lab analysts and the integrity of crime
scene evidence. It’s not something
every contractor is qualified to do.
But Neeser Construction Inc., which
built the state Public Health Lab and
Medical Examiner’s Facility in 2001, is
familiar with the demands that accompany
creating such strictly controlled
environments.
“It’s a real fun building to build,”
said Sam Adams, senior superintendent
at Neeser Construction and field
located project manager of the $87.5
million state crime lab project. “It’s
a complicated building, and coordinating
all the systems to work together
is a challenge.”
Work continues on the exterior of the new state
Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory off Tudor
Road in Anchorage in this May photo. The 86,000
square-foot building will replace the existing crime
lab, which public safety officials say is too small to
meet the current forensic needs of the state.
photos: © keN grahaM photography.CoM
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 71

Neeser was selected in 2008 to build
the new Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory
near East Tudor Road in Anchorage.
The project is on schedule to open in
June 2012. The new 84,000-squarefoot
building will replace the 1986-era
19,200-square-foot scientific crime lab
located at 5500 E. Tudor Road.
Adams, in August, said the project
was nearly 60 percent complete.
Workers are landscaping and enclosing
the building so work can progress
throughout the winter.
“We’re working on interior finishes
and casework and (installing) equipment.
The flooring is scheduled to come
in another month and a half. Paving
is complete. We’re probably 50 to 60
percent done with the landscaping and
will be done in the next two weeks,”
Adams said.
While coordinating the highly efficient
mechanical systems, which take
up 20 percent of the building space,
has been a challenge, other parts of the
building have been really interesting to
build, he said.
Like the 1,225-square-foot firing
range, an 8-inch concrete walls and
ceiling coated in Kevlar-reinforced
rubber panels. The range includes a
ballistics laboratory and professional
light rails so courtroom-quality photos
can be taken easily. It’s also outfitted
with a ballistic baffle system on the walls
and ceiling to reduce noise both in the
range and to the surrounding offices.
And it has an advanced air system that
cleans the air in the range, for the safety
of the firearms analysts.
Forensic laboratory manager Orin
Dym said one neat — and needed —
feature of the firearm and tool laboratory
is ample storage space. Investigators are
often called on to fire test bullets — he
estimated firearms analysts fire about
1,000 rounds a year — but sometimes
they only have part of the weapon in
question.
“We have a reference library of
weapons to recreate (the weapon in
question),” Dym said.
The state firearms reference library
of about 1,500 weapons is currently
“horribly undersized,” Dym said.
The weapons come from forfeitures,
at no cost to the state. Although Dym
would like to add to the library, the lab
currently has no space to do so. The new
lab will have space for 10,000 reference
72 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

weapons, he said.
The firearms and toolmark lab is one of nine being built
into the new building. It will also have: a latent prints, or
fingerprint analysis, laboratory; a breath alcohol laboratory;
a blood alcohol laboratory; a controlled substances
or drug laboratory; a biological screening laboratory where
evidence is checked to see if blood or other biological
material is present; a DNA analysis laboratory; and a DNA
databasing laboratory.
The updated DNA laboratories are key features in
bringing Alaska’s forensic techniques up to date, Dym said.
DNA processing occupies more lab space than any other
section in the new building, he said, and for good reason.
Alaska has a higher rate of violent crimes than many
other states our size, Dym said. Alaska, on a per-capita
basis, has the highest rate of sexual assault and is high in
the rankings for other violent crimes. The new lab contains
a significant amount of storage space for DNA and other
biologic evidence, which a new state law says must be
retained for 50 years.
But DNA analysis takes space. Dym said analysts
currently use sign-up sheets to use the DNA laboratory
and, to maintain integrity of evidence, no more than two
analysts are allowed in the lab at once. The cramped space
means doing without robotic equipment that automates
A worker installs a pump header in a mechanical space within the new
state Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory in this May photo. About
20 percent of the square footage of the building is devoted to complex
ventilation and mechanical systems.
George
Tuckness
Neeser Construction Inc.
In these perilous economic times,
more than ever we need to think
about how to strengthen our
economy; it doesn’t take long
once you get involved in AGC to
realize that their efforts are focused
on strengthening and growing our
construction industry as a whole. As contractors many
times because of how competitive our industry is, we find it
difficult to see beyond just what prospers our own business.
I think AGC helps us come together to find ways to help
each other to provide a healthy construction economy. It is
an effective way to have a voice in Government whether it
is State or National. When you get involved in AGC you
can have your voice heard, you can see changes
with positive results. AGC of Alaska has long
been a positive factor in Alaska’s economic success.
Roger Hickel
Roger Hickel Contracting, Inc.
As a member of AGC I’m able to work on many
important issues that affect our business and be heard. I
really enjoy working with all the professionals in AGC
and many have become close friends.
Peggy Knapman
Earth Stone Inc.
As a specialty contractor the greatest value to us is the
mentorship and the ability to build relationships. The AGC
offers so many opportunities for those of us in the construction
field, access to education and training. The networking
opportunities are endless. There is no price one can put on the
value of having the support of others who have gone before you.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 73
photo: © keN grahaM photogr aphy.CoM

Workers install ductwork in the controlled
substances laboratory on the second floor of
the crime lab in a May photo.
many of the analysts’ tasks and would
speed processing. The state has had
access to grant funding to buy two
pieces of equipment for analysis but
lacks room to install them.
The larger lab space will also increase
the number of samples each analyst
can process, Dym said. That will allow
analysts to eliminate a backlog of unprocessed
DNA cases. Although employees
have worked hard for four years to bring
the evidence up to date, Dym said an
18-month backlog of DNA evidence
relating to violent crimes remains.
When those cases are processed,
Dym said analysts would tackle the
backlog of evidence relating to property
crimes cases.
“If you’re sitting with murder cases (to
process) you don’t work a burglary. Those
are worked in the gaps,” Dym said.
Getting the property crimes cases
up to date may end up lowering crime
rates, he said.
“There’s a 30 percent increase in the
success rate of solving property crimes
when you employ DNA evidence,” Dym
said. “The goal is to be working violent
crimes and property crimes all within a
30- to 45-day timeframe.”
The building is designed to accommodate
the needs of the state and
advances in forensic technology during
74 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photos: © keN grahaM photogr aphy.CoM

the next 50 years.
The new lab also contains 17,400
of “shelled-in” lab space that can be
quickly put to use if needed, Dym said.
And the labs are all movable — counters,
tables and other equipment are on
wheels instead of being bolted to the
floor. A zoned heating and ventilation
system will allow spaces to be redesigned
without having to shut the whole
building down, which is the case in the
existing lab, Dym said.
Dym said he’s been impressed with
Neeser Construction’s performance on
the project.
“This is the third lab (construction
project) I’ve been involved with, and it
is the smoothest project I’ve ever seen,”
he said. Dym worked in Arizona prior
to coming to Alaska four years ago and
was involved in two crime lab construction
projects there.
Matt Tanaka, project manager for the
state Department of Transportation and
Public Facilities, said he’s pleased with
how the project is progressing. The state
was able to save $5 million by working
with Neeser to shorten the construction
schedule and finding cost-saving methods
in how the project is carried out.
“It’s been one of the most successful
projects I’ve worked on,” Tanaka said.
“There’s been good team interaction, no
surprises. They have excellent control of
the project.”
The building is a construction
manager/general contractor approach,
in which Tanaka hired a design team
— Alaska architecture firm Livingston
Slone and national forensic science
design specialists McLaren, Wilson and
Lawrie Inc. — to design the building.
Neeser assisted in the design process to
refine the project.
“Working with the contractor during
design allows you to achieve cost
savings,” Tanaka said.
Adams said Anchorage-based
Udelhoven Oilfield Systems Services
is the mechanical contractor, General
Mechanical Inc. is installing ductwork,
Megawatt Electric LLC is wiring the
building, Siemens Building Technologies
is installing building controls and
Saxton-Bradley Inc. is providing the
casework and laboratory equipment.
Rindi White is a writer who lives in
Alaska.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 75

