Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Vermeer High Plains Expansion Project

Vermeer High Plains has been selling heavy equipment in Nebraska since 1979 when Vermeer Equipment of Nebraska Inc. was established in Lincoln, NE. The company recently recognized the opportunity to further expand by moving into the Omaha area, and Prairie Construction was honored to be chosen for the project.

The company sells new and used heavy equipment – everything from agricultural machinery to utility installation, pipeline, recycling and tree care machinery, as well as a variety of vehicles. The addition of a second location in Nebraska signals not only the success of the company, but their commitment to further growth in the region as well. A site in Papillion, NE was chosen for the brand new 17,000 square-foot facility, and we broke ground on the project in November, 2017.

Designs for the new building include drive-thru bays, and bases for maintenance and service of vehicles and machinery of various sizes, as well as an equipment washing bay. Three bridge cranes will be housed within the facility and utilized for safe, easy access to large equipment.

“We have been so pleased with Prairie Construction,” said Kevin Klein, president of Vermeer High Plains. “They run their business the way we run ours, they have been organized and professional from the first time we met with them.”

The new facility will include a two-story office space with upper-level training rooms. The training space will accommodate groups as large as 40 which will allow customers to come to the facility.

We recently installed the steel structure for the facility, and we can see the design starting to take shape. We look forward to sharing the progress of this exciting project with you until the anticipated completion date in July 2018.

“We have been so impressed with Steve and his team throughout the process,” said Kleine. “We would recommend their entire team, including the sub-contractors, to anyone looking for a quality construction company.”

Check back for updates here, and learn more about Vermeer High Plains by visiting their website.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Company News

Mike Mann Celebrate Ten Years With Prairie Construction

This month we recognized Mike Mann as he celebrates his 10th anniversary with Prairie Construction. Mike joined our team in 2008 as a general laborer and is now one of our interior finishers.

Mike is a skilled worker who came to Prairie Construction with close to ten years of experience as a drywall finisher. “When the housing market started to shift, I was looking for something new to try, and I landed at Prairie Construction,” said Mann. “Every day is something new, anything from pouring concrete, to roof blocking, to interior work – I love the variety day-to-day.”

Mike was recently honored for his anniversary at an employee meeting. “It can be difficult to find a loyal and dedicated employee like Mike,” said Steve Rease, co-owner of Prairie Construction. “He is dependable, and we know when he shows up, he is going to work hard, and bring quality work to every project.”

Mike has been a key team member involved with recent school projects we have completed. “The best thing about a school project is that when we show up, it’s just a pile of dirt, but when we walk away, kids are going to school there,” he said. “There is a real sense of accomplishment and I feel proud when I drive by a school that was built by Prairie Construction.”

Mike enjoys spending time with his wife Donna and his daughter Sydney. He loves his job, and spends his free time fixing things at home, or helping friends with home projects. He is a valuable member of the Prairie Construction team – congratulations on your 10th anniversary Mike!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

City of Omaha Projects Completed in Time for Winter

In 2017, we completed two City of Omaha projects that will be put to the test this winter. Last Spring, we finished the City of Omaha maintenance facility in northeast Omaha, and in October we finished a 10,000 square-foot salt shed in Elkhorn. Both facilities could face a test with the first significant storm of the season.

The Northeast Street Maintenance facility, located in northeast Omaha at 18th & Jaynes St., houses City of Omaha snowplows and street treatment mixtures. While this isn’t the first time the snowplows will hit the streets this winter, this first storm of 2018 looks to be a challenge for street crews. Temperatures are expected to drop quickly and dramatically, leading to the potential for a measurable snow to fall on ice-covered streets throughout the morning commute. The condensed nature of the storm, coupled with the timing of the morning commute, will present a challenge to crews to keep the streets safe, and we feel proud that the facility will maximize their efficiency.

As the City of Omaha has grown, so has the need for additional snowplows to keep all streets safe in winter conditions. The building replaced the former facility that was no longer large enough to meet the demands of the city as it has grown.

The facility includes a nearly 20,000 square-foot garage for equipment, vehicles and office space. There is an additional 16,000 square-foot building for materials, including a 1,000 square-foot bring mixing facility that includes a 90,000-gallon brine storage tank.

The entire facility was designed with efficiency in mind. Trucks can quickly enter, refill with treatments, and get back on the road so the streets can stay safe in winter conditions.

