By Andy Ross“I can pick your pocket with it,” boasts Jimmy Enerling, (sitting in the booth seen right) referring to the high-tech crane he operates. The towering steel marvel – which resembles a giant erector set – is capable of hoisting about 18,000 pounds of cargo at a time and then lowering it gingerly, accurately, and safely into place 20 or 25 stories up on a skyscraper’s construction site. Enerling, a veteran crane operator who pairs up with his son as a two-man team on many jobs, routinely lifts 70 tons of steel a day while perched inside his crane’s control room cockpit.
The machinery he runs gets taller each time another floor is added so Enerling has a rare panoramic view of downtown New Haven and the shoreline coast while working on the 35-story construction of a 660,000 square foot mixed use development at 360 State Street. His self-lifting crane raises itself hydraulically, 20 feet at a time, as the work progresses – enabling it to reach dizzying heights and keep crews constantly supplied with materials. The process is referred to as “jumping”, and each time the
crane jumps to another level it has to be inspected again for safety. After several jumps Enerling is now sitting high in the sky, but he doesn’t get to dwell very much on the awe inspiring view from his portable office. “I need to stay focused,” he says, “so I don’t spend much time sightseeing.” “So far the use of this extraordinary piece of equipment, combined with skillfully, coordinated human teamwork, has resulted in remarkable speed and efficiency”, as Bruce Becker, President of Fairfield-based development firm Becker and Becker, explains.
Although the magnificent, monstrous crane has a reach of almost 500 feet (almost as long as two football fields) it is agile enough to snatch a construction worker’s lunch box. Manipulating it takes experience, expertise, and a light but confident touch. A gust of wind can cause it to sway several feet from side to side rather unpredictably. Even the slightest error, distraction, or miscalculation can escalate a routine procedure into a life-threatening situation of catastrophic proportions.
A less weighty assignment last Friday December 12th had Jimmy testing his skills by scooping up a 7 foot pine tree and setting it into place adjacent to the American Flag on the most important beam, the last one. This ancient 1200 year old Scandinavian tradition called “Topping
out” declares the moment when the highest structural point in a building’s construction has been reached. There is raucous good cheer from the crowd as the last steel beam is hoisted into place by the massive crane operator’s delicate touch. The tree is gently dropped on top of the beam to publicly announce to the world that the building project has so far been successful. The evergreen is adopted as a symbol of good health and good luck to future occupants of this - New Haven’s second tallest structure. So far we are completing a floor every 4-5 days, which is 33 percent ahead of schedule,” reports Becker, whose company was chosen by New Haven as the site developer over half a dozen other bidders. He is also the lead architect for the building project – which involves at least a dozen other design specialists and architects. Becker has a projected completion date of November 2010, and attributes the rapid pace so far to “good weather, plenty of available labor, and one of the most experienced construction crews in the business.”
Another factor contributing to the speed of completion is that the builders are using precast cement planks for the flooring, plus prefabricated architectural facade panels for the front side of the structure. The crane lifts the hefty precast units into place, making it possible to avoid using any wet cement at all on the upper floors of the building.
Michael Moore, the Senior Superintendent for the site and an employee of Suffolk Construction
Company, is overseeing the project, managing millions of dollars worth of equipment, hundreds of tons of supplies, and dozens of boots on the ground. He has been in the construction business for more than 30 years, and says that it is the most fascinating work of all. (pictured left) Developer Bruce Becker and Site Superintendent Michael MooreDelivery trucks line up at the gate at sunrise, so Moore – who lives in Northbrookfield, Massachusetts – starts his commute to New Haven by four o’clock each morning, six days a week. Working from his small trailer Moore orchestrates the talents of 120 people covering two shifts a day, overseeing 10 electricians, 10 plumbers, 10 sheet metal workers, 25 carpenters, 35 iron workers, and a host of other men and women who represent nearly every professional designation and niche within the building trades. Half a million pounds of materials arrive at the work site each day, and hundreds of decisions, problems, and various issues land on Moore’s desk. But that’s the end of line, because as Moore says “The buck stops here, with me.”
Part of Moore’s critical role, he explains, especially when working on an urban construction site like this one, is to maintain smooth working relationships with local residents and town officials. “We want to be good neighbors for the time we are here,” he says, “and do everything possible to respect concerns about noise, traffic, and clutter.”
Based on feedback from Ken Gleasman, Chairman of the New Haven Downtown Wooster Square Management Team and Bitsy Clark, the downtown area Alderman, Moore is doing a stellar job. “We have not had any complaints from residents or businesses”, says Gleasman and Clark concurs.
Author’s note: Additional aerial shots of this building are available. Contact andy@andyrossgroup.com for info.
Anonymous Said,
Great story!!! Thank you!
Posted on December 22, 2009 8:07 AM