The The Move Move to
to
Mertarvik:
Mertarvik:
Saving Saving Newtok
Newtok
By E. Co l l E E n KE l ly
For a village with a population
comparable to the staff of a small
corporation, the geophysical turmoil
of Newtok, Alaska, has received a
large amount of attention. It was the
subject of a May 2007 New York Times
article which profi led the small village
as a victim of global warming.
Not one year later, The History
Channel spotlighted the sinking
village during its tribute to American
life in the multi-part documentary
“Tougher In Alaska.”
Now, the land of Newtok, which
translated from its native Yupik means
“rustling of grass,” hasn’t done much
“rustling” in the past several years.
Sinking? Yes. Eroding? Absolutely.
But rustling? Hardly.
The culprit for this environmental
shift has more or less been identifi ed as
climate change. Over the years, higher
temperatures are believed to have softened
the permafrost surrounding this
southwest Alaska village to the point
where the widening of a nearby river
has offi cially muscled out the villagers.
Most of Newtok’s nearly 350 residents
are traditional Yupik Eskimos
who make up the modern lineage of
the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Alaskans
known as the Qaluyaarmiut, or “dip
net people.”
The widening Ninglick River may be
forcing residents to seek a new home,
but the relocation site of Mertarvik will
not be wholly unfamiliar.
Specifi cally selected by the residents
of Newtok, Mertarvik is on
Army LCU at barge landing site.
photo: aDot&pF
Residents of the southwest Alaska village of Newtok are being forced
to relocate due to widening of the Ninglick River.
nearby Nelson Island — a mere nine
miles away from their home village.
And, if you didn’t know any better,
said Jamilia George, state co-chair
representative of the Denali Commission,
you would think you had just
arrived on the Emerald Isle instead of
Nelson Island.
With its lush green fi elds and
sweeping landscapes, the Ireland-like
Aerial view of Mertarvik which shows the fi nal product after the IRT pulled out this year.
76 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photo: JaMilia george, Mike blaCk
photo: aDot&pF

The village of Newtok is home to 350 Yupiks.
village is as rich in natural beauty as
it is in natural resources. Mertarvik,
which in English translates to “getting
water from the spring,” is situated near
a volcanically warmed spring. This
year-round freshwater source will be
a much-welcome change from the
Newtok method of obtaining water:
namely, melting ice in the winter and
pumping lake water into a water treatment
plant in the warmer months.
And, just as the water above ground
is critical to the survival and prosperity
of the Newtok people, so is what lies
beneath it: a treasure trove of basalt
and pit gravel. George said a quarry
will create a local, well-trained and
portable workforce to extract the rocky
resource and will serve as an economic
anchor for the community.
The land that makes up Mertarvik
was obtained through an exchange
between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and the Newtok Native Corp.
But building a village in the middle of
the Alaska tundra is no simple task.
Early on in the relocation process,
the Alaska Department of Transportation
provided the means by which all
other infrastructure could be built: a
barge landing. The Innovative Readiness
Training at the Pentagon, directed
by Capt. Karen Trueblood, brought the
first materials to Mertarvik and began
the process of installing a pioneer road
from the barge landing to where future
infrastructure could be built.
photo: JaMilia george, Mike blaCk
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 77

Mertarvik, which in English translates to
“getting water from the spring,” is situated near
a year-round freshwater source.
Personnel from the U.S. Marines,
Navy and Army Corps of Engineers, the
Alaska Air National Guard and a collection
of contractors have all had a hand
in coordinating the years-long relocation
effort that is still under way.
One such contractor is Cornerstone
General Contractors Inc. based
in Anchorage, which so far has been
awarded the task of constructing phase
one of a crucial piece of infrastructure to
the relocation of Newtok: the Mertarvik
Evacuation Center.
The single-story structure will stand
120 feet by 60 feet and serve as an “emergency,
pioneer-level infrastructure,”
according to the Newtok Planning Group.
In the short term, the MEC will support
construction activities throughout the
village’s relocation process, while its longterm
function will be to provide shelter
for residents in the event of flooding or
other disasters, as well as accommodation
for future village needs.
Phase one was all about setting up
a solid site: laying a foundation of piles
and installing structural subflooring, as
well as installing miscellaneous steel
decks and hand rails.
To get the materials to such a
remote location, Cornerstone enlisted
the services of Northland Service Co.,
which ships cargo and freight between
Seattle, Alaska and Hawaii.
Cornerstone project manager Mike
Selhay says the material delivery went
“quite well” considering the intricate
level of coordination required. Construc-
78 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photo: JaMilia george, Mike blaCk

IRT loader working on evacuation road with
Army LCU in the background. photo: aDot&pF
tion materials like structural steel piles,
beams, glue, trim joints, BCI trusses and
plywood sheeting all arrived by barge on
June 6. In about 60 days, phase one of
the MEC was completed in an impressive
52 days ahead of schedule.
A small but dedicated team of
two to four full-time Cornerstone
employees, including Selhay, worked
on the project from 35 percent design
through the construction management/
general contractor process all the way
to contract execution.
Even though few locals were hired in
the construction of phase one, Newtok
villagers were essential for carrying out
the project’s logistics, which often came
in the form of a guided nine-mile skiff
ride to Mertarvik. Selhay described it as a
“cohesive working relationship” between
Cornerstone and Newtok residents.
As of Sept. 6, Cornerstone is awaiting
notifi cation from the Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities to
begin pricing for 2012 work, which is
expected to begin in June 2012. Next
year’s work will consist of weathering
in the building, including installation
of the structural shell, insulation and
roofi ng.
E. Colleen Kelly is a writer who lives
in Alaska.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 79

