Goodfellow Bros., Inc. and Maui County share award for Environmental Construction of Central Maui Landfill

Mayor Charmaine Tavares and the County of Maui Department of Environmental Management were honored by Goodfellow Bros., Inc. last month for its role in an award the company received for its work on the Central Maui Landfill Phase V-A. Goodfellow Bros. received the 2010 Build Hawaii Award of Excellence in the Environmental category from the General Contractors Association (GCA) of Hawaii at an awards banquet in April; the company elected to share the award with the County for its role in initiating and facilitating the project.

Goodfellow Bros., Inc. shares Award of Excellence – environmental construction with Mayor Charmaine Tavares and the Department of Environmental Management for the County’s project to expand and improve the Central Maui Landfill. Group, L-R: Cameron Vibbret, Goodfellow Bros. Project Manager; Ray Skelton, Goodfellow Bros. Region Manager; Mayor Charmaine Tavares; Cheryl Okuma, Director, Dept. of Environmental Management; and Gregg Kresge, Deputy Director, Dept. of Environmental Management. Photo courtesy: County of Maui.

The improvements at the Central Maui Landfill, Phase V-A included excavating 87,540 cubic yards of soil and 67,500 cubic yards of embankment, installing a two-foot layer of low-permeability clay, a layer of impermeable membrane, a layer of specialized textile, a one-foot layer of drain rock, leachate recovery system, an additional two-foot layer of soil cover, and constructing a 1,110-foot-long, 30-foot-high trash containment fence.

The 2010 Build Hawaii Awards were open to all GCA contractors and specialty contractors for projects completed in 2009. The prestigious awards program is designed after the Associated General Contractors of America “Build America” awards and showcase the best of construction in Hawaii.

“The life expectancy of such a major project as this is determined by the quality of work, and I am pleased that this award recognizes Goodfellow Bros. and our County engineers and staff for the integrity of their work,” said Mayor Charmaine Tavares. “This project was up against a stiff timeline, and although many challenges were encountered along the way, Goodfellow Bros. worked with the County to address those challenges. Together, innovative solutions were identified that would keep costs in check while maintaining worker safety, which was of utmost importance.”

Extended periods of high winds, crumbling cliff faces and extremely steep walls were just a few of the challenges the project encountered.

“This is the right way to deal with the need for a landfill, and to protect the environment at the same time,” said Goodfellow  Bros. Region Manager Ray Skelton. “Most of the work done by civil engineers is buried in the ground, and the best testament to their success is the fact that it’s never dug up! Building this kind of quality infrastructure is important work, and it’s something that our community is always going to need. We were glad to work with the County on this project that has had award-winning results.”

The Build Hawaii Awards winners were selected based on 1) Meeting the challenge of a difficult project; 2) Excellence in project management; 3) Innovation in construction techniques or materials/value engineering; 4) State-of-the-art advancement; 5) Sensitivity to environment and surroundings; 6) Excellence in client service; 7) Contractor’s contribution to the community; and 8 ) Safety.