Construction Update: Kalahari Resorts Conference Center
The Friede & Associates team recently completed the site work and has begun the next stage in a multi-phase plan to more than double the footprint of Kalahari Resorts & Conventions Conference Center in The Wisconsin Dells. The existing conference facility will be expanded to more than 200,000 square feet to make room for additional meeting and banquet spaces.
Early last year, we began working closely with Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, Architectural Design Concepts, Inc. (ADCI), and Vierbicher Associates to plan and design this $35 million project.
Sitework
The nearly $5 million site work phase, which began in September 2017, involved the excavation and construction of 600 parking spaces in the north lot of the complex, as well as 1,400 parking spaces in a new south lot and a 330-car employee parking area.
This part of the project ultimately began at the end of September and included the mass excavation and removal of 105,900 cubic yards of fill. Once the grading was completed in this area, more than 13,000 tons of gravel were placed and 1,450 linear feet of concrete curb was installed. When the asphalt installation was completed in the spring, more than 27,000 square yards of paving was necessary to finish this new lot.
Once the mass excavation was completed on the north lot, the project team then turned its attention to the much larger south lot development. In large part, this work would involve the relocation of the fill from the existing Kalahari site to a location just a few hundred yards to the east. Most notably, this would require the removal and relocation of more than 650,000 cubic yards of fill to create the new 1,400+ car guest parking lot. The large hill that ran along the east side of the existing parking lot and the interstate, which originally blocked the view of the conference center from northbound travelers on the interstate, would need to be lowered by nearly 40 feet.
Ultimately, the adjacent roadway, Bunker Road, would also be relocated to the east side of the Kalahari property. This also allowed the many large pieces of excavation equipment to cut and capture the fill on the west side of the former roadway. Crews then transported the fill a few hundred yards to the east where it would be used to raise the adjacent lot and to create a detention pond to meet the requirements of the new site when the project is completed.
Underground electrical wiring to serve the new parking lot lights and light pole bases, concrete curbing, and an extensive storm drainage system were also part of the site project. During early summer, 14,000 linear feet of concrete curb and gutter were installed in the south lot. In August, the final part of the site project was completed with the installation of the first lift of asphalt in the south parking lot.
This massive undertaking has some impressive statistics! In total, approximately 788,000 cubic feet of fill was removed, 47,000 tons of gravel was laid, 105,000 square yards of asphalt was poured, nearly 52,000 linear feet of pavement marking was applied, and 15,850 linear feet of concrete curb and gutter was installed—all to produce more than 2,000 parking spaces.
Structural Steel
With the site work completed, the actual building construction began with the erection of structural steel in September and will be finished within the next few weeks. Guests and other visitors can now begin to feel the true magnitude of the expansion with the roof and wall structures in place.
The Friede Team is proud to be involved with the Kalahari Resort Conference Center addition which will once again make the Wisconsin Dells location one of the state's largest privately-owned conference centers. Stay tuned for future construction updates as we work to complete this project by the end of Summer 2019.
About Friede & Associates:
When you select Friede & Associates, you are buying more than our quality-assured construction services. You also get the performance and reliability of some of the top suppliers and subcontractors in the area. While other contractors may be cutting quality to remain competitive on price, Friede is forging relationships with members of the project team to bring you the best value and highest quality for your investment.