Home, safe home
Emergency plans, generators can provide sweet relief during disasters
By Ja M i E Ro G E R s
Home is where you want to feel
safest — warm, fed, comfortable,
secure from unwanted
intrusion.
But what if an intruder into your
home security isn’t a person but something
more powerful? From winter
storms to wildfi res and fl oods to earthquakes,
natural disasters in the Last
Frontier are often a force greater than
any human threat and, in many cases,
are more dangerously unpredictable.
Being prepared for Alaska’s unique
environment and its inherent dangers
is one way to minimize the impact of
these natural disasters. And there are
many options — even during extreme
events — to keep your home, sweet
home as safe and secure as possible.
When nature goes rogue
The great outdoors is a large part
of what makes Alaska so alluring.
But as big and beautiful as nature is,
it possesses an equally large potential
for danger. From the most powerful
earthquake ever recorded in North
America in 1964 to the ice jam fl ooding
in Crooked Creek this May, the forces
of nature can be devastating to any
region, city and structure.
Though it’s nearly impossible to
prevent this magnitude of damage,
Alaskans can prepare their homes for
it, making them as safe as possible
during and after the event. The
American Red Cross of Alaska is a key
organization that is constantly educating
residents on ways to stay safe.
Kelley McGuirk, disaster preparedness
and response director for the
American Red Cross of Alaska, says
that the mere size of the Last Frontier
means there are a multitude of problems
residents could face every year.
“Due to the geography of the
state, we have areas that are affected
by coastal erosion and winter storms,”
McGuirk said. “There are also places
that are under constant watch for
fl ooding in the spring.”
In addition, earthquakes and wildfi
res threatening urban areas have the
potential to affect the most Alaskans
each year. The organization stresses
the need for people to make a disaster
plan, build a home disaster kit and get
training to be able to handle any disaster’s
aftermath.
First, Alaskans should make a plan
that includes discussing with your
household what the potential dangers
are and how each person will respond
in a team effort.
“When the plan is in place, it is also
important for the family to practice the
plan and make sure that each member
of the family knows what to do in case
of different types of emergencies,”
McGuirk said. “These plans should be
updated as children grow and family
dynamics change.”
The discussion should include
designating a place for friends and
family to regroup outside the home,
a place outside the neighborhood if
necessary and an out-of-state person to
be everyone’s emergency contact, since
long-distance communication may be
easier than local calls. Practicing your
emergency plans will make them easier
to execute during a real disaster.
Next, the American Red Cross of
Alaska recommends preparing a disaster
kit for the home. The most obvious
considerations of food, water and fi rst
aid and medicine for each member of
your family are supported by additional
suggestions of emergency tools, sanitation
supplies and clothing and bedding.
See the full list of suggested supplies
to stockpile at http://alaska.redcross.
org/Build_a_Kit.php. The American Red
Cross also sells a premade kit for those
who want everything conveniently
prepared for them.
80 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

Third, the Red Cross offers courses to
help you respond in disaster situations, an
especially vital skill set if first responders
can’t reach your home or are tending to
more immediate emergencies. Classes,
offered during the day and evening,
range from how to administer first aid, to
performing CPR on adults and children,
using a fire extinguisher properly and how
to turn gas, water and electrical utilities
off. Most classes last one to two hours, but
some may run up to five hours to provide
more in-depth information. For information
about disaster response classes,
call (907) 646-5400 or visit http://alaska.
redcross.org/Course_Schedules.php.
Keeping the heat on
when power goes out
Whether the threat to safety comes
from wind, water, air, earth or manmade
hazards, loss of electrical power in your
home isn’t just an inconvenience. It can
mean loss of basic necessities for survival.
“We recommend that everyone look
at the possibility of large scale and longterm
power utility outages. The availability
of on-site backup power, via generator
or battery, can provide a comfort level to
safeguard homes or facilities,” said Chris
Mues, vice president of Alcan Electrical &
Engineering. “Alternate heat sources are
also recommended in the event natural
gas is disrupted. Wood burning fireplaces
can be essential.”
Generators, whether portable or
stationary, run on fuel such as gasoline,
diesel, natural gas or liquefied petroleum
gas and convert mechanical energy into
electrical energy. Both bring lights and, more
importantly in the winter, electrical heating
systems back on-line in your home.
While portable generators are relatively
inexpensive, they also have a short running
time of a few hours before their fuel tanks
must be refilled. Even when hooked up to
a continuous fuel supply, portable generators
must be started manually and linked
to a home’s power loads.
Art Stemen, manager of Raven Electric
in Anchorage, said that most homes in the
Anchorage area could get by with a portable
generator hooked up to its heat source.
But residents have additional options.
“If they feel that they have more than
most portable generators can supply power
to or feel that they would like to prepare
for a long-term disaster then they should
possibly think about having a permanent
generator with automatic transfer switch
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 81

installed,” Stemen said.
Stationary generators — more
complicated to install, usually by a
qualified contractor — offer a range of
advantages. When connected a house’s
wiring system, they can be programmed
to turn on automatically, with the
lag time between utility outage and
switch-over at only 10 to 30 seconds.
Many units can recognize when regular
electric power is restored and shut off
automatically as well. In addition, most
stationary generators output more kilowatts
than their portable counterparts.
But even with generators, you still have
to plan for disasters, Stemen said.
“Most generators are very dependable,
and they all need annual servicing
to insure that they will provide power
when needed,” he said. “Diesel generators
are expensive; almost twice as
much as LP gas or natural gas ones. …
With natural gas you would have to be
concerned that in the event of a major
disaster there would be a possibility the
gas line would be shut off, rendering
the generator inoperable. LP gas is
what we install the most, utilizing a
remote LP fuel tank; these tanks vary
in sizes and portable size tanks can be
removed and refilled.”
Ultimately, it’s all about fitting the
generator to a homeowner’s specific
needs and budget, something Raven
Electric takes into careful consideration.
“These costs vary with the size of
the home and the electrical needs of the
homeowner,” Stemen said. “Most contractors
will give estimates for the installations
and make sure that the size of the
generator meets their customer’s needs
as well as the national electrical, state
and local codes. Average cost for a fully
installed system falls between $10,000
upwards to in some rare cases $20,000.”
In Alaska, being prepared and
having a backup plan for power are two
priceless ways to minimize the threat of
natural disasters. Taking steps now to
cover these concerns during a natural
disaster will make your home a safer,
more secure place to survive.
“The end goal is to provide safe
alternative power and heat sources to
protect your building from freezing and
maintain your ability to function on a
stand-alone basis,” Mues said.
Jamie Rogers is an editor for The
Alaska Contractor.
82 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

Getting back to business
Disaster preparedness will help minimize downtime
By Ma R i E lU n d s t R o M
Is your business ready for the Big Jolt
— a 7.0 or 8.0 earthquake, or even
a 9.0? What if you get fl ooded out?
What if a wildfi re, or even a local on-site
fi re, ruins equipment, records, communication?
Tornadoes and hurricanes are
uncommon in Alaska, but we do have
a bunch of potentially active volcanoes
that can make major trouble for airlines
and air-based supply lines. Big storms
can create extended power outages that
could stop your business cold. Planning
and preparing for terrorist activity or war
is not something we want to think about.
And yet, a look at the news suggests that
thinking about and planning for such
unlikely events might be a prudent move.
Every business presumably has an
emergency part in the business plan —
how to deal with a minor power outage,
deployment of key employee, fi re and
water damage, vandalism, hacker harassment,
long-term illness of key person in
the business, equipment that goes haywire
and/or gets too old to be useful — and all
the hundred and one things that can go
wrong from one day or week to the next.
You get insurance and security systems to
protect equipment, computers, records,
funds, and people — to cover the day-today
issues you can reasonably expect are
going to happen at some time.
But what about a BIG event — a
disaster? How do you prepare for that?
And more important, how do you recover
from disaster and stay in business?
The Small Business Administration
has all kinds of suggestions. Go to
the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/
node/4633 and see how the SBA can and
will help you. They are, of course, mostly
geared to helping businesses after the
fact of disaster with loans and tactics
for recovery. But they also have plenty
of ideas for planning and preparing
for disasters so you can ride out any
temporary loss of business and get back
to normal as quickly as possible. First,
though, you need to have a plan.
Make a Plan. What’s the worst-case
scenario you could face? How about an
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 83

