Already a destination for sports medicine and tourism, Colorado received a boost when the Regional Tourism Act provided the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and Penrose St. Francis Healthcare group in Colorado Springs a $16M funding package to build the William J. Hybl Sports Medicine Performance Center. UCCS and Centura Health partnered to create a new facility for the community including a clinic, sports medicine therapy and rehab, real-time research in the facility, translational medicine, and more. As Colorado was one of the first COVID-19 hotspots in the country, the project team needed to develop a quick solution to ensure safety and continuity – one that would serve as a blueprint for jobsites around the country.
When COVID-19 spread quickly across the US, the Hybl Sports Performance project team was in the final two months of its project completion date. From products and material delays and a campus shutdown to finalizing punch list items that required a large group of people in a small area, the client and trade partners turned to the JE Dunn to lead the COVID-19 effort and response plan. Communicating immediately, JE Dunn updated the site-specific plan and requested feedback from trade partners regarding jobsite impacts and documentation. Additionally, these teams worked together to manage material and fabrication impacts. “A major challenge the project team initially faced was the impact to productivity due to the uncertainty surrounding the situation and whether Colorado would allow jobsites to remain open,” said Senior Project Manager Matt Vineyard. “To help combat that while ensuring safety, we developed a solution to increase job site productivity while also following CDC guidelines.”
JE Dunn first split the job site staff into two shifts to reduce the density of workers on site at one time. In addition, the project team implemented social distancing signage throughout the site, one-way corridors, and information posted in the lobby to better direct traffic flow and ensure proper spacing. “We employed different ways to maintain an appropriate social distance in addition to signage. One of those was staggering workers to three start times, which in turn helped with density, screening times, entry and exit traffic, lunch, and breaks which would be spread out as well,” said Vineyard. In the last full week of March, JE Dunn led trade partner stand-ups limited to 10 workers maximum where they discussed close contact definition, ran through the new format of trade shifts, screening, and other changes to ensure everyone was aware of the most current procedures.
In the next week, the job site implemented screenings for all workers and guests before entering the jobsite, handing out daily wristbands to indicate they were cleared for the day. “Being in position at the university that frequents the job site of the Hybl Sports Medicine Performance Center, I’m comfortable being on-site by the processes and procedures that JE Dunn has implemented to address the unforeseen COVID-19 concerns throughout our country.” said the Ron Honn, Environment Health Safety & Life Safety Manager, UCCS Police Operations. “I find their processes and procedures are exceeding and meeting CDC requirements and evolving as those requirements change. It has also been helpful to be able to share JE Dunn’s response plan with the university’s service providers that assist us on our major projects.”
With quickly evolving directives and guidance, extreme coordination with the trades not only maintained steady productivity throughout the end of the project, but it also increased the effectiveness of the COVID-19-related safety processes and procedures. The communication and cooperation of all parties kept the project on track in the face of great and unknown circumstances, resulting in enhanced safety and collaboration from top to bottom. The client is scheduled to move into the space in June.
