Project manager’s catch helps keep Joshua W. Soto Physical Fitness Center ADA compliant

One of the things American Direct prides itself on most is the value its deep industry experience adds to clients’ projects.

Case in point is the Joshua W. Soto Physical Fitness Center at Fort Bliss, Texas. Opened in 2010, the center features $2 million worth of fitness equipment and boasts a 10,000-squarefoot weight room with 25 tons of support weights. The spin room accommodates 60 bikes and the cardio room is large enough to house 60 treadmills, 60 ellipticals, 20 stair steppers and 10 rowing machines. It’s a big facility, and one that needed to serve a wide set of constituencies including both soldiers and civilians.

So when American Direct, which was retained to provide both Division 8 and Division 10 product for the project, began work on a locker room at the center with 580 individual locker units, the company’s project managers took care to make a detailed inspection to the project specifications.

American Direct Project Manager Jennifer Brundage happened to noticed that the quantity of lockers specified for the locker room wouldn’t fit in the space mapped out for them.

“I noticed that the configuration provided did not have enough clearance for the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) lockers,” Brundage said. “I worked directly with the architect to rearrange the space, and relocate the ADA lockers so they would comply with the ADA requirements.”

Because the locker units take up so much space, the lockers were shipped in phases, with one shipment installed before the next shipment came in, making it easier for all involved to maneuver around on the job site. American Direct’s logistical expertise and familiarity with applicable building regulations helped avoid some potentially serious problems on the project.

“It is our knowledge and attention to all details that sets us apart in the industry,” Brundage said.