8.0+ earthquake? We have more earthquakes
per year than the lower 49 states
combined — and we have had some
enormous ones (1899, 1964, 2002). On
average, an 8.0 or bigger has occurred in
Alaska about every 13 years since 1900.
Planning for that covers a lot of the preparation
you’d need for some other calamity
— power outage, loss of heat, loss of
water, communication difficulty, damage
to buildings and equipment, fire danger,
flood danger, injury to people — family
and employees, deaths of family members
or employees, inability to move around or
travel because of road damage or slides,
loss of supplies from Outside, tsunami
damage — all of these situations occurred
in the 1964 quake and could happen
again. Even with the Alaska Division
of Homeland Security and Emergency
Management, http://www.ak-prepared.
com available to help, you still have your
own family and business to think about.
Barebones Prep List. Earthquake
preparation for a business is similar to
the earthquake preparation you do for
your family — and actually the kind of
preparedness you’d need for most Alaskastyle
disasters — floods, fires, big storms.
Here is a minimum list, without extensive
details. You need to do the following:
A. Identify hazards and figure risks —
What in your business location(s)
could injure or kill someone in a big
quake (flood, fire, storm)?
B. Try to mitigate those hazards in
advance — Do a safety check, put
film on the inside of big windows, set
up a generator to use during power
outage, etc.
C. Make sure everyone knows what to
do during a quake — Duck, cover,
hang on. Stay away from windows. If
outside, avoid power lines, buildings,
light posts, trees, possible slide areas.
If in a mountainous area, watch out
for falling rock, slides.
D. Set up a communication and action
plan for after the quake — Know
where all your employees live, cell
phone and land line numbers (neither
may be functional), and alternatives via
radio/TV/Internet (none of which may
be functioning, except possibly radio).
What should each employee do?
E. Assemble and store emergency supplies
and a first aid kit — The Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org has a list of
what should be in a home survival
84 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

kit and a checklist for earthquakes. A
booklet, downloadable at www.aeic.
alaska.edu, covers much of what you
need to know and do to prepare.
F. Arrange for ongoing data backup for
your records — Computer records and
digitized paper records could be stored
online, but in a different, safer state.
G. Practice your plan with your employees
— Do a run-through of your plan so
your employees know you’re serious
and you want everyone to have the
mindset of being prepared.
H . Have a long-range, post-quake (flood,
fire, storm) business recovery plan
ready to follow — This is what you
have after the What if-? planning. Be
sure to get employee input.
I. Review all plans regularly as your business
circumstances vary.
Some websites have checklists and
suggestions which are more detailed. Try
these: http://www2.agilityrecovery.com/
assets/SBA/quakeprepsba.pdf or http://
www.earthquakecountry.info/roots/
7StepsBusiness2008.pdf
As you’ll see at the SBA site, in the
aftermath of a catastrophe, it will matter
whether the disaster-affected part of
Alaska is declared a federal disaster area.
If so, loans and other help will be more
readily available. If not, then you have to
think about other sources of help, such as
the state. Having an after-calamity recovery
plan for your business will make it easier to
get help. Plus, with a solid plan, you may be
able to go it alone —Alaska-style.
Marie Lundstrom is a freelance writer
who lives in Alaska.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 85

AGC
members’
projects
Whittier Small Boat
Harbor Improvements PH-I
C ontractor: Swalling
Construction Company, Inc.
sWallinG installeD tHe 530-Ft. oPen
Cell GalVaniZeD sHeet Pile BulKHeaD For
tHe CitY oF WHittier on t i m e anD W i t H in
tHe limiteD in-W a t e r W o r K WinDoW.
86 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

photos: Courtesy oF swalliNg CoNstruCtioN Co., iNC.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 87

Coming to the AGC of Alaska
Convention in November
Bruce S. Wilkinson, CSP
Going for the Gold in People, Service, Safety, Quality and Performance
There is a Nike commercial that goes like this: “True competitors know that they don’t win the SILVER - they
lose the GOLD!” It’s true! You’ll never see a cheerleader put two fi ngers in the air and yell “We’re number two!,”
“We’re number two!” That’s why managers, leaders and h.r. professionals have to go for the gold when it comes to
motivating and inspiring today’s diverse, multi-generational workforce. This will be an enthusiastic, informative and
fun-fi lled program that will demonstrate some unique and effective ways to get designated leaders and team members
to constantly “Go For the Gold”, when it comes to organizational service, safety, quality and performance.
You will learn:
• How to develop and implement trickle-down positive attitudes, throughout the workforce.
• How to move some team members from “can do” to “want to.”
• How to understand the diverse learning and communication differences of a multi-generational team.
• How to motivate, lead and inspire different thinking team members to both understand and implement organizational
culture, values and philosophies.
• How to manage, motivate and inspire team members differently and reward and
correct them consistently.
• How to make workplace safety both an organizational and personal value.
• How to take the organization’s mission, vision and value culture and turn it into
a real world matching climate of mutual pride, trust, respect, teamwork
and personal responsibility.
Bruce S. Wilkinson, CSP is a leadership/communication/culture
implementation specialist, professional motivational keynote speaker
and trainer who reinforces personalized messages with humor, passion,
enthusiasm and authenticity. His mission is to help organization’s translate
their culture into a workplace climate that inspires excellence, service
and accountability. Bruce has degrees in both Safety Engineering and
Occupational Safety and Health. He was a two-term elected member of
the Board of Directors of the National Speakers Association and is one
of fewer than 800 people worldwide to earn the prestigious Certifi ed
Speaking Professional (CSP) designation.
He recently retired after twenty-three years of service as a post certifi
ed reserve police offi cer with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Offi ce (New
Orleans), where he worked in patrol, emergency rescue and as a member
on the police academy staff. Besides his personalized keynotes, he has
developed and presented programs on effective leadership, teams, multigenerational
communication, in-house branding, workplace culture/
climate, change, work/life balance, humor at work, customer service,
sales motivation, safety leadership and personal responsibility.
As President and Chief Leadership Offi cer of Workplace Consultants,
Inc. and Wilkinson Seminars and Presentations, he has presented
in all 50 states, delivering enthusiastic keynotes and training programs
for over twenty- fi ve years to clients such as Offi ce Depot, Burger King,
KFC, Sonic Drive-In, Xerox, Frito-Lay, ExxonMobil, various contractors,
government agencies, energy related organizations, Kellogg’s,
T.G.I. Friday’s, the Department of Defense, NASA, LSU, the IRS, Miller
Brewing, Anheuser-Busch and Jack Daniel’s.
BR U C E s. Wi l K i n s o n, Csp
pR E s i d E n t a n d Ch i E F
lE a d E R s h i p oFFiCER,
Wo R K p l aC E Co n s U lta n t s, in C./
Wi l K i n s o n sE M i n a R s a n d pR E s E n tat i o n s
FRIDAY EVENTS
WHO: Bruce S. Wilkinson, CSP
W HAT: The Management
Symposium sponsored by
Parker, Smith and Feek Inc.
W HEN: 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Friday, Nov. 4
W HERE: The Hotel Captain
Cook, 939 West 5th Ave.,
Anchorage, AK 99501,
(907) 276-6000.
88 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