In October of 2017 we completed a salt shed building located in Elkhorn. The 10,000 square-foot building stores the salt and sand used by the City of Omaha maintenance street crews. While no one wants to see compromising conditions on the streets, we are proud to be involved projects that were designed with the city’s safety in mind.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Sarpy County Better Homes & Garden Real Estate Project

We recently completed the renovation of an empty suite in a new strip mall to allow for a rapidly growing real estate company to expand into Papillion. Better Homes and Garden Real Estate expanded into the Midwest in October 2015 with the opening of its first office in Omaha. The company has been growing rapidly ever since.

The strip building located at 90th & Highway 370 in Papillion was ready for tenant renovations, and was ideally located to allow the real estate company to expand in the area. The 3500 square-foot renovation includes modern offices, a spacious conference room and an employee break room space.  The new branch location will allow the real estate company to expand into Sarpy County, and continue its growth in the Midwest.

We worked closely with agents Tom and Jennifer Simmons on the project. “Tom and Jennifer were great to work with,” said Steve Rease. “We are very proud that we could be a part of their growing success.”

The renovation project took ten weeks, allowing us to meet the owner’s desired completion date. It is exciting for us to see local businesses experience growth in our community, and we were grateful for the opportunity to play a role in that growth!

 

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

New Oakdale Elementary School Will Welcome Students in the New Year!

In 2016, voters in District 66 approved a bond to rebuilt multiple schools in the district. Among those was Oakdale Elementary School, located at 98th & Center St. We were honored to be chosen for the project that entailed rebuilding a new school on the site of the former building.

We were proud to complete the project on deadline and in enough time to welcome the student body of about 300 students back in January, after the holiday break. The modern design of the new school includes updated safety features and an efficient use of space, and the end result is a beautiful new building!

The Prairie construction team recently attended a ribbon-cutting event that officially opened the school. Current students as well as members of the Oakdale Elementary Class of 1936 were among the first to see the brand-new building.

This was a fun project for the Prairie Construction team to be involved with because we love to think of the students’ excitement about learning in a brand-new school.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Creighton University Old Gym Renovation

We recently completed a project that we were honored to be a part of – the renovation of the Old Gym on the Creighton University campus. Construction companies are often associated with brand new builds, but we get excited when we can be involved in renovation projects that preserve a piece of history, and this project did just that!

The Old Gym, which marked its 100th anniversary in 2015, has housed many athletic facilities over the years including men’s and women’s basketball, swimming and diving, and volleyball. The building was formerly known as the Vinardi Center and is located at 24th & Burt St. Many alumni will recall class registrations, commencements and dances taking place in the building. Most recently it was earmarked to house the Pharmacy Skills Lab and associated offices, which were outgrowing their space in the Brandeis Building, and that is where Prairie Construction got involved.

Transforming a former athletic facility into a functioning medical academic facility presented many challenges – challenges we were eager to face, together with Creighton architect Coale Johnson and his team. A significant challenge was working around the main data center (DoIT) for the Creighton campus, which is located in the building. There were 2 absolute requirements – maintain power throughout the project and prevent dust in the DoIT – and we are proud to say we met both!

We also faced logistical challenges in accessing a building located in the center of a busy college campus. The majority of the work was done over the summer, but was necessary to work around normal operations on campus, and we met all deadlines.

There was no convenient area to fence off for easy access and equipment storage. The street next to the building would have been the logical option, but it provides the handicapped entrance for St. John’s Church and therefore needed to remain open at all times.

Site logistics were very tight – logistically challenged, street to building used for St. John’s church – handicapped entrance had to be kept open at all times. No area to fence off, need to maintain operations of campus life, data center, etc.

We built a floor in the space that was once open to the lower level gymnasium. You would never guess that the new classroom, office and laboratory spaces were previously athletic practice areas that were gutted and redesigned into state-of-the-art facilities. While the look of the building was completely transformed, we were mindful of honoring the legacy of the building, and in many ways we were able to preserve the original character of the building.  The gymnasium floors throughout the building were salvaged and will be repurposed.

This beautiful space will serve as a place of higher learning for years to come, and we were proud to play a role in preserving a piece of history on the Creighton University campus. You can learn more about the new Pharmacy Skills Lab here.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

The Aspen Seemann and Lane Graves Activity Center is Long-Anticipated Facility

At Prairie Construction, every new project brings us some level of excitement, and that is particularly true when we have a personal connection. We recently completed a new addition at St. Patrick’s school and parish in Elkhorn, NE and we are particularly proud of this project because Steve Rease, co-owner of Prairie Construction, is a long-time member of the parish.

The Aspen Seemann and Lane Graves Activity Center is a two-story, 27,000 square foot addition to the original school building. The building has been long-anticipated and provides much needed spaces including a gymnasium and stage, cafeteria and kitchen, music room and office space.

Construction of the project lasted one year, after a year of designing and planning. Special planning, such as excavation over the winter months, was required throughout construction in order to accommodate the busy school and parish activities that take place nearly every day, year-round. “School was in session for most of the construction phase, and the Prairie Construction team was very flexible and accommodating,” said Vicki Payton, business manager for St. Patrick’s. “Communication between us and Scott, the foreman, and his team, was excellent. They were more than willing to work around our busy school and mass schedule, and planned noisy projects accordingly.”

Steve’s personal connection as a parish member and father of five children who have been educated at the school, added some unexpected pressure. “My daughter was graduating from 8th grade last Spring, and she and her classmates really wanted to graduate in the new activity center,” said Steve. “We finished the project three months ahead of schedule, and the ceremony took place in the brand-new space.”

The Catholic elementary school had no gymnasium before the addition, leaving hallways and the outdoors as the only space for sport team practices and physical education classes. The new gym includes bleachers that can accommodate 400 people, 10 x 13-foot LED screen scoreboards and state-of-the-art lighting and sound, as well as a stage, for multiple purposes. The new space can accommodate receptions and special events, and included an extensive outdoor plaza and patio area to enhance events.

“The new activity center has been highly anticipated by many people for a long time, and when it was finally completed, it was emotional for a lot of people,” said Vicki. “I can’t say enough about what a pleasure it was to work with the Prairie Construction team. We got to know the workers who were here every day for a year, and we were so touched by how much each of them put their heart into the project.” The new activity center was officially dedicated on August 23, 2017. “The day of the dedication, a team member from Prairie Construction was here sweeping the sidewalks, making sure every last detail was perfect. That was not necessary, but it was those small touches that made working with Prairie Construction so special for us.”

The Aspen Seemann and Lane Graves Activity Center at St. Patrick’s in Elkhorn is just one project we are proud to have contributed to in the Omaha-metro area, and we look forward to many more!

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Uncategorized

We Build Beautiful Schools

At Prairie Construction, no job is too big or too small. We’ve done everything from a 10,000 square-foot renovation to new construction builds measuring well over 100,000 square feet.

Over the last several years, we have completed several school projects – renovations, brand new buildings for those looking to start a school of their own and building additions. Arbor View Elementary and Blue Sage Elementary, both in Elkhorn, are among new school buildings we have recently completed, and we are currently finishing Oakdale Elementary, a new District 66 School. We added a concession building at Lewis Central, and have completed numerous project at VJ Skutt Catholic High School. There are generally a few renovations that are common in most projects, like the renovation of the commons area, wrestling building, parking lot expansion (with new parking signage), weight room renovation, soccer field, and football stadium seating expansion.

School projects are unique because we are usually working while school is in session. Sticking to a strict construction schedule, and having flexibility to accommodate a constantly-changing school schedule, are crucial. Our experience with school projects gives us the confidence needed to complete each project on schedule and budget. Our goal with every school project is to create a safe and efficient space for children to learn and develop.

We understand the concepts behind well-designed school buildings. Tight schedules and efficient traffic flow are essential to a successful school day, and we can anticipate issues and facilitate effective designs while staying on schedule.

“Prairie’s professionalism, teamwork and get-it-done mentality has impressed the Elkhorn Public Schools district,” said Ryan Lindquist, Elkhorn Public Schools. “Our projects with Prairie have always been completed on time and within budget.”

When it comes to schools, nothing is more important than the safety of students, and this is an area where we excel. Children spend several hours a day in a school building, and nothing is more important than creating a safe environment where they can learn, grow and be happy.

We are proud to be involved in building the future for the kids in our community. Contact us to learn more about our school projects.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Uncategorized

CITY OF OMAHA NORTHEAST STREET MAINTENANCE FACILITY OPENS

City of Omaha officials cut the ribbon Wednesday, April 20th on a $6.00 million street maintenance yard at 18th and Jaynes Streets, in northeast Omaha.Prairie Construction Co. of Omaha began work on the new facility in early 2015.

It includes an almost 20,000-square-foot garage that will house equipment, vehicles and office space; a 16,000-square-foot materials building; and a 1,000-square-foot brine-mixing facility that serves a 90,000-gallon brine storage tank.