DISCIPLE: Mortenson Brings Experience, Expertise to Project

This article appears in the March-April 2022 issue of the DISCIPLE newsletter. If you are not receiving DISCIPLE in the mail, call the parish office at 763-497-2745 to register as parishioners or update your contact information.

It’s easy to overplay Mortenson Company’s role in our current construction project—but it’s even easier to underplay it. To say they are building the new structure discounts the roughly 30 different subcontractors (subs) for everything from earthwork, concrete, and steel to door hardware or the big projection screen to be installed in the Unity Hall. The subs provide the hands-on labor and deep knowledge in their respective areas that a construction project of this scale requires.

But realistically, we couldn’t build this without Mortenson.

“The church could have said, ‘We have the architectural renderings; come on in, Fehn, B&D, Linco, and let’s go,’” says Project Engineer Austin Williams. “What we provide is broad expertise and experience to be able to coordinate, oversee, and manage the subs, materials, and schedule”—taking into account the weather, parish events and activities, and the overall vision for the project so that nothing is overlooked.

Back to the Future

Williams, Project Manager Brian Grant, Project Supervisor Tom Nonweiler, and Project Executive Rob Riness comprise the Mortenson team building our BOLD FUTURE. Mortenson also oversaw construction of the church, but it wasn’t a given that they would be back for the expansion. The process for selecting a construction management firm was competitive, according to Parish Business Administrator Dave Ferry, but Nonweiler’s leadership tipped the scales.

“We had a number of excellent options,” Ferry says, “but the idea of having Tom’s leadership on-site again definitely worked in Mortenson’s favor in the committee’s eyes. People involved in the original church building project recalled how instrumental he was in making that project a success, despite some challenging conditions.”

Nonweiler’s connections to St. Michael run deeper than the church project: His wife, Kelly Eull, grew up in the community, and they still have extended family in the area.

“All projects that I have worked on bring me a sense of pride, but this project specifically being close to those important to me is extremely special,” he says. “The fact that my loved ones will get to personally experience a project that I was a part of is very rewarding!”

Details Matter

As the project progresses, the players and the risks change—and the benefits of having experienced, steady hands directing the work become clear. Mortenson views the project in three phases:

• Phase 1: Site Preparation through Erection. The current phase includes everything from earthwork, footings, and utilities to steel erection, poured and precast concrete walls and floors, and exterior wall framing. The work isn’t pretty, and the risks are bigger—if a footing or beam is in the wrong place, even by an inch, it can require major re-engineering and expense to fix.
• Phase 2: Enclosing the Exterior. Beginning in April, the focus shifts to making the structure water-tight, including where it ties into the existing building. To this end, a recent meeting included the exterior finish, roofing, door, and window subcontractors as well as a third-party consultant to take a detailed look at each interface, asking, “Where is moisture going to go?” An exterior leak found after the project is completed means costly repairs.
• Phase 3: Interior Framing and Finishing. The final phase happens primarily behind closed doors, but the results are the most visible. This includes the placement of doors, outlets and switches, data connections, and fixtures and finishes. Once completed, the parish expects people will be wowed by the results. 

Early on, only one subcontractor was planned to be onsite at a time, however, as Phases 2 and 3 get underway, Mortenson will be working with as many as 20 different subs at the same time, ensuring coordination, collaboration, and quality. Every worker goes through the same onboarding process and training with Mortenson, with the goal of keeping everyone aligned and safe.

Community Engagement

Mortenson works on a wide range of projects across the country, but churches—and Catholic churches in particular—pose unusual problems, especially when it comes to scheduling. 

“Disruption avoidance is our biggest opportunity here,” says Williams. “You have Mass nearly every day—the narthex and worship space are always busy. Plus, you have childcare using the lower entrance and parking lot on a regular basis. All of our subs need to know that and tell their drivers there are children onsite.”

Unexpected events, like funerals, and weeklong activities like decorating for and celebrating Holy Week and Easter, can make scheduling the noisier and more disruptive work a particular challenge. The new Bell Tower, for example, requires extensive work to be done over a portion of the Gathering Space. Realizing that work would need to wait until after Easter was essential to scheduling subs and materials.

The church’s Building Committee, says Williams, is one of the best he’s worked with.

“They all have day jobs, families and lives outside of this project, but they make time to meet on this,” he says. “They come with real expertise and challenge us sometimes, but are a joy to work with. I feel like we’re hearing from the community of St. Michael when we meet with them.”

Meetings with the Building Committee, church leaders, and subcontractors are likely to get longer and more detailed as the project proceeds toward completion, but that’s typical for a project this size. 

“Honestly, it’s going great so far,” Williams says. “There are always changes and challenges, but nothing is impossible. It’s what we do.”

And we’re blessed to have them.