AGC Annual Conference
Registration Form
HOTEL CAPTAIN COOK - NOVEMBER 2-5, 2011
Associated General Contractors of Alaska Annual Conference Registration Form
Complete and return to: AGC, 8005 Schoon Street, Anchorage, Alaska 99518
907-561-5354 Fax 907-562-6118 email: kimberley@agcak.org Conference website: www.agcak.org/annualConference.html
One person per form. Make copies of this form as necessary for additional registrations.
Registrant’s Full Name: ___________________________ Company Name: _____________________________________
Billing Address: _________________________________ City/State: _____________________ Zip Code: ____________
Phone #: _______________________________________ Invoice (Members Only): _______ VISA ______ M/C ______
Card Number: __________________________________ Expiration Date: ________________ Three Digit Code ______
Card Holder’s Signature: _________________________ E-Mail: ____________________________________________
Full Conference Registration (Includes most meals & seminars. (Does not include Family Night, Ladies Brunch, or the Dinner Dance.)
1st Attendee from Company: Member - $295.00 ____ Non-Member - $350.00 ____ Student - Full Conference $100.00 ____
2nd Attendee from same Company: Member - $275.00 ____ Non-Member - $330.00____
Will you be joining us for the Friday morning Parker, Smith & Feek Management Symposium with Bruce S. Wilkinson, CSP ?
yes ____ no ____ (Included in Full Conference Rate, or see Friday events for single item purchase.)
One Day and Single Event Registration
November 2nd - Wednesday Only: Member - $75.00 ____ Non-Member - $100.00 ____ Student - $30.00 ____
Daily Registration: Includes Breakfast in the Vendor Room, First National Bank Alaska “All about AGC” Luncheon and all
Wednesday sessions. Will you be joining us for lunch? (RSVP Required) yes ____ no ____ Limited Seating Available.
(Lunch sponsored by First National Bank Alaska)
November 3rd - Thursday Only: Member - $175.00 ____ Non-Member - $210.00 ____ Student - $60.00 ____
Daily Registration: Includes Breakfast, Marsh & McLennan Agency “Excellence in Safety” Awards Luncheon and all Thursday
sessions. Vendor Room Reception – AFT Deck from 4:30 – 6:00 pm
November 4th - Friday Only: Member - $175.00 ____ Non-Member - $210.00 ____ Student - $60.00 ____
Daily Registration: Includes Breakfast, the AlaskaUSA Insurance Brokers “Excellence in Construction” Awards Luncheon, and
all Friday sessions, including the Parker, Smith and Feek Management Symposium with speaker Bruce S. Wilkinson, CSP.
November 4th - Friday Management Symposium Only: Member - $100.00 ____ Non-Member - $125.00 ____
Student - $30.00 ____ Parker, Smith & Feek Management Symposium with Bruce S. Wilkinson, CSP (8:30 to 11:30 a.m.)
November 4th - Family Night’s Construction Fun Fair: Tickets at $5 each ____ (Children under 12 Free)
November 5th - Saturday Morning Breakfast: $35.00 ____ (included in Full Registration)
November 5th - Ladies Brunch: $45.00 ____ (Saturday, 10:30 am to 12:00 pm)
November 5th - AGC Annual Dinner Dance: 6:30 pm to 1:00 am - $175 per person
(Tickets will go on sale October 5th, starting at 8:00 am. Recommended call time, 8:00 am.)
Total Amount Due: Member ______________ Non-Member ______________ Student ______________
For updated conference information, visit the AGC of Alaska website at
http://www.agcak.org/annualConference.html

AGC Golf
ANCHORAGE
ANCHORAGE
ANCHORAGE
Congratulations to the FOLLOWING PRIZE WINNERS of the
24 th ANNUAL AGC ANCHORAGE INVITATIONAL GOLF SCRAMBLE!
1 ST PLACE TEAM
Mark Trujillo, Spenard Builders Supply
Paul Kovach, Spenard Builders Supply
Richard Herring, Construction Unlimited Inc.
Mike Travis, Travis/Peterson Environmental Consulting Inc.
John Reed, Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker
3 RD PLACE TEAM
Ron Pichler, Denali Drilling Inc.
Don Hansen, Northland Services
Joe Pavlas, Alaska Steel Co.
Ryan Gluth, Tunista Construction LLC
Scott Bleeker, First National Bank Alaska
2 ND PLACE “PLAYER SELECT” TEAM
Carlile Transportation Systems
Robert Province, Mark Harlan, Joe Fey, Kevin Laurin, Marc Kuck
2 ND PLACE TEAM
Mike Miller, Construction Machinery Industrial LLC
Pat Reilly, Rain Proof Roofi ng
Pat Falon, Laborers Local 341
Roger Hickel, Roger Hickel Contracting Inc.
Kenneth Martens, North Slope Telecom
1 ST PLACE “PLAYER SELECT” TEAM
ACME Fence Company
Mark Lulay, Brian Horschel, Ryan Hunt, Suzanne Fairbanks, Nelson Stone
3 RD PLACE “PLAYER SELECT” TEAM
COLASKA Inc.
Allan Stone, Kevin Tune, Al Grant, Brian Vreeling, Mike Evans
90 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

