THE PARK PRESS: Q1 2023

Mission Statement:

Park Construction is dedicated to improving the infrastructure of our communities by providing exceptional construction services. Guided by our core values of safety, quality, integrity, and teamwork, our goal is to exceed expectations and raise the bar of excellence.

In This Issue:

• Drayton Dam Replacement in the News
• Al Olson: 50 Years at Park
• Evanswood Project in MUCA Underground Press Magazine
• Safety Days 2023 Video
• Training Course Updates
• What is the Lead Person Program?
• New Employee Announcements
• Park Mental Wellness Holiday 
• Strategic Initiatives
• I-29 Project Update
• Recent Wins
• Park on Social Media
• Employee Referral Bonus Program

Drayton Dam Replacement in the News

The Twin Cities Pioneer Press recently posted about our projects along the Red River in North Dakota. From dam and bridge replacements to new bike paths and more, the Red River area is poised for significant growth and progress in the coming months. We are proud to be a part of these important projects and look forward to contributing to the local community's growth and success.

The Drayton Dam Replacement Project is part of the larger Fargo Moorhead Flood Protection Project and is aimed at improving biotic connectivity through construction of a rock fish passageway. The new dam, a sheet pile steel dam, will include scour repair, a new access road, 2 new concrete fish platforms, 40,000 cubic yards of excavation, 50,000 tons of riprap, and 20,000 tons of bedding. The rock-riffle design also reduces drowning risk by eliminating the dangerous "roller" currents created below traditional lowhead dams.

Al Olson: 50 Years at Park

We sat down with Al Olson to chat about his 50 years at Park Construction. Here is what Al had to say:

Park was a lot different 50 years ago than it is now. Everything was all done by hand. Like when you would excavate a ditch, you just took your grade rod down in the hole with two strings across the grade line, and you would have to eyeball it. We didn’t have GPS or Trimble or anything like that. I started out as a laborer, which I did for 4 years, then I was an operator for 11 years, and then a supervisor for 33 years. After that, I went back to being an operator again because that was my favorite position.

I got to work in a lot of different states and met a lot of great people. Some of my favorites were Bismark and Wyoming, but I always did like coming home again. When I tell people that I have worked at Park Construction for 50 years, they don’t believe me. They’re like, I've never heard of anyone staying at a job for that long before! But I tell them that I love my job, I love all the people I work with, and I just feel like part of the Park family.  

Congratulations on 50 years, Al - we are honored to have you as part of the Park family!

Evanswood Project in MUCA Underground Press Magazine

Our Evanswood Project in Maple Grove is going to be featured in an upcoming issue of the MUCA Underground Press Magazine. We would like to thank everyone for their hard work on this important project. Here is what the upcoming article will say:



Park Construction recently completed construction services on the Evanswood development project in Maple Grove, Minnesota. This large development site includes 227 new single-family homes and 154 new townhomes spread over 180 acres. Park was responsible for construction of the residential streets and the installation of all city utilities, including sanitary, water, and storm sewer.

Despite numerous challenges, such as a late spring award time, utility conflicts, supply chain issues, and equipment availability, Park Construction's crews were able to finish the project completely within the scheduled time frame. At the peak of summer construction season, five utility crews worked onsite, while the dirt crew followed closely behind to build the streets and keep the project on schedule. The earthwork on the project consisted of 28,000 cubic yards of excavation, 32,000 cubic yards of sand and class 5, and 4,500 tons of asphalt paving.

Park Construction's utility crews installed 11,750 linear feet of 8” to 24” sanitary sewer, 10,500 linear feet of 6” to 30” watermain, 8,000 linear feet of 15” to 30” storm sewer, and a large 16’x9’ concrete box culvert. All this work was completed in only five months. The deep sanitary sewer crew used a Cat 395 and Cat 374 working together in tandem to safely install 3,500 linear feet of 20” and 24” sanitary at depths of 25’ to 40’ feet deep.

