Sukut Construction. Inc. Provides Critical Path Planning, Grading and Infrastructure Work For Pelican Hill Resort

By Tammy Boone, CalContractor Magazine
Sukut Construction, Inc. built the world-renowned 36-hole Pelican Hill golf course during the early 1990’s.With dazzling Newport Coast ocean views, it set the standard for high-end public golf in Southern California and helped cement Tom Fazio's reputation as one of the industry's top golf course architects. Today Sukut is building the infrastructure for the adjacent Pelican Hill Resort, which includes a world class, five-star, 204-room hotel, a 128-villa residence club, spa, restaurants and new golf clubhouse.

In order to expedite its construction, The Irvine Company,a 110-year-old, privately held real estate investment company, hired Sukut Construction, Inc. as consultants in May 2005. Sukut’s charge was to review the entire project and identify key design elements that could reduce the three-year project schedule by 30%, almost a full year. “We helped develop the logic on how the job would come together,” Jim Sewell, Sukut’s Public Works Division Manager explains.

Sukut was named general contractor and charged with the grading and infrastructure work for the resort. “Basically, we’re completing everything from the ground down,” Jim says. “Because we were involved in the planning and scheduling of the job, we’re held accountable for hitting our marks, schedule-wise, which we have consistently done.”

One of Sukut Construction’s hallmarks, according to Michael Bobeczko, Sukut’s Director of Marketing, is its ability to complete large projects ahead of schedule. For example, Sukut completed Orange County’s 26-mile Eastern Corridor 241/261Toll Road 14 months ahead of schedule and on budget despite the challenge of El Nino rains.

Sukut is self-performing about half of the work they are responsible for. They have about 14 sub-contractors on the job in various capacities. They received their grading permits in September, 2005 and expect to complete the majority of work by early fall of this year.

Sukut’s more than $30 million scope of work includes moving approximately 2.4 million yards of dirt, and installing five underground concrete cisterns, 70,000 square feet of retaining walls, 6000 lineal feet of storm drain, 6000 lineal feet of sanitary sewer, water lines, street improvements and a golf cart bridge. The cisterns are part of a state-of-the art water management system that is being installed and will connect to the golf course’s irrigation system.

The largest of the five cisterns is 125 feet x 45 feet and15 feet deep. Three other cisterns are about half that size,at 45 feet x 45 feet, or 45 feet x 65 feet. They are also15 feet deep. All the cisterns have a 3- to 6-feet covering of dirt. They are basically box culverts with both ends capped.The largest cistern will hold 540,000 gallons of water, while the smallest will hold 30,000 gallons. The total capacity is as much as one-and-a-half Olympic-size swimming pools.

The storm water management system is designed to capture the vast majority of runoff from the site. The runoff carries a significant level of pollutants, says Lawrence Damore,Project Manager for Sukut. The first 1-inch to 1.5-inch of rainfall has the most significant level of pollutants and will be captured in the underground cisterns.

According to Lawrence, at some point during a major storm, the cisterns will fill up. But due to settlement of the pollutants, only relatively clean water will drain to the ocean. The water in the cisterns will be pumped to a large lake on the golf course and used for irrigation. “The entire operation of the cisterns will be automatic, however they will require periodic cleaning,” Lawrence continues.

Retaining walls are being used to create a terraced-effect on the hillside, so as to provide sweeping views of the ocean for the single-story construction of the resort’s hotel and guest suites. The majority of the retaining walls are concrete block, with some cast-in-place concrete.

The golf cart bridge is one of the “most grandiose,architectural features on the project,” according to Lawrence.“It’s at the entrance to the facility and is a landmark crossing.

”Sukut-owned CAT 657 and 651 bowl scrapers are being used to move the vast majority of earth on the project.There are 16 scrapers on-site. In addition to the scrapers crews are using five bulldozers, graders, cranes, compaction equipment and excavators, for a total of 30 pieces of heavy equipment on the job. The majority of the equipment is Caterpillar made.

One of the unique challenges of this project is that it is being designed while the work is going on. “The biggest challenge essentially is maintaining an intense work schedule while we coordinate with the owner and design team as the project evolves from design to construction,” Lawrence explains. “Because the engineers are still designing the project,we have to adjust, offer suggestions and mitigate problems,”Jim adds. Lawrence says, “We are in daily communication with the subs, engineers and the owner.

”Another challenge is being sensitive to the owners of the multi-million dollar homes that are up the hill looking down on the resort project. “We are very sensitive to their concerns,” Lawrence says. “We met with the homeowners to assure them that we were doing everything we could to mitigate the noise and dust issues.”

The entire job site is divided into four quadrants for a total of just under 100 acres. The largest quadrant is 33acres. One of the reasons that The Irvine Co. chose Sukut for this project, according to Michael, is that Sukut has a history of quality work, as well as on-time performance on many award winning projects, including many for The Irvine Company. During 2006, Sukut has been pouring more than 20 truckloads of concrete per day throughout Orange County for storm water structure construction.

Sukut has up to 55 employees on this project at any onetime. Leading the work at Pelican Hill for Sukut, in addition to Lawrence and Jim are: Ross Steer, Jake Straub,Kevin Rhoades, Curtis Wleklinski, Jim Penland, Rainier Christian, Frank Gutierrez, and Mark Setzer.

Stantec Consulting, Inc. is the civil engineering firm on the project, with Doug Johnson, President Orange County, serving as their representative from the Irvine, California office. Stantec is among the 10 largest civil engineering firms in North America. Sukut’s sub-contractors on this project include: L. Johnson Construction, Belczak and Sons, Brutoco Engineering and Construction, Alcorn Fence, Leatherwood Construction, AD Wilson, Century Reinforcing, Courtney Waterproofing, Valley Concrete, Geogrid Retaining Wall Systems, Inland Concrete, Pouk& Steinle, R.J. Noble and Griffith Co.

Sukut Construction, Inc. is California’s largest grading contractor moving over .5 million cubic yards of earth per day. With more than 600 employees and 30 major projects, they had $235 million in 2005 revenues. Sukut has also been ranked by Engineering News Record Magazine in the Nation’s top 10 Storm and Flood Water System Constructors and the Nation’s #1 Landfill Constructor. Sukut’s corporate headquarters is in Santa Ana, California.

For more information on Sukut Construction, Inc., visit their website at www.sukut.com or call (800) 339-6024.