AGC would like to thank the following SPONSORS
ACCUPOINT INC.
ADVERTISING STRATEGIES LLC
AGLIETTI OFFRET & WOOFTER
ALASKA DINNER FACTORY
ALASKA INDUSTRIAL HARDWARE INC.
ALASKA MECHANICAL INC.
ALASKA NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY
ALASKA QUALITY PUBLISHING INC.
ALASKA RAILROAD CORPORATION
ALASKA STATE DISTRICT COUNCIL OF
LABORERS
ALASKA TRAFFIC COMPANY
ALASKA USA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
AMERICAN FAST FREIGHT
ANALYTIC INVESTORS
ANCHORAGE SAND & GRAVEL CO. INC.
ARC PACIFIC NORTHWEST
BODY RENEW ALASKA
BRADLEY HOUSE
CARLILE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS INC.
COLDFOOT ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES INC.
CONOCOPHILLIPS ALASKA
CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY INDUSTRIAL LLC
CORNERSTONE CONSTRUCTION
CRAIG TAYLOR EQUIPMENT CO.
CRUZ CONSTRUCTION INC.
DAVIS CONSTRUCTORS & ENGINEERS
DAVISON & DAVISON INC., LAW OFFICES OF
DOKOOZIAN & ASSOCIATES INC.
E P ROOFING INC.
EMULSION PRODUCTS COMPANY
EXXONMOBIL
F&W CONSTRUCTION CO. INC.
FIRETAP
FIRST NATIONAL BANK ALASKA
GLACIER BREWHOUSE
GRANITE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY
GRAZZINI BROTHERS AND COMPANY
HD SUPPLY WATERWORKS
HOLMES WEDDLE & BARCOTT, P.C.
INSULFOAM LLC
INTERNATIONAL FIDELITY INSURANCE COMPANY
JACKOVICH INDUSTRIAL & CONSTRUCTION
SUPPLY INC.
JERMAIN DUNNAGAN & OWENS
KELLY LAWN AND LANDSCAPING LLC
KNIK CONSTRUCTION CO. INC.
LIBERTY NORTHWEST MUTUAL
LINDQUIST LLP
LOCKITCH CLEMENTS & RICE P.S.
LONESTAR STEAKHOUSE
LYN ENTERPRISES INC.
LYNDEN
MCGINLEY’S PUB
N C MACHINERY CO.
NEESER CONSTRUCTION INC.
NORTH STAR EQUIPMENT SERVICES
NORTHLAND SERVICES
NORTHRIM BANK
OLES MORRISON RINKER & BAKER LLP
ORSO
OTIS ELEVATOR CO.
PACIFIC ASPHALT PRODUCTS
PACIFIC INCOME ADVISERS
PARKER, SMITH, & FEEK INC.
POLAR SUPPLY CO. INC.
QUALITY ASPHALT PAVING (QAP)
RAIN PROOF ROOFING
RITCHIE BROS. AUCTIONEERS
SEABRIGHT INSURANCE COMPANY
SPENARD BUILDERS SUPPLY
SPENARD ROADHOUSE
SUMMIT WINDOWS & DOORS INC.
SUNSHINE CUSTOM PROMOTIONS
SUITE 100
TEAMSTERS LOCAL 959
THE BUSINESS MD
THE HOTEL CAPTAIN COOK
THE HUMAN RESOURCE UMBRELLA LLC
TOTEM EQUIPMENT & SUPPLY INC.
TOTEM OCEAN TRAILER EXPRESS INC.
UNIT COMPANY
UNITED RENTALS
UNIVERSAL ROOFING OF ALASKA INC.
URS
WEAVER BROS. INC.
WILLIS OF OREGON
Fall 2011 The Alaska CONTRACTOR 91

AGC Golf
FAIRBANKS
Thanks to the WINNERS AND SPONSORS of the
32 nd ANNUAL AGC FAIRBANKS GOLF SCRAMBLE
photos: Courtesy oF agC oF alaska FairbaNks oFFiCe
All Profi ts benefi t the FAIRBANKS AGC EDUCATION FUND
1 ST PLACE NET DIVISION
WELLS FARGO BANK Jim Culley, Charlene Callahan,
Brian Horschel, Brian Ridley, Gigi Kannenberg
3 RD PLACE NET DIVISION
JACKOVICH INDUSTRIAL & CONSTRUCTION SUPPLY, INC.
Dennis Thies, Terri Wolters, Crystal Haman, Cathy Shuttleworth, Ryan Barnett
2 ND PLACE GROSS DIVISION
FLOWLINE ALASKA Richard Schok, Sam McConkey,
Bobby Atkiss, Jon McCoy, Howard Thies
2 ND PLACE NET DIVISION
MT. MCKINLEY BANK Paul Robinson, Jeremy Pletnikoff,
Kerry Hafele, Rich Pace, Aaron Pletnikoff
1 ST PLACE GROSS DIVISION
ARTIC FIRE & SAFETY Stewart Thompson, Micah Bartlett,
Corey Lumley, Joe Raffson, Addison Turnbough
3 RD PLACE GROSS DIVISION
TEAMSTERS LOCAL 959
Mike Littlefi eld, Len Moser, Fred Scott, Rick Alford
92
The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

SPECIAL THANKS
to our MAJOR SPONSORS
Alaska Digital Printing Inc.; Spenard Builders Supply; Allied Building
Products; Brice Inc.; Insulfoam LLC; N C Machinery Company;
Construction Machinery Industrial LLC ; Hale & Associates Inc.;
Cruz Companies; Denali State Bank; Alaska USA Federal Credit Union
OUR AWESOME VOLUNTEERS!
Mark Norum, Leslie Helmers, Jaci Glenn & Denise Goss – AK USA FCU
Tina Henne, Lisa Worrall & Carolyn Pratt – PTAC/SBDC
Steve Post & Bryan Davis – North Star Equipment Services
Karl Gohlke – Frontier Supply Co.
Steve DeMolen – N C Machinery Co.
Diane Shoemaker – Fountainhead Hotels
Jon Watts – Polar Supply Company
Roger Pagel – Airport Equipment Rentals Inc.
Fran & Bill Westervelt – Dimond Fence Company
GOLF TASK FORCE
Adam Dunlap
Bob Cummings
Dennis Thies
Diane Shoemaker
Jeremy Pletnikoff
Karl Gohlke
Togi Letuligasenoa
Larry Peterson
Paul Bauer
Richard Green
Steve DeMolen
Brice Inc.
AK Regional Council of Carpenters
Airport Equipment Rentals Inc.
Alaska Mechanical Inc.
Alaska USA Federal Credit Union
Allied Building Products Corp.
American Fast Freight
Arctic Fire & Safety
Aurora Construction Supply Inc.
Brice Inc.
Carlile Transportation Systems Inc.
CH2M Hill Constructors Inc.
Colaska Inc.
Construction Machinery Industrial LLC
Contech Construction Products Inc.
Denali Drilling Inc.
Larry Peterson
LONGEST DRIVE
AGC of Alaska thanks all donors, volunteers and participants.
This annual event is made possible through their generosity and support!
Team & Player Sponsors
Denali State Bank
Denali Mechanical Inc.
Dimond Fence Company Inc.
Exclusive Paving
ExxonMobil
Fairbanks Materials
Ferguson Enterprises
Flowline Alaska
Hale & Associates Inc.
Interior Alaska Roofi ng Inc.
International Wood Industries Inc.
Johnson Controls
Jackovich Industrial & Const. Supply Inc.
Johnson River Enterprises LLC
M en’s – KORY SMITH, La dies’ – DEE LIEBL,
DIMOND FENCE COMPANY CH2M HILL CONSTRUCTORS INC. FAIRBANKS
CLOSEST TO PIN (4 HOLES)
LAIRD GRANTHAM, AK REGIONAL COUNCIL OF CARPENTERS
ADDISON TURNBOUGH, ARCTIC FIRE & SAFETY
JAMES REINHOLZ, CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY INDUSTRIAL LLC
BEN HONIG, KIEWIT BUILDING GROUP
AGC President,
George Tuckness
Lynden mascot
AGC Golf
FAIRBANKS
Kenneth A. Murray Insurance
Kiewit Building Group
Liberty Mutual Surety
Lynden Transport Inc.
Mt. McKinley Bank
Neeser Construction Inc.
Plumbers/Pipefi tters #375
Rockwell Eng. & Const. Services Inc.
Stanley Nissan
Sun-Air Sheet Metal Inc.
Spenard Builders Supply
Teamsters Local 959
Wells Fargo Bank
Travis/Peterson Environmental & Consulting Inc.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 93

