The status of the new Monteith Riverpark stage on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 29, 2023.
On Saturday the steel roof supports of the new stage in Albany’s Monteith Riverpark were still sitting on the ground. Today they had been lifted into place.
The structural steel was installed Monday and Tuesday.
I had just run a story on the progress of construction at the park and the rest of the Waterfront Project, a project undertaken by CARA, the central Albany urban renewal district. That story ran Sunday, along with a photo of the stage construction site taken Saturday.
On Tuesday the city parks department sent word about the installation of the steel joists. When I had the chance after hours today (Tuesday, June 29, I took another hike through the toolies along the site’s perimeter fence in order to get a new photo. That’s the one you see at the top.
The heavy lifting was done by Forslund Crane Service, based on Ferry Street. For projects like this, it’s handy to have a company in town with equipment that’s equal to the task.
If you need a reminder about the rest of the riverfront project, you must have missed the story Sunday. Go ahead and look it up. (hh)
Postscript: There is, as usual, more to the story, and I learned about it on Sept. 1: The structural steel for the new stage — the angled columns and the horizontal beams — was made and installed by T-Plus Steel Fabricators Inc. of Millersburg. Fabrication took seven employees in the shop about a month. Seven others in the company’s field crew were putting the pieces in place. The company’s project manager, Todd Rund, told me the lot weighed 113,000 pounds. T-Plus also made the sheets of galvanized steel that form part of the stage roof, adding around another 15,000 pounds.
Those steel beam assemblies were still on the ground Saturday.
The quality of the sound from the stage will be so much better! The sound will be better directed to the listeners; the former original stage was built with wood. The stage really took a beating from weather and use. Watch out 2024 patrons, you are in for a treat!
AMENI. :-)
The council-approved amount budgeted for this project was, and will continue to be, more than Albany taxpayers would ever approve, if they were asked.
Does anyone know how much over-budget the improved acoustics project currently is and what the estimated final total amount will be?