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(Above) Northwest Facing Aerial View, January 2008.
ROEL® Construction has initiated construction on the Quechan Casino Resort located about six miles west of Yuma, Arizona near the Interstate 8 on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation in California. Beginning in October 2006, this impressive design/build project is scheduled to complete by the end of the first Quarter 2009. At $126 million this negotiated contract is the largest design/build project to date for ROEL.
Official groundbreaking took place last summer and subcontractor Desert Road Builders is currently moving more than 600,000 cubic yards of sand and dirt by grading and excavating. This mass excavation spans the 30 plus acre site where some of the soil has been exported due to unsuitable conditions while clean fill is concurrently imported from existing supplies at another reservation location. Designed as a balanced site with areas of fill up to 25 feet will offer the casino the best possible high profile curb appeal from Interstate 8. Area infrastructure updates and expansions that will benefit the facility include: new water and waste water facilities, a 1,700 space parking lot, including 200 truck and RV parking spaces. When mass grading and underground portions are complete, they will move on to the foundation of the hotel. The hotel is poured in place structural concrete and will begin in late February. The elevated decks are post tensioned in both directions and the hotel bays are on a 14 foot center grid. From the time the slab is poured, the concrete structures should take 55 days to raise and top out. After which ROEL will begin enclosing the exterior of the building and finishing the EIFS exterior. The next step will be to begin interior finishes like ductwork, piping, electrical, HVAC and general framing. This will progress one floor at a time, up to the fifth and final level and is scheduled to complete around the fourth quarter of this year. Final finishes such as drywall, paint and carpet will commence once the building is weather tight.
Friedmutter Group is the architectural firm and Cumming Corp. was retained by the owners as the project manager. |
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| Subcontractors on this monumental project include Convergent, Inc., Neal Electric, Collins Plumbing and California Comfort Systems. Raymond Interiors will be responsible for the metal stud, drywall and EIFS work for the project and Lifestyle Companies will be performing all of the hard and soft landscape construction, including the pool, spa and lazy river. One of the more challenging aspects of this project is that there were no sewer, water or power lines nearby to tap into, making it necessary for ROEL to construct these utilities onsite. ROEL hired Clear Solutions to build both the wastewater treatment plant and the fresh water treatment facility that will process all of the potable and wastewater for both the casino and hotel. Reclaimed water, a waste treatment facility byproduct will be used to irrigate the grounds and landscape which is of significant value because of the resort’s desert location.
ROEL faced another obstacle on this project involving the transmission lines from the local utility, which run through and across the entire site, specifically bisecting the casino building area. (See Figure 1 photograph) As a result, ROEL will begin hotel construction first while these lines are still up. The remaining grading, excavating and underground utility work will be completed after the lines are relocated and then casino building will begin. Brent Hughes, Group Manager for ROEL on the project explains, “Our crews will complete as much of the utility work as possible after the mass grading is finished. We will continue juggling the schedule, working where we can until these transmission lines can be relocated. While other unforeseen issues have created additional delays, this has actually allowed us to retain subcontractors and get procurement started on all the lead items. Fortunately, some of the traditional challenges you typically have on these fast track casino projects, we will not face because the delays have afforded us the opportunity to actually procure most of the necessary items. 1/3 of all the structural steel is currently already onsite and all of the structural steel will actually be here prior to needing it, which is pretty much unheard of.”
(Below) Site Grading of Wastewater Treatment Facility. |
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Raised flooring construction methods are gaining popularity in today’s new casino builds and will be incorporated in the Quechan Casino Resort’s gaming area to create raceways for the power and data lines. This allows for increased flexibility later as updates or add-ons become necessary. However, this particular flooring does not look like a traditional raised floor because the surrounding area is at elevation zero and the floor is depressed by about 8 inches so that the raised floor is not visible.
For at least 7,000 years, the Quechan Indians have inhabited a territory that spanned from as far west as the interior of California to as far east as Phoenix. Today, the Quechan population totals approximately 3,264 members, many of whom live on the 45,000-acre reservation that is located on the border of California, Arizona and Mexico along the Colorado River. The Tribe has a diverse economic base with its non-gaming enterprises centered mainly on agriculture and tourism. The primary economic engine for the Tribe however is the two existing casinos, Paradise Casino Arizona and Paradise Casino California.
The Quechan Casino Resort is currently in the works and scheduled to open by spring of 2009. The Quechan Indian Tribe worked with the state of California for four years to get the compact approved. The new 297,000 sq. ft. free standing facility will be comprised of 990 Class III gaming machines on a 30,000 sq. ft. slot floor, as well as 24 gaming tables including: blackjack, 3-card poker, 4-card poker, mini-baccarat, Pai Gow, Casino War and other table game variants. In addition, there will be 10 live poker tables featuring Texas Hold ‘em, Five Card Stud, Omaha and other traditional poker games. Guests will have their choice of four dining venues, a steakhouse style restaurant, a 24 hour coffee shop, a three-station food court and a sports bar.
(Top) Architectural Rendering. (Lower Left) Southeast View. (Lower Right) Wastewater Treatment Pilot Knob. |
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The $200 million Quechan Casino Resort will also feature a 166-room hotel connected to the casino offering a health facility, resort style pool with private cabanas and even a lazy river.
Hotel guests will enjoy their choice of 158 spacious rooms or eight two-room, two-bath suites.
The convention and meeting venues will boast state-of-the art technology that will allow for a variety of events including concerts, trade shows and conferences.
ROEL Construction has spent over ninety years dedicated to serving its mission— delivering excellence in construction to all clients, partners and the community. Founded on integrity, quality and trust, the company carries out this mission through its own Ideals™: Client Satisfaction, Integrity, Teamwork, Family Traditions, Quality, Enthusiasm, Professionalism, Safety, Community Service and Honest Profit. Prominently listed on the back of their business cards, every member of the ROEL family of employees is guided daily by these ten ideals.
Today ROEL is led by chief executive officer Wayne Hickey, a 30 year construction industry veteran. More than a quarter of our 500-plus employees have a history of service at ROEL that spans generations. Throughout the company’s 90-year history, ROEL has earned a matchless reputation for integrity and the ability to deliver timely and cost-effective construction projects. ROEL’s proven design/assist, fast-track construction method is based on strong client and subcontractor relationships, which are enhanced by thorough communications involving all project team members. For more information on ROEL Construction, please visit www.roel.com. Cc
(Below) Aerial View of Quechan Casino Resort Site, January 2008. |
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