December 6, 2022

Project Spotlight

Evanswood Street & Utility Improvements

Maple Grove, MN

General Contractor: Park Construction Company

Project Manager(s): Randy Greniger/Rusty Vogelgesang

Project Superintendent: Mike Gutknecht (Streets) and Rene Garcia (Pipe)

Foreman: Travis Poppe, Dave Hines, Jason Reed, Brian Schmidt, Andy Ravio, Jon Ladehoff

Self Performed Work

• 11750 LF 8” – 24” Sanitary Sewer 10 - 40’ Deep
• 16x9 Precast Box Culvert
• 10,500 LF 6” – 30” Watermain
• 8000 LF 15” – 36” Storm Sewer
• 27,500 CY Common Excavation
• 25,500 CY Select Granular Embankment
• 7000 TN Bituminous Paving
• 47,000 SY 3” Bituminous Walk

Park Construction was awarded a portion of a large development in NW Maple Grove, MN. This development is part of a 180 acre site which will include 227 new single-family homes and 154 new townhomes. Our job was to install all the city utilities (sanitary, water, and storm sewer) and construct the residential streets.

Against all odds, late spring award, utility conflicts, supply chain issues, and equipment availability our crews were still able to meet the construction completion date(s). At peak construction there were five utility crews onsite working to help move this project along. The dirt crew followed closely behind often time bumping into sewer crews to build the streets to keep the project on schedule.  Earthwork on the project consisted of 28,000 cys of excavation, placing 32,000 cubic yards of sand and class 5 and finally pave 4,500 tons of asphalt.

The utility crews installed 11,750 LF of 8” – 24” Sanitary sewer, 10,500 LF of 6” – 30” Watermain, 8,000 LF of 15” – 30” Storm Sewer and a 16’x9’ Box Culvert all in five months. The deep sanitary crew used a Cat 395 and Cat 374 working in tandem to install 3,500 LF of 20” and 24” sanitary at depths of 25’ to 40’ feet deep while doing so safely. 

This brings me to my next topic. Even with the heavy push placed on this project to meet completion dates, all the crews completed the work safely and without incident. The Evanswood Project was a CHASE Level 3 Project where Park Construction partnered with MN OSHA and AGC of MN for safety mentorship and best practices. 

Park Construction thanks all Crews, Foreman, Superintendents, and General Superintendents for their hard work and dedication to this project! 

Park Construction Company was the recent recipient of the State of Minnesota Merit Award for Outstanding Performance.  Park was presented with the award on December 1 at the 2022 MN Asphalt Conference and Trade Show at Mystic Lake Conference Center.

Park won the award for its work on the TH 36 Mill and Overlay Project, a 10-mile MnDOT project, which spanned from Maplewood to Stillwater. Award nominations are made by the Assistant District Engineers for Construction or State Aid. Each project nominated are evaluated on the following criteria:

1. Rideability – 35 Points
2. Joints – 8 Points
3. Density – 7 Points
4. General Appearance – 30 Points
5. Complexity of Project – 20 Points
6. Design Compliance (All Categories)

Along with Drivers from Park Avenue Trucking, Park’s Paving crews, worked nights and weekends to complete the complex project. In total, more than 50 employees from Park Construction and Park Avenue Trucking contributed to the success of this project, for which their efforts were recognized through this award. Congratulations to Kevin Danielson, Brian Shay, Brent Thompson Jen Clemens, and all of their crew members on this outstanding achievement.

In addition to the Merit Award, Park’s work on the TH36 Mill and Overlay Project was again recognized during a presentation at the MN Asphalt Conference and Trade Show. Derick Sonnenberg was invited to present on the Topic of Echelon Paving. Derick presented along with 2 other contractors and discussed the challenges that accompany an echelon paving project. Derick was the Estimator and Project Manager of the TH 36 Mill and Overlay Project. Congratulations to Derick on being recognized within the industry and a job well done.  

Employee Spotlight - Cheri Keltner

Accounting/Administration

How long have you worked for Park Construction? 

I have worked at Park for almost 8 years 

Describe your typical day at Park?



My job is to keep things moving from answering the phone, helping anyone who comes in our front door, assisting the accounting department, handling anything that comes across my desk including dealing with trucking haul sheets, crushing paperwork, mail, etc.) to assisting all departments to keep things moving. I am a people person and love interacting with everyone and handling a variety of things throughout the day.  

Tell us something about yourself and what you enjoy doing away from the office?

When I am not at the office I spend as much time as possible with my two sons (Landon (24) and Ethan (17) and watching my oldest son play basketball with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, also listening to my youngest son play competitive Madden NFL. Then there is also time spent watching Netflix and the many recorded DVR shows with my mom (Park’s Payroll Lady) (we record a lot of shows). Currently we are into watching Yellowstone, The Cleaning Lady, 911, All American to name a few.  

I watch a lot of different types of movies. Like to watch documentaries and movies based on true stories. I started playing softball in 2nd grade and played through high school. Continued playing softball in adult leagues on several teams playing Park n Rec and competitively with games 5-7 days a week. I also became a grandmother to a beautiful little girl in July 2022.

Below are the pictures submitted for the monthly photo contest. Beneath the pictures, select your favorite!

Sunset on Cope

Evanswood

Sun Dog

Night Paving

Verizon Hydrodynamic separator