Safety is always a top priority at Park Construction, and even with the heavy push to meet completion dates, all of the crews completed the work safely and on time. The Evanswood Project was a CHASE Level 3 Project, where Park Construction partnered with MN OSHA and AGC of MN for safety mentorship, best practices, and quality. This project is a remarkable example of the company's capabilities and their ability to handle complex projects at the high quality and safety levels expected in our industry.

Safety Days 2023 Video

We are proud to have recently held our annual Safety Days conference, bringing together all of our team members for training and education on the latest safety precautions in our industry. As we gear up for the spring construction season, it's crucial that our staff members are equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to stay safe on the job site.

We believe that investing in our employees' safety not only helps to prevent accidents and injuries, but also leads to higher morale and productivity. We're proud of our team for taking safety seriously and taking part in Safety Days. It's just one example of the dedication and professionalism that sets us apart in the industry.

Training Course Updates

Sitech Northland conducted two training courses at Ziegler in Columbus recently. The first course was a GPS Rover training course on March 27th, which saw 35 employees in attendance. The course was designed to equip participants with the skills needed to set up a new site using Trimble Siteworks, including base location do's and don'ts, calibration, topo measurement, stake, and design using cogo. It was a great opportunity for both new and seasoned users to learn from each other.

The second course, held on March 31st, was an Earthworks training course, which attracted 25 operators. The course covered Trimble's advanced machine control platform, Earthworks, from file loading to system operation. The participants had access to computers with an Earthworks Emulator that allowed them to practice operating an Excavator, Dozer, or Motor Grader.

What is the Lead Person Program?

The construction industry is known for promoting field staff into leadership roles without providing adequate training. Often, the only qualifications for such roles are skill level and willingness to accept the responsibility of leadership. Unfortunately, this approach has only harmed our industry. At Park Construction, however, we are working to change this with our Lead Person Program.

In 2022, we launched an initiative aimed at identifying Park personnel who are interested in becoming future leaders in our company. Through this program, we paired these employees with mentors who can guide them along their leadership journey. The program has been a resounding success, allowing us to slowly introduce Leads to supervisory responsibilities without burdening them with supervisory accountability.

We recently celebrated the success of this initiative with a lunch for the Leads, mentors, general superintendents, and senior leadership at Park. During this event, we expressed our appreciation to both Leads and mentors and provided the Leads with a custom gift that they truly deserved. We are proud to have developed this program and believe that it will be instrumental in shaping the future leaders of our company. 

New Employee Announcements

We have some new faces in the Park Construction Office. Please welcome Bob Bruski joining us as a Safety Coordinator. Trent Cottingham joining us as General Superintendent of Heavy Civil. Kelly Elness joining us as Human Resources Manager. You may see them in the office or the field, make sure to introduce yourself and welcome them to the Park Team.

Park Mental Wellness Holiday – Friday August 4, 2023

Park Construction would like to give notice of our upcoming Mental Wellness Holiday on August 4, 2023. During this time, all Park Construction employees will be provided with the day off to disconnect from work related tasks to focus on self-care and activities that promote mental wellbeing.

In our industry, workers often face high levels of stress, long working hours, physically demanding work, and a high risk of workplace accidents. All these factors can take a toll on a worker's mental health. Park believes that taking this time off will not only benefit our employees’ mental health, but it will also allow employees to return to work with renewed energy and focus.

Park’s Project Managers and General Superintendents will be communicating this with all clients and project teams on active projects. We look forward to providing an opportunity to promote a culture of wellbeing in the construction industry and at Park Construction Company.

Strategic Initiatives

Park Construction's Senior Leadership Team met in January to evaluate and discuss the successes of the 2022 Construction Season and identify areas for improvement for 2023. The Senior Leadership Team would like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of the team at Park Construction for making 2022 one of the best seasons that Park has had in its 107 years in business. 

The group had thoughtful discussions and identified the strategic initiatives that we would like to emphasize and focus on in 2023. Each initiative will have a committee formed and will be guided by a member of the Senior Leadership Team. The 6 key strategic initiatives and each respective committee chair are identified below.

