Fair Association Arena on schedule

The iron framework is up on the Highlands County Fair Association Arena project and wall panels are expected to begin going up on Thursday, said James Greenblatt, project superintendent for DeAngelis Diamond Construction Inc.

The wall panels come in 16-foot by 3-foot sections.

"The main structural inspection will be on Wednesday," he said.

The inspection will be performed by Southern Engineering and by the city of Sebring. It is possible the engineer of record will also be there, although he is not required to do so, said Greenblatt.

The approximately 33,000 square-foot concrete slab is already enveloped in a red iron pre-engineered metal building system that forms the basic skeleton of the structure.

Work on the roof should begin about a week later, he said.

"Right now we're working on the red iron," said Greenblatt. "We're waiting on door frames right now. After we get the door frames in we'll finish running up the block."

Dave Travers, treasurer of the Highlands County Fair Association and chairman of construction for the project, said he is very pleased with the progress.

"Everything is running along right on schedule," said Travers. "Our goal is to have it open for May for the Sebring High School graduation. So far everything is looking good."

The structure will have a seating capacity of approximately 3,500.

Travers said they received a $130,000 grant from the Department of Emergency Management that has made it possible to harden the building for hurricane compliance.

It will be one of only two such shelters of its kind in Florida that passes the ICC-500 standards, he said.

There is a concrete block building already under construction on the northern end of the structure that, when completed, will be 10 feet high and will hold the ticket office, a lobby, bathrooms and administrative offices.

"So far we've laid down about 1,150 yards of concrete and we are going to lay somewhere around 5,000 blocks," he said.

When completed the building will meet 170 mph wind compliance, he said.

"We're very lucky here in Highlands County," said Bill Nichols, Highlands County Emergency Management director on Friday.

He commended the Highlands County Fair Association for its civic contribution for this hurricane shelter.

"It's going to be a strong building, it's a large building," he said. "They got with me early on in the project and I got right on board. It's going to be built to high wind standards. It will provide the people of this county with a large, safe, strong shelter space for a long time to come."

Greenblatt said they have hired some local contractors for the project, including Baker Septic Installations, of Sebring, that is doing some sewer line site work and Cauffield and Sons Inc., a plumbing company from Lake Placid was also contracted.

Sun Tech Electrical Contractors, of Cape Coral, is looking for local electricians, he said.

"There's a lot of electrical infrastructure that has to go in here," said Greenblatt. "I put out the word about a month ago and got one application."

He said they tried to get some local welding companies involved on the red iron but one declined to bid and another was $10,000 above the winning bid.

"It's a state project," said Greenblatt, recounting that it is being paid for by a $2 million state grant. "As items come up we try to hire local subs, but they have to go through the bid process like everyone else."

The official completion date for the project is June 15.

Crews were sent home Friday due to the rain.

"We lose a day but the end date doesn't change," said Greenblatt.