Sporting Clays Shoot event was held at
the Birchwood Recreation & Shooting
Park on Aug. 26, 2011.
Thanks to everyone who came out and
joined us for the day, and thanks to
the Grazzini Brothers and Company
for their sponsorship of the event.
94 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011
photos: aZ i M u t h aDveNture photography

Member NEWS
Happenings on the Alaska construction scene
AncHOrAgE MUSEUM EXPAnSiOn
earns green building cretifi cation
Kumin Associates’ recently completed Anchorage Museum Expansion
project has achieved LEED® Certifi cation for its environmentally friendly
86,000-square-foot addition. This distinction is held by only a small handful
of buildings within the municipality of Anchorage. LEED® recognizes new
construction for minimizing environmental impact and its Green Building
Rating System promotes a whole building approach to sustainability by recognizing
performance in fi ve key areas of human and environmental health:
sustainable site development, water saving, energy effi ciency, materials selection
and indoor environmental quality.
LEED® certifi cation for the Anchorage Museum addition is based on a
number of green design and construction strategies, which include:
• Locating the building in a dense
urban center providing easy access for
pedestrians, buses and bikes
• Designing a vertically oriented
building, preserving more public
green space
• Maximizing natural light by ensuring
90 percent of interior spaces have
exterior windows (which is highly
unusual for a museum)
• Using building materials made with
recycled content
• Installing low emitting indoor materials,
including carpeting, cabinetry,
paints and sealants
• Having collection and storage areas
for recyclables
• Utilizing low-fl ow or automatic
plumbing fi xtures to save water
• Avoiding use of refrigerants with
Chlorofl uorocarbon (CFC) in the new
building’s heating, ventilation, air
conditioning and refrigeration systems
• Monitoring systems to enhance
indoor air quality both during and
after construction
• Carefully selecting and placing exterior
lighting to reduce light pollution
• Choosing primarily native plants for
the landscape design
• Having numerous bike racks and
an employee shower and changing
room to encourage employee bicycle
commuting
The new wing was designed by internationally acclaimed London architect
David Chipperfi eld with the Anchorage fi rm Kumin Associates as architect-of-record,
RISE Alaska as project manager, and Alcan General as general
contractor.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 95

PAciFic AlASKA
FrEigHtWAYS
receives 2011 Quest
for Quality award
Member NEWS
Happenings on the Alaska construction scene
Pacifi c Alaska Freightways was
honored with the 2011 “Quest for
Quality Award” for achieving the
highest overall score in the Western
Region LTL carrier division and recognized
with the highest scores in the
categories of “On-time Performance
and Value.”
“We are honored to receive this
prestigious award during our 50th year
anniversary. Our team has always been
focused on providing great service to
Stg inc. AQUirES
600 tOn crAnE
for use in the
Alaska market
STG Inc., headquartered in
Anchorage, Alaska, has added a new
Liebherr LR 1600/2 lattice boom
crawler crane to the company’s fl eet.
The crane, with a rated heavy lift
capacity of 600 metric tonnes (660 U.S.
tons), will be the largest crawler crane
located in the Alaska market.
“We made the decision to bring the
1600/2 crawler to Alaska based largely
on the construction demands of several
upcoming projects,” said STG President
James St. George. “By having this
resource based in Anchorage, we also
Agc OF AlASKA nAMES
KArEn HAUtMAn
Fairbanks branch manager
Karen was named Fairbanks branch
manager in July following more than two years
of part-time employment with the company.
Prior to AGC, Karen was the visitor services
manager for the Fairbanks Convention & Visitors
Bureau for seven years and worked 13 years for Princess Tours in
the Rail and Motorcoach Divisions. She has resided in Fairbanks since
1984 with her husband, John, and two children.
our clients, and it is very rewarding to
be recognized for these efforts,” said
Ed Fitzgerald CEO for Pacifi c Alaska
Freightways.
The Quest for Quality awards
is voted on by readers of Logistics
Management magazine, and is regarded
as one of the most important measures
of customer satisfaction and operational
excellence in the transportation
industry. Each year, the study evaluates
believe that it will open options for
more cost effective construction by
eliminating mobilization costs associated
with bringing cranes of this
capacity to Alaska from the Lower
48 when required.”
The 1600/2 crawler will be
outfi tted with 108 meters of main
boom, thus providing a tip height of
354 feet. “In considering the purchase,
we were particularly attracted not just
to the crane’s capacity, but also to the
ease with which it can be transported
and assembled,” said St. George. “It is
almost a given that we will face challenging
logistics with any of our projects
and this particular confi guration
will offer effi ciencies moving in and
out of jobs.”
The Liebherr 1600/2 also has a
proven track record completing wind
power projects, a construction segment
and measures service providers across
the nation utilizing criteria such as
on-time performance, value, information
technology, customer service and
equipment/operations.
Pacifi c Alaska Freightways is proud
and honored to accept this award on
behalf of its associates who work hard
every day to provide our clients with
customized solutions that result in
fast, fl exible and fl awless service.
that STG currently leads in the Alaska
market. The crane’s super structure is
supported by two-meter tracks which
result in more limited ground bearing
pressure requirements in comparison
to other available options. This confi guration
increases overall stability while
making it easier to walk the crane to
different locations between heavy lifts.
The LR 1600/2 design will also comfortably
handle the next generation of
wind turbines currently entering the
market supported by 100 meter towers
and providing over 3 MW in generation
capacity.
While the crane is well suited for
utilization on wind power projects,
STG’s 1600/2 will be put straight to
work setting gas turbines at Chugach
Electric Association’s new Southcentral
Power Plant Project upon its arrival
in Anchorage.
96 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

ElEctric
EnginEEr
earns PE
designation
AMC Engineers announces
Jessica Hannan has passed the
NCEES Principles and Practice of
Engineering exam.
Hannan is a graduate of the
University of Idaho with a bachelor
of science in electrical engineering.
She is a member of the USGBC
Cascadia Chapter and the Society
of Women Engineers Local Chapter.
Her specialty areas include interior
and exterior lighting, integration
of daylight and occupancy sensors,
multi-media presentation and
sustainable design.
Jessica played a significant role
in recent projects such as the UAA
Health Sciences Building, Ketchikan
Aquatic Center, and the Seward
Community Library and Museum.
She is currently involved in the
design for the UAA Athletic Sports
Facility and Juneau State Library
and Museum.
Hannan served as a contributing
engineer on the Clark Middle
School Renewal and the Su-Valley
Jr./Sr. High School. Both projects
received national lighting awards
from the Illuminating Engineering
Society.
As a LEED accredited professional,
she served as the mechanical/electrical
LEED Coordinator for
Susitna Valley Jr./Sr. High School and
Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary
School with both schools
achieving LEED Silver certification.
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 97

Member NEWS CONTINUED
In Memoriam
Daniel Paul Olson
Wasilla resident, Daniel Paul Olson age 65 passed away peacefully and in his
sleep at his gold mine in Eureka, Alaska on July 29, 2011. He was born Dec. 24, 1945
in Hancock, Mich., son of Edward and Elsie (Suomala) Olson. He graduated from
Chassell High School in 1964.
Daniel is survived by his wife of 43 years, Allouiz and their 13 children, which
includes fi ve sons, Alan Olson and his wife Lorinda; Derek Olson and his wife
Anne of Wash.; Jeffrey, Jesse, and Shane Olson all of Wasilla; his daughters Jennifer
Matson and her husband Wayne; Jacquelyn Olson and her partner Mike Wellman
Sr., Diana, Lynn and Shannon Olson; Natalie Goddard and her husband Rodney all
of Wasilla, Julia Norby and her husband Scott, Starr Richards and her husband Clinton of S.C. He is also
survived by 11 grandsons, 18 granddaughters, one great grandson and one great granddaughter.
Dan had a great passion for Alaska. Prior to moving to Alaska Dan lived in Yacolt, Wash. and also
lived in Michigan and New Hampshire. He drove the Alcan by himself in 1977 to seek work; he
worked for many years in the construction trade from Nome to the Southeast. He worked with his
children in a successful family owned business, Alaska Professional Construction Inc. in Wasilla. He
loved fi shing especially the salmon derby in Homer each spring with his wife and kids. His family
said Dan had a way about him where his children always wanted to
be a part of his plans, they loved their father and loved doing things
with him. Dan was a man who certainly lived by his principals and
values who believed right was right and wrong was wrong there was
no middle ground. He was an encourager to everyone and was the
the current and archive issues of The
Alaska Contractor magazine are
online at agcak.org under “News and
Media” tab or at AQPpublishing.com
under “Business” publications.
Read us online! Links to the electronic versions of
pillar of his family. Dan was friendly to all had a big smile and could
tell stories. His ultimate dream was to gold mine and God granted
him that wish this summer. He loved the serenity of the mountains
and the beauty of the fl owers; but above all he loved the Lord Jesus
Christ his Savior.
98 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011

In Memoriam
Ronnie Joe Allen
Ronnie Joe Allen, of Anchorage,
passed away surrounded by family
and friends at Providence Hospital
on Aug. 31, 2011.
Ronnie was born March 6,
1958, in Lubbock, Texas, to Billy
J. and Brenda K. Allen. He spent
most of his childhood in California,
moving to Anchorage in
June of 1973. Ron graduated from
Service High School in 1976. He
worked in the equipment sales
and service industry for more
than 30 years, most recently with
Construction Machinery Industrial
LLC. Ron served on the board of
directors of the Petroleum Club
Anchorage and was instrumental
in starting “Shoot for the Cure” a
Cystic Fibrosis fundraiser. He also
was active in AGC, serving on the
AGC Associates Council since it
began in 2009.
Ron lived his life to the fullest, he
loved to spend his free time scuba
diving in the Caribbean, fi shing on
his boat in Prince William Sound,
trap and skeet shooting and just
Contined onto the next page
Welcome new AGC Members
from June 2011 - August 2011
GENERAL CONTRACTORS
UIC CONSTRUCTION
SERVICES LLC
David Klopp – General Manager
6700 Arctic Spur Road
Anchorage, AK 99518-1550
Phone: (907) 677-5220
Fax: (907) 677-5288
Email: david.klopp@ukpik.com
General Contracting and Construction
SPECIALTY CONTRACTORS
DENNY’S CONSTRUCTION INC.
Dennis Downs
38334 Lakewood Road
Sterling, AK 99672-9692
Phone: (907) 262-1552
Fax: (907) 260-9196
Email: dennysconstruction@gmail.com
Masonry and Concrete
BECKER TRUCKING
Ronald W. Becker – Owner
P.O. Box 60667
Fairbanks, AK 99706-0667
Phone: (907) 457-296
Fax: (907) 457-4165
Email: beckertrucking@alaska.net
General Excavation, Sitework, Trucking
TSUNAMI ELECTRICAL INC.
Tracy Whidden – President
7241 Michelin Place
Anchorage, AK 99518-2871
Phone: (907) 344-5130
Fax: (907) 522-3963
Email: TracyWhidden@
TsunamiElectric.com
Electrical Contractor
NIEGEL AND PRICE
CONSTRUCTION
Wes Niegel and Robert Price
2497 Aster Drive
North Pole, AK 99705-5535
Phone 1: (907) 590-1326
Phone 2: (907) 347-4639
Fax: (907) 358-3741
Email: niegelandprice@yahoo.com
Specialized in Concrete,
Framing and Sheetrock
ASSOCIATE CONTRACTORS
AKPHQ – Alaska Portable
Headquarters, Housing &
Logistics Services
Suzanne Spanjer – Owner
1145 Shypoke Drive
Fairbanks, AK 99709-2537
Phone: (907) 687-4653
Email: owner@akphq.com
Portable Remote Jobsite Logistics –
Housing, Offi ces, Bath Buildings,
Kitchen Units and More
RED BOX REFUSE LLC
Carl Saden – Regional Manger
P.O. Box 220914
Anchorage, AK 99518-1575
Phone: (907) 561-0220
Fax: (907) 770-9937
Email: carl@redboxrefuse.com
Waste Hauling and Container Rental
Recruited by: Claudia Rodriguez-Zinn
SHERATON ANCHORAGE
HOTEL AND SPA
Melinda Allen – Sales Manager
401 E. Sixth Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99501-2638
Phone: (907) 343-3159
Fax: (907) 343-3145
Email: Melinda.Allen@
SheratonAnchorage.com
Hospitality
Recruited by: Teri Gunter,
Senco Alaska Inc.
STANLEY NISSAN
Steven M. Hess – Executive Manager
2610 S. Cushman St.
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Phone: (907) 452-1701
Fax: (907) 452-3041
Email: shess.stanleynissan@gs.reyray.com
Commercial Trucks, Trucks, Cars,
SUVs, New Nissans
ALLIED GIS
Gail Morrison – President
8600 Spendlove Drive
Anchorage, AK 99516-6971
Phone: (907) 333-2750
Fax: (907) 333-2751
Email: gmorrison@alliedgis.com
GIS Mapping, Surveying,
Aerial Photography
Fall 2011 The Alaska conTrAcTor 99

Member NEWS CONTINUED
AGC of Alaska Calendar
Golf Tournament –
July 15 – Fairbanks
A GC Chili Cook-off –
October 5 – Anchorage
A GC Annual Convention –
November 2-5, 2011 –
Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage
AGC Members Christmas
Open House –
December 14 – Anchorage
AGC Members Christmas
Open House –
December 15 – Fairbanks
Contined from page 99
having fun with his many friends.
His survivors include his parents
Billy and Brenda of Anchorage,
son Joshua and daughter-in-law
Rebecca of Eugene, Ore., daughter
Chandra Mistrot, son-in-law John,
granddaughters Calista and Elizabeth
of Austin, Texas, brother Scott,
nieces Shelby, Shawna and Kylei ,
sister Chandra (Don) Dieffenbach
all of Anchorage, nephew Brett
(Tara) Dieffenbach of Reno, Nev.,
and many, many good friends.
In lieu of fl owers the family
suggests memorial donations to
“Shoot For The Cure” at www.
shootforthecureak.org or at any
FNB Alaska branch, or a blood
donation to the Blood Bank of
Alaska in Ron’s name.
100 The Alaska conTrAcTor Fall 2011