Orion Marine Group acquires F. Miller Construction

Orion Marine Group, a marine construction and services company, recently announced the acquisition of the assets of F. Miller & Sons, a heavy civil contractor in Lake Charles, La.

OMG formed a new subsidiary, F. Miller Construction LLC, to make the acquisition.

F. Miller has 75 years of experience in heavy civil projects in Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas, including marine transportation facilities, bridge construction and complex sheet pile installations.

In addition to the equipment and contracts acquired, more than 60 employees from F. Miller & Sons have been hired by F. Miller Construction.

Wink Cos. opens new office in St. Tammany Parish

Wink Cos. LLC recently announced plans to open a new office in St. Tammany Parish.

The engineering and surveying office will measure about 25,000 sq ft and will be the anchor tenant in a 60,000-sq-ft Class A office building developed by Wink Bruno LLC, a joint venture between Wink and Bruno Brothers Management and Development Co.

The new building will be located on a 6.58-acre site in Tammany Middle Business Park, located at the intersection of Interstate 12 and U.S. Hwy. 190 in Covington. The property has been owned for more than six years by the Bruno family, who has developed utilities, drainage, access roadways and other infrastructure for the site.

"We are very grateful to Robert Bruno and his family for their extraordinary vision of six years ago and for their commitment to preparing this site for future development. It is the ideal location for the next expansion of Wink Companies," says Larry Wink, president/CEO of Wink Cos. The Bruno family's vision of a high-quality, mixed-use professional development dovetailed perfectly with Wink Cos.' need for additional office space.

"With offices in Baton Rouge, Covington and New Orleans, we will be strategically located to serve our southeastern U. S. customers, and also positioned to attract the high-quality professional staff needed to meet our growing business needs," Wink says.

Baton Rouge's Eden Park Library supplements revitalization efforts

Now open and nearly five times larger than the old facility, the new 14,000-sq-ft Eden Park Library Branch in Baton Rouge, La., is part of a series of profile projects intended for the revitalization of the Eden Park community.

In collaboration with the City and East Baton Rouge Library Board, the architectural firm Tipton Associates of Baton Rouge engaged public, civic and neighborhood interest groups in the planning process to gain a broader understanding and respond effectively to a rich community history and need for a true community facility.

Through the exploration of multiple potential solutions, the final design efficiently integrates library functional requirements within an open light-filled pavilion. Designed to welcome community participation, technologically advanced systems eliminate the need for a ceiling to house utility components resulting in a shared space that promotes community, not separation.

Characterized by exceptional use of natural light, natural materials and exposed beam branches, the roof scales in proportion to the age of the user, lowest at 9 ft. in the children's area and highest at 28 ft. from the front entrance to the rear courtyard.

Tipton Associates worked with city, state and regulatory officials to incorporate a state-of-the-art modular flooring system, making the library branch among one of a handful in the country and the first local public facility of its kind. The raised flooring system houses data, power and air distribution under the floor.

"Like its contents, the building is designed to be discovered. Changing patterns of light provide intrigue and build to a revealing conclusion. Similar to a good novel, all elements are best understood in retrospect - the building saves its best for those who read cover to cover," says architect Ken Tipton of Tipton Associates.

DOTD announces results of December bid letting

The Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development (DOTD) recently considered bids totaling more than $253 million at its Dec. 13 public bid opening, according to Gov. Kathleen Blanco and DOTD Secretary Johnny B. Bradberry.

With a bid of $137,479,548.15, James Construction Group LLC of Baton Rouge was the apparent low bidder on the state's most expensive job, a project in Lafourche Parish calling for embankment, asphaltic concrete pavement, voided slab span superstructures, prestressed concrete girder span superstructures and related work on La. 1 from Port Fourchon to the Leeville Bridge for phase 1A of the La. 1 project.

Perkins Road widening project in Baton Rouge set to begin

The long awaited $27 million Perkins Road Widening project began construction in January, according to the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD).

The three-year project to widen Perkins Road from Essen Lane to Siegen Lane will begin with contractors laying subsurface drainage pipe near the Oakbrook Subdivision.

"Drivers can expect some delays during the project," says DOTD Project Engineer Mike Vosburg. "However, we plan to keep two lanes open as much as possible by scheduling lane closures for nonpeak travel times."

The finished roadway will widen Perkins Road from two to five lanes - similar to the existing Perkins Road between Essen Lane and Acadian Thruway. There will be two throughlanes in each direction, a center turn-lane throughout the length of the project and an additional turn-lane added at Perkins and Bluebonnet Boulevard.

The project will also include a 6-ft-wide sidewalk, curbs and gutters, and subsurface drainage on each side of the roadway. All existing signal equipment will be upgraded with the latest in signal technology. The new technology will include mast arm signal supports, light emitting diode (LED) signals for low energy consumption and longer life, and video traffic.

Lemoine Co. breaks ground on Air Logistics administration building

The Lemoine Co. LLC of Lafayette, La., recently broke ground on the new administration building for Air Logistics in Lafayette.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco was present to support this local milestone. The two-story facility will serve as the company's central administration office. The $4.5 million building is scheduled to be complete in September.

The project architect is A.O. Architects of Lafayette.

Ford, Bacon & Davis celebrates safety milestone

Ford, Bacon & Davis LLC, with Louisiana offices in Monroe and Baton Rouge, recently celebrated a significant safety milestone with its employees. FBD and its employees have achieved more than five years and 5 million workhours since its last OSHA recordable incident.