Southwest Regional Report
Pinnacle, hotels and roads fill voids left by waning petrochemical industry

By Sam Barnes

Economic forecasters have long warned that downturns in the petrochemical industry could have disastrous effects on the state's southwest region, and high natural gas prices seem to be turning this worst-case scenario into reality.

Petrochemical owners have postponed projects, laid off employees and searched for ways of doing more with less to counter the effects of high natural gas prices.

That perhaps explains the excitement over Pinnacle Entertainment's new $325 million gaming complex in Lake Charles, which was the largest project in the state to break ground in 2003.

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The project, expected to employ 500 construction workers before its completion next year, is a welcome infusion of capital for an area that has been investment-deprived.

There are other positive events on Lake Charles' horizon.

"Delta Downs has announced a $50 million expansion of its racino, Trunkline is doubling the size of its Liquid Natural Gas import facility and Sempra Energy is obtaining permits to build a new LNG plant," said Loren Scott, an economist with LSU, in the Louisiana Economic Outlook.

Trunkline will spend $166 million and Sempra will spend about $700 million on their new unit.

Still, for the next two years Lake Charles will be pulling a lead weight behind it in trying to achieve employment levels.

"We expect the chemical and industrial construction sectors to continue their slide," Scott said.

Lafayette appears to be in the middle of a more balanced growth trend.

"Lafayette is beniftting from $250 million in expansions in the health care area, and the city is spending $10 million for the Acadiana Center for the Arts," Scott said..

The Lafayette area will also benefit from the opening of the new Evangeline Downs racino in Opelousas. The racetrack moved to St. Landry Parish so that slot machines could be added to the facility.

Other job growth should come from what has become one of the area's larger employers - Cingular Wireless. Cingular opened a new call center in Lafayette recently that has expanded to 1,200 employees and is projected to grow to 1,400.

Other large employers in the area such as Stuller Settings, Acadian Ambulance and Petroleum Helicopters will also provide fuel for the economy.

Project snapshots

Pinnacle Casino, Lake Charles. Manhattan Construction Co. of Houston assembled five tower cranes along the banks of the Calcasieu River early this year to construct the new Pinnacle gaming complex in Lake Charles.

"Accompanying the riverboat casino will be a 24-story, asymmetrical concrete hotel tower, a parking garage and golf course," Duane Duffey, project manager, said.

The project also requires construction of a private "villa complex" adjacent to the hotel tower; approximately 40,000 sq. ft. of meeting and conference space; a 14,600 sq.-ft. ballroom for more than 1,000 visitors; a 2,898-sq.-ft. banquet hall; two boardrooms and two meeting rooms.

The riverboat casino will be one of the largest single-deck riverboats in the world and one of the only single-deck riverboats in the state. It will measure 225 ft. wide and 330 ft. long, with an approximate gaming area of 48,490 sq. ft., including 60 table games and 1,645 slot machines.

The property will also have three to four retail outlets.

During construction of the 7,000-yd. championship golf course, golf architect Tom Fazio plans to emphasize the marsh and lowland features of the natural Louisiana environment. A combination of aquatic and natural vegetation will be located along eight lakes.

Pinnacle owns and operates seven casinos and four hotels in Mississippi, Louisiana, Indiana, Nevada and Argentina under the Boomtown, Casino Magic and Belterra brands.

South Louisiana Community College, Lafayette. The $12 million expansion of South Louisiana Community College in Lafayette is a welcome sight.

The new academic complex has been made necessary by a more than 40 percent increase in enrollment and is being built on a 38-acre site. Five more buildings are planned in the future.

The Lemoine Co. LLC of Lafayette began construction of the new building in August.

"This will be the first building of several," Kendal Broussard, project manager, said. "We now have most of the structure in place and are working on the interior of the building."

The new building was financed by issuing tax-exempt bonds through the Lafayette Public Facilities Trust Authority and funding from the Louisiana Legislature.

Once the bonds to finance the new building are paid off the building will be owned by the state.

The first campus of SLCC opened in 1998 with 36 students in New Iberia. The system now has an enrollment of 1,533 with campuses in Franklin and Lafayette, including the EMS Academy on Southpark Road.

F. G. Mouton Hall (renovation/addition), University of Louisiana - Lafayette. A new annex for F.G. Mouton Hall and renovations to the current structure began early this year at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

The project includes the construction of a $9.24 million, three-story structure by BEO Contractors of Lafayette as an extension of F.G. Mouton Hall. Once it's built, the original F.G. Mouton Hall will be renovated from ceiling to floor and the buildings will connect via two walkways.

