POWERGRAMS

After nearly 50 years, Montgomery-area Power Delivery employees are together under one roof. The new 89,000-square-foot crew headquarters provides employees a larger, more convenient and state-of- the-art facility in which to do their jobs. Engineering, the network crew, three line crews, local operations linemen and Supply Chain employees will move in soon. "We have completely outgrown the current facility, which began operation in December of 1965. The organization has more than doubled since then, with employees working in three different buildings," said James Thrash, manager of Southern Division Customer Service and Building Operations. "The use of large bucket and derrick trucks, service lifts and other mechanized equipment nowadays has also transformed the way warehouses and crew yards are designed, compared to 50 years ago." After selecting the 21-acre site in Gunter Industrial Park, the design and construction process got underway. The first step was the layout of the site and the building, based on the end-users' needs, said Terrell Fields, project manager, Facilities Construction. Then, with factors such as convenience, ease of access and safety in mind, the company partnered with Montgomery-area PWBA Architects to design the facility before breaking ground in January 2014. "We knew we had only one shot of getting this right, and that costly change orders were not an option," said Thrash, who led the company's design and construction team, along with Fields and Corporate Architect Allen McLendon. "From the beginning, we challenged ourselves to make this a first-class facility in terms of design and usefulness." In addition to office space and a large warehouse, the facility includes two conference rooms, a small kitchen, a wellness area with exercise equipment and free weights, and a storm room that can be used as a center for managing restoration efforts during severe weather. There is a 150-seat auditorium; at the old facility, employees met in smaller groups or went off-site. Energy-efficient LED lighting is installed both inside and outside the building, said McLendon. To help reduce maintenance costs and improve comfort, the building is equipped with an insulated metal roof and siding, as well as a variable refrigerant frequency heating, ventilation and air conditioning system that can be controlled room by room. The crew yard and parking lot are paved with roller-compacted concrete, which has a 40-year life span, requires less maintenance than asphalt and can accommodate heavy equipment. Easy access was also a consideration, Fields said. The public parking lot and entrance are at the front of the building, while employees can use secure entrances near the warehouse. "A lot of thought was put into the building and the surrounding property to make it more efficient for our employees and easily accessible by the public," Fields said. "We wanted to make sure clients could enter the building without having to go around back to the warehouse area." Safety was a major factor from beginning to end, Thrash said. For instance, the pole pile is in the southwest corner of the crew yard, which prevents employees from having to drive past it when they enter or exit the site. Walkways bisect the pile to help employees navigate safely around the massive poles. "I am pleased to say the hundreds of hours spent reviewing plans, meeting with employees and being on the job site have paid big dividends," Thrash said. "We have been able to head off major and minor issues in advance and make necessary changes before the dollar marks were applied, resulting in substantial savings to the company." "The brotherhood is extremely excited about getting into a new facility, which is more functional and has greater egress to major roads and highways," said John "Junior" Shirley, Montgomery local operations lineman and president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 801. "We are grateful the company recognized our needs and built a facility that will allow us to better serve our customers." With few details remaining, the crew headquarters is expected to open for operation in March. "We are looking forward to the move," said Operations Manager David Looney, Montgomery Crew Headquarters. "A bigger warehouse and yard will make it easier for us to move our equipment. The storm room is larger than the one in our current facility, so more employees will be able to work together at the same time. And we will finally be able to meet onsite as a group in our own large auditorium. "Best of all, we will relocate to a facility that was built specifically to meet our needs and that has safety and efficiency incorporated into the design," Looney said. By Carla Davis Montgomery Power Delivery moving to new headquarters CUSTOMER SERVICE 4 PWBA Architects' Johny Latham, Fields, McLendon and Thrash inside warehouse. Photos by Nik Layman New 89,000-square foot building.

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