Augustana’s Peter J. Lindberg, M.D., Center for Health and Human Performance
Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, is “building for the future” with the addition of its new Peter J. Lindberg, M.D., Center for Health and Human Performance. The $18 million facility will be used to prepare graduates for health-related careers requiring a major in kinesiology or public health.
Almost as soon as work started in March 2020 on the new Lindberg Center, the project was halted by COVID. Work picked up again in September, with a completion date scheduled in September 2021. All local building trades are all-hands-on-deck as they continue to make the project a reality — with LMCC member Helm Mechanical responsible for the aquatic center and natatorium.
“Our portion of the project is nearly $3 million,” said Brian Statdfield, Helm Mechanical project manager. “There are two pools involved in the job, a competition pool and therapy pool. We’re responsible for the concrete, associated piping and equipment, like the pressure filter, circulation pump, UV disinfection system and full chemical treatment system.”
Project Stats: Competition/Lap Pool
- 584,000 gallons
- 9,400 square feet
- 10 lap lanes, 25 meters each
- 330 swimmer capacity
- Movable stainless steel bulkhead
- 3 meter and 1 meter diving boards
- Now able to play men’s and women’s water polo
Project Stats: Therapy Pool
- 10,000 gallons
- Custom SwimEx hydrotherapy design
- Powerful water current technology for optimal training, conditioning, rehab and fitness
- Underwater cameras to monitor and assist in swimming technique
The competition/lap pool is equipped with timing sensors, touchpads and more high-end equipment from Colorado Time Systems to ensure proper training and performance during practice and competitions. Standard and water polo scoreboards will also be installed.
Aquatic work is nothing new for Helm Mechanical, but a common challenge across all projects of this caliber is the installation of the movable bulkhead.
“The bulkhead bridges across the width of the pool, and it came in one piece about 5 feet tall by 5 feet wide by 75 feet long,” Statdfield said. “Plus, it’s close to 9,000 pounds. It’s always a challenge to get these into a building that isn’t necessarily designed to have something like this brought in, especially Augustana which is up on a hill. We used two 10,000-pound forklifts with jibs to get it inside.”
The following workers were largely responsible for getting the bulkhead in place: Cory Shook, Tyler Norberg, Mike Morrow, Chris Osborn and Zach Miller.