If you think it was tough as a commuter to drive the streets around Disneyland in the past couple of years, try orchestrating the comings and goings of a fleet of construction trucks onto the California Adventure work site. That’s one of the challenges facing a dozen or so general contractors and a host of other OC construction companies, engineering firms and subcontractors working to complete various portions of the Disney expansion in time for the planned Feb. 8 opening of the park. “It looks like a beachhead at Normandy,” said one contractor who asked not to be identified. It’s a project that, at its peak, had as many as 2,500 workers on site at a time.
But though some contractors called the logistics of scheduling delivery vehicles, parking, and shifting staging areas a “nightmare,” most of those contacted for this story said they’d be willing to do it again in a minute. “Disney has been a fair owner,” said Joelle Hertel, vice president of Clark Construction Group in Irvine. “Their people are trying as hard as we are to get the job done.” Hertel, a 20-year construction industry veteran, said she was impressed by the Disney organization and approach to the massive project. She said Disney personnel can be found alongside contractors during weekend and evening work. “They don’t go home at night and leave you there,” she said. “That’s unusual in my experience.”
This is the company’s first project for Disney, and Hertel said the scope of the project is almost unmatched locally, comparable only to a Boeing expansion she worked on in the past.
Indeed, the $1.4 billion park expansion, when taken with related projects and redevelopment in Anaheim, ranks among the biggest construction projects under way in the U.S., with a total $5 billion investment in the area. The work has generated contracts ranging up to $80 million for individual local contractors and generated anywhere from a dozen to 300 jobs per contractor,excluding work done by subcontractors,at the new park site. For Clark Construction, it has meant more than $50 million for its work on Grizzly Peak and the Esplanade areas of California Adventure. For Costa Mesa-based S.J. Amaroso, it has meant about $32 million for work on the Golden Vine Winery, Bug’s Life Theater, and other features at the park.
For the Irvine office of Hensel Phelps,one of the largest general contractors at the site,it has meant about $80 million for work on Paradise Pier. That included 11 rides and several restaurants, according to vice president and district manager Wayne Lindholm. Kurt Whaley, vice president and division manager for S.J. Amaroso, called the development the “largest piece of artwork in Southern California.” Such a distinction, however, means lots of detail work and long hours for workers. Whaley said his firm’s work is almost complete, but crews are working 10-hour shifts seven days a week to get it done on time. Nevertheless, he said it’s been a good experience for the company. “Disney is a tough owner,” he said, referring to detailed contractual requirements, “but they’re knowledgeable. That makes our job easier.”
The Walt Disney Co. is widely known for detailed contracts that may include late penalties and confidentiality clauses. At California Adventure, for instance, contractors are barred from taking cameras onto the work site. But Hensel Phelps’ Lindholm said the complexity of the project is the biggest challenge for builders. Lindholm said it’s common to have plans only for the segment of the project your company is building, so workers never see how those plans link to other segments. “You never have a complete set of documents to work from,” he said. “It’s a tough place to work, but you know that going in.” A few contractors, however, aren’t quite as satisfied. One executive who asked not to be identified said the work was “not successful financially” for his firm, and cited the difficulty of developing a bid for a theme-park project. “It’s hard to get accurate estimates for theme parks because not that many are built (to enable you) to find a track record,” he said. “It hasn’t been a great experience for us.” Another construction manager doing work at Downtown Disney called the site “a mess” and “amazing” in the same breath and said the number of contractors on the site, limited space and the requirement of a 48-hour notice for deliveries complicates the work. Still, he said, Disney is “doing one hell of a good job.” At least one local architectural firm,Costa Mesa-based Coleman/Caskey Architects,has done work on the amusement park, too.
Steve Wagner, the firm’s director of business development, like some other companies contacted for this story, declined to discuss specifics due to contractual constraints. But he said the firm is doing work at Disneyland and has about a half-dozen people on site. The firm previously worked on the Fantasmic! laser show and Jungle Cruise renovation at the existing park. Wagner, whose firm has several entertainment industry clients, said working on such projects always involves a lot of interaction with the client. “It’s not an off-the-shelf product,” he said. Local engineering companies, too, have benefited from the remake of the Disneyland Resort area.
Orange-based P & D; Consulting, for instance, has an ongoing contract with the city of Anaheim to review plans for public works projects. In addition, they reviewed Disney plans to ensure compliance with the city’s specific plan. R.J. Wilson, senior project manager of the firm, said the company had up to 175 people working on the contract at its peak. Wilson also said the ongoing contract with the city might mean the firm will be involved in work on Disney’s “third gate” when it comes to fruition. He said the biggest challenge for development of this scope is the large number of plans involved. But Wilson doesn’t think that complexity is unusual today. “With the pace of business these days, nothing is out of the ordinary,” he said.
Meanwhile, Costa Mesa engineering firm Psomas, whose West LA office handles work for Disney, provided construction surveying services for the Grand Californian Hotel and the Paradise Pier, Grizzly Peak and the Esplanade sections at the Disney expansion. Fred Mueller, a principal with the firm, said Psomas has been involved with the project off and on since its early stages. “We worked on the original Westcot plans,” Mueller said, referring to an early version of the park that was slated to be modeled after Epcot, but later was scrapped by Disney Chairman and CEO Michael Eisner. In addition, Psomas is working on upgrades to the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland and paving projects at Frontierland. “We’ve had six or seven people on site for about the past two years,” Mueller said.
Local contractors are benefiting from the tourism-related development frenzy in other parts of Anaheim, too. Irvine architects Lee & Sakahara, for instance, are working for Irvine developer R.D. Olson Construction on the Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites under construction on Manchester Avenue there. In addition, the firm is doing the interiors, landscaping and fa & #231;ade design for the $8 million to $12 million Magic Inn renovation on Katella Avenue, a remake of three older motels into one more upscale hotel, the Anabella by FJS Inc. Dave Kendall, Lee & Sakahara’s senior vice president and project manager for these developments, said his firm will see about $1.75 million in fees from these projects alone. What’s more, the firm has used subcontractors for much of the Anabella work, including at least a half-dozen local companies. But when all is said and done, at least some contractors have just enough child in them to be as excited as their offspring by the whole thing. “They’re (Disney) putting about a billion dollars inside that park,” Lindholm said. “There’s nothing more fun than putting it together.” n
