| Del Webb Corporation has never been ordinary. Company founder Del Webb began the business in 1928 as a one-man construction firm, just in time to face — and survive — the Depression. The Phoenix-based company went on to win huge government contracts in the 1940s.
In the ’50s it built and owned several casinos in Las Vegