Winter 2012

Lincoln, NE - Before construction on the Pinnacle Bank Arena could commence, the West Haymarket site first had to be prepared by removing "dirty" dirt. The fuel contamination at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad's Lincoln Depot site was first discovered approximately twenty-five years ago when the City of Lincoln prepared the site for construction of a sanitary sewer line. The free product was documented by HWS Consulting Group (now Alfred Benesch & Company) and reported to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. Fast forward to 2011 and work was needed to prepare the West Haymarket site for the new arena and the planned public and commercial development of the area.

General Excavating won a competitive bid and received approval from the Joint Public Agency to remediate the contamination as a result of the long existing diesel plume. The primary scope of the cleanup project, located north of "O" Street, consisted of pumping and treating the diesel fuel contaminated water, excavation of over 14,000 cubic yards of impacted soil, temporary reroute of a sanitary sewer line, backfilling with clean soil, and restoration of the site. One of the primary challenges of the project was coordinating construction with an active BNSF line and relocation of existing utilities. Working with MCC LLC General Contractors, temporary shoring was installed to protect the active railroad tracks and maintain stability of the railroad embankment. Approximately 300 lineal feet of sheet piling, 40 feet in height, was driven on the west side of the excavation and maintained during construction. The petroleum contaminated material was transported to G&P Development Landfill in Milford, NE by Gana Trucking & Excavating. Restoration of the site included installing a liner in the excavation, layering two feet of crushed rock, and clean compacted backfill. People observing the site now will only see the flurry of activity associated with the construction of the Pinnacle Bank Arena. Like so many projects before and to come, our best work is the kind that people never see. For more information about this environmental construction project or to discuss how we can assist you, contact Project Managers Joe Giesler or Ken Imig and let us be YOUR "UNDERGROUND" PARTNER.

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General Excavating, like most companies, has a number of people behind the curtains that keep the machine running smoothly. Literally, keeping the machine running at General Excavating is no small undertaking. From excavators to bore rigs to snow plow blades to backhoes that won't start on a cold winter day, the life of a mechanic at General Excavating is a steady stream of, "let me finish this repair and I will be to the jobsite shortly". We have four good ones: Pat Ryan - the department head, Dan Nelson - the jack of all trades, Jeff Vollbracht Ð the automotive expert, and Scott Clark - the nomad who travels from site to site. These four individuals, like the Wizard of Oz, are the part of the group behind the curtains that keepsYOUR "UNDERGROUND" PARTNER running smoothly.

It's pretty simple really; General Excavating is brought on board to complete a given scope of work. Be it directional boring conduit to assist an electrician on a school renovation project, removing an underground storage tank on a road move, bringing water and sanitary sewer to a new subdivision or any number of other jobs we are asked to do on a specific project, in the end we ask our clients "are you satisfied with the work"? We do this by providing solutions. As we know, problems occur on projects. Some happen due to a fault of the contractor, some because of a design issue, and others result due to something unforeseen. At General Excavating, we work with our project partners to find a solution to the problem so the project can proceed with minimal disruption. The experience of our project foreman and project managers provides a wealth of knowledge as we work with the engineers or contractors on the job to complete quality work in a safe, efficient, and cost effective manner. In the end that is why we have built a reputation as one of the top specialty contractors in the area which is based upon the ability to assist you in achieving client satisfaction. Get your project off to a good start by calling us to discuss constructability issues, assist in providing an accurate budget, or to review alternate methods of constructions or materials. YOUR "UNDERGROUND" PARTNER is here to help you with the little and simple things that often mean the difference on a successful project.

What's making news at General Excavating?

• General Excavating received a "SILVER" S.T.E.P. award from the Association of Builders & Contractors. The Safety Training and Evaluation Process program recognizes contractors committed to improving their safety practices.

• Employees at General Excavating completed annual training as part of the e-railsafe safety program required by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad to work in BNSF right-of-ways. The program provides utility, boring, and environmental crews the information needed to work in close proximity to tracks.

• The Iowa Dept of Natural Resources, Underground Storage Tank Section, certified General Excavating as a UST licensed remover for 2012 in the state of Iowa.

• The Engineering News-Record has ranked General Excavating as one of the ENR Top 600 Specialty Contractors in the nation for 2011.

• General Excavating's twenty-five year celebration is just around the corner. It all started at 27th & Superior Streets as a small earth and utility contractor and has evolved into one of the regionÕs top specialty contractors.

Working for the City of Lincoln and Unite Fiber, General Excavating completed work on a joint fiber optics communications project that will serve the new Lancaster County Jail and District Energy Corporation.

"This is the second project that Dennis Willeford and GE have worked on for us (Q Street was the first) and I wanted you to know he continues to do an outstanding job."

Landscape Contractors from Lincoln and the surrounding area recently joined the staff at GE Landscape Supply along with presenter Steve Yeo, from Semco Products, for a "hands-on" seminar on building an Outdoor Kitchen. Home owners are looking for ways to expand their outdoor living space and an outdoor kitchen provides a perfect gathering place for summer barbeques.

Brent Van Winkle, GE Landscape Supply's new manager and Geremy Lopez, our new assistant manager were on hand to assist Steve and answer questions about how GE Landscape Supply may better serve contractors in 2012.

An opportunity for General Excavating's employees to show others the work they perform. Winner's receive cash and have their photo displayed at General Excavating.

Robert Feliciano submitted this quarter's winning photograph. A project foreman, Robert has worked at General Excavating for over four years. Robert completes a variety of below grade utility projects for a wide range of public and private clients throughout the area.
General Excavating, working as a subcontractor for Grunwald Mechanical on the University of Nebraska Medical Center's campus located in Omaha, installed steam, chilled water piping, and the associated work as part of the Clarkson Utilities Extension, Phase II Project.

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