• Development & Training: Mike Christianson
• Accountability: Jeff Carlson
• Employee Retention: Jeff Slusser
• Recruitment: Charlie Borene
• Expansion: Tom DePauw
• Mental Wellness: Jake Droessler

It is only through teamwork that we will be able to take on these initiatives and continue to improve and grow as a company. We thank all of you for your dedication and commitment and look forward to a Safe and Successful year in 2023.

I-29 Project Update

We are entering our final year of work on the I-29 Fargo Moorhead Diversion Project. The only remaining items are construction of the levees, removal of the embankment used to construct the temporary bypass, and project clean-up.

I-29 was raised to allow a new diversion channel to pass under the highway. During the first year, Park constructed a 3.3 mile; 4 lane temporary bypass for highway traffic. This included hauling of all necessary materials to raise I-29 to stockpiles. Once the traffic was switched to the temporary bypass, we removed the existing concrete to an onsite crushing operation. All crushed material was utilized as aggregate base later in the project. Then we placed all preloaded materials needed to raise I-29 for the 2 new bridges and reconstruction of County Highway 81 & 18.

We look forward to the completion of this project, and to continue our work in the Fargo Moorhead area.

Recent Wins

In addition to carryover work from last year, we have a lot of exciting upcoming projects thanks to the hard work of our project bidding team. Here are some of the projects we recently won bids on:

• 2023 Bit Overlays - Ham Lake, MN
• 2023 Parking Lot & Trails - Stillwater, MN
• 269th Ave - Zimmerman, MN
• ABC Mini Storage - Andover, MN
• Apple Valley Fire Station - Apple Valley, MN
• ASN Roadway package consisting of the I-29 & CR81 Bypass and CR 4&31 Road Realignment - Fargo, ND
• Blaine SW Area - Blaine, MN
• BNSF Embankment Stabilization - Hanley Falls, MN
• BNSF Stormwater & Erosion Imp - Amory, MS
• Boone Ave - Brooklyn Park, MN
• Brooklyn Park Overlays - Brooklyn Park, MN
• Crystal Airport - Crystal, MN
• CSAH 21 - Prior Lake, MN
• CSAH 21/Revere Way - Prior Lake, MN
• Eastern Carver Schools - Carver, MN
• Fed Ex Gateway Building Expansion 
• Fifz Apartments - Minneapolis, MN
• Fish Point Road - Prior Lake, MN
• Glacial Valley Park - Cottage Grove, MN
• Grantsburg Elementary School - Grantsburg, WI
• Grantsburg High School - Grantsburg, WI
• Hastings Mill & Overlay - Hastings, MN
• Lindstrom Newlander Patch - Lindstrom, MN
• Minnetonka Schools - Minnetonka, MN
• MNDOT 0207-120 TH 65 at CSAH 10
• Moore Lake Park Site Improvements - Moore Lake, MN
• Orrock Township Overlays - Orrock Township, MN
• Plymouth Chankahda Trail - Plymouth, MN
• POET LAD-12 Concrete, Site Work, & Plumbing – Laddonia, MO
• POET LIB-09 Concrete & Site Work – Emmetsburg, IA
• Ramsey County Off Leash Dog Area - Ramsey County, MN
• Robbinsdale Area Schools ISD #281 - New Hope, MN
• Stillwater Schools Oak Park Parking Lot - Stillwater, MN
• Target T2321 - Rochester, MN 
• Target T2456 - Otsego, MN 
• Wicklowe Apartments & Sitework - Rosemount, MN
• Woodbury and East Ridge High School - Woodbury, MN
• Zimmerman Water Supply - Zimmerman, MN

Park on Social Media

One of our goals for 2023 is to have a bigger presence on social media. We are posting weekly content on multiple platforms, and we encourage you to follow us, like our posts, and leave a comment or share it if you feel inspired. You can find us on the following sites:

Employee Referral Bonus Program

Did you know that Park has an employee referral bonus program for our staff members? We believe that our employees are our most valuable asset and that they are in the best position to recommend qualified candidates to join our team. If you know someone who would be a great fit for our company, please reach out to your supervisor or HR for more information on how you can participate in this program. We appreciate your continued support and look forward to growing our team with your help.