Josh Bridges
The Broadside
Construction on the new culinary facility has begun. The facility is part of the Campus Village, a construction project that will include space for Central Oregon Community College classes as well as residential and retail space.
Building the Campus Village is a multi-step process. One of the first things the crew does is level out the earth, dig trenches, and then lay irrigation pipes.
One large piece of machinery parked in the zone is the excavator weighing “maybe thirty…forty-thousand pounds” said Rob Ring, superintendent of construction.
“Infrastructure, laying pipes, doing electrical work, and so on, is the beginning step. This term is also called utility work. Right now the zone has been leveled and the fire hydrant has been installed,” said Gene Zinkgraf from the construction office.
After the crew lays the pipes they fill in with dirt and mark the spot where the pipe is. The irrigation pipes are color coded so that installers know what they are and where they belong.
“The machine suspended from the lift is called a Jumping Jack. It packs the dirt on top of the pipes and then tape is applied just above the pipe. The tape is there as a caution sign. If someone digs there they will know to stop at the tape,” according to Ring.
The new road into the Campus Village will be called Campus Village Way.
A trail of small red flags from behind Mazama gym to Campus Village mark where a walking path will be laid.
Many other people work alongside Zinkgraf and Ring.
“We have other people with us on the project working in the office and we all participate in weekly meetings in which we talk about specifics,” said Zingraf.
Pat Nelson works at the front desk of the construction office, contributing to the overall project.
“I set up meetings, answer phones, and work in billing—it’s exciting right now,” Nelson said.
You may contact Josh Bridges at [email protected]