Bomel Construction does an ‘outstanding’ job building 3-level parking structure for high school in Orange County, California
Bomel Construction does an ‘outstanding’ job building 3-level parking structure for high school in Orange County, California
Patrick Murphy, the former president of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., used the word outstanding several times to describe the new campus parking structure.
“Bomel Construction did an outstanding job working through the city process and the Diocese process. And they built it on time and on budget,” said Murphy, who recently left the school after 30 years of service.
The 1,020-stall parking garage is the first such facility for the school, located on Edinger Avenue. Bomel Construction Co. Inc., widely regarded as the parking structure specialists, was the design-build general contractor for the three-level garage.
Established in 1950, Mater Dei is a Catholic, co-educational, college-preparatory school serving about 2,200 students in grades 9 through 12. Several of its sports teams are annually ranked among the best in the state or nation, resulting in large crowds attending games throughout the academic year. Additionally, the parking structure will support a new performing arts center expected in four to five years, Murphy said.
The poured-in-place concrete parking structure eliminates the need for students to park in the surrounding neighborhood and provides an abundant amount of spaces for well-attended athletic and extra-curricular events.
Construction challenges included the garage’s location above dense clay and sandy soil with high liquefaction characteristics.
“We had to drill about 175 piles down between 60 and 80 feet into bedrock. That was the first major hurdle that Bomel ran into,” Murphy explained. “And I thought they did an outstanding job. They consulted with several engineers and came back to us with seven different options for how to fix this problem.”
“The project team chose the safest, most neighbor-friendly option,” said Mike Lucio, Bomel’s project executive.
Murphy said the extensive planning and construction needed to overcome the soft soil conditions impacted the schedule, budget and approvals.
“Even still, Bomel was able to finish the structure, and we had access to it the first day of school, which was our goal.”
In addition to the stalls in the parking garage, Mater Dei has a 400-stall parking lot and uses a 220-stall city lot across the street. With about 500 students and 200 faculty and staff parking on campus daily, the parking structure is about half full during a typical school day.
The garage is located next to multiple athletic fields and the 68,000-square-foot Meruelo Athletic Center built, the largest facility of its kind in the nation, according to Murphy. Mater Dei teams, both boys and girls, have won state and national championships. Many alumni have excelled in college and played on professional sports teams.
Murphy is particularly proud of the school’s service record.
“Two years ago, we received an award from the city of Santa Ana for donating over 50,000 community service hours. I think that’s a terrific statement about our students, our campus ministry and about the school giving back to the community. We want to make sure we help in our community as much as we can.”
In addition to Lucio, Irvine-based Bomel Construction’s project team was led by Adam Perrington, project manager.
Murphy is far from being the only person who is pleased with the project. “Our security guards, parents, students, faculty, staff and neighbors are extremely happy. It’s been a Godsend, quite frankly.”
ABOUT BOMEL CONSTRUCTION: Established in 1970, Irvine, Calif.-based Bomel Construction Co. Inc. is widely regarded as the parking structure specialists in the western United States and is one of the largest concrete contractors in the nation. In addition to its award-winning parking structure portfolio, Bomel is a one-stop source for all concrete construction needs. The company maintains a highly skilled staff for its in-house structural, architectural and site concrete divisions. Bomel works directly for property owners, developers and general contractors. Its portfolio of work includes a wide range of projects built at large, well-known casino-resorts, shopping malls, office parks, mass transit centers, airports, universities and community colleges. For more information: Bomel Construction Co. Inc., 96 Corporate Park, Irvine, CA 92606. Phone: 714-921-1660. Web site: www.bomelconstruction.com.