Classrooms and computer labs used by students will be located on the ground floor, along with a 220-seat auditorium that can be divided into two 110-seat auditoriums.

Eight 50-seat seminar rooms will accommodate the latest technology. The additional space also enables the college to offer more courses at times that are convenient for students.

Multi-Modal Transportation Center (Phase II), Lafayette. The second phase of a Multi-Modal Transportation Center in Lafayette was completed earlier this year, and includes a new bus terminal to complement an existing Amtrak train station.

BEO Contractors Inc. of Lafayette finished the $2.1 million facility ahead of schedule.

Tommy Letulier, jobsite superintendent, said an existing structure at the site was "reduced in size to make room for the bus terminal, which will accommodate up to 14 buses at one time."

Ultimately, buses will be transport train passengers to the terminal.

"Amtrak is supposed to offer discount trips to locations like New Orleans," Letulier said.

More than half of an existing building was demolished, followed by construction of a new brick veneer on the south and east walls, and a new roof. A structural steel canopy with a standing seam metal roof was also constructed and a significant amount of paving was required.

"We put down a limestone base and paved the area with concrete in 1,000-ft. runs about 30 ft. wide," he said.

U. S. Highway 90 Interchange at LA 83 and LA 88, Iberia Parish. Two interchanges totaling more than $20 million are being constructed on U. S. Highway 90 near New Iberia. Both interchanges are being built by Gilchrist Construction Co. of Alexandria and will meet interstate specifications for the highway's future designation as I-49.

"The interchange at LA 88 is furthest along and should be finished by August or September," said project manager Clay Juneau. "It stretches about 1.3 miles and includes about 2,000 ft. of bridges."

The LA 88 interchange bridge has seven spans averaging 280 ft. per span and is supported by precast piles, 48-in.-diameter columns, a 3.5-ft.-thick concrete cap and 70-ft.-long precast concrete girders.

"On LA 88, we built frontage roads, then detoured the traffic off of U. S. 90 to use the frontage roads as detour roads," Juneau said.

Although work on the slightly smaller LA 83 interchange began later in December, the project will be completed only a few months after LA 88.

"We just poured our first deck last week, and all the columns and caps are finished," he said.

Having the projects in such close proximity has helped accelerate the project schedule.

"We've got a lot of the same people building caps on both interchanges and some of the same people doing other phases," he said.

Each site also has its own concrete batch plant, which also creates a time and cost savings.

"Both of the interchanges are being paved in much the same way, using a concrete pump and Bidwell paver," Juneau said.

Lewis Street bridge replacement, New Iberia. A $13.3 million project in New Iberia will replace an existing swing-span bridge on Lewis Street.

Boh Bros. Construction LLC of New Orleans broke ground this spring and expects to finish the project in mid 2006.

"It will be a 116-ft.-long vertical lift span with 20-ft. approach spans," project manager Ed Scheuermann said. The existing bridge will remain open during construction and will be demolished once the new bridge is complete.

"The bridge will be supported by 90- to 100-ft. precast concrete piles, footings, columns and caps, but will have steel girders," Scheuermann added. "The girders weigh about 80,000 pounds each."

Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, Lafayette. Ground was broken late last year on a new Hilton Garden Inn at University Research Park in Lafayette.

Certified Construction Co. of Canton, Miss., is the project's general contractor.

The hotel will have 150 rooms with 29 suites and include a 3,300-sq.ft. ballroom on the top floor, a 1,300-sq.-ft. meeting room, indoor swimming pool, business center and exercise room.

More than 2,000 sq. ft. will be dedicated to an educational training facility to support classroom teaching as well as training with the latest industry technology. Areas for audio, video and training equipment along with offices for teachers and trainers will be provided.

Other projects. Other significant projects across the region include the $13.8 million four-laning of US 171 from Longville to DeRidder in Beuregard Parish by R. E. Heidt Construction Co. of Westlake; the $10.8 million reconstruction of Pinhook Road in Lafayette by Gilchrist Construction Co. Inc. of Alexandria; and the construction of Southpark Surgical Center in Lafayette by Brasfield & Gorrie LLC of Birmingham, Ala.

Useful Resources:

For more details on Pinnacle Entertainment's new gaming facility and a live view of the jobsite, go to: http://www.pinnacle-entertainment-inc.com/lakecharles.asp

For an architect's rendering of the new South Louisiana Community College, go to:
http://www.slcc.cc.la.us/

For more information about interchanges construction along US 90 south of Lafayette, go to: http://www.dotd.state.la.us/construction/lafayette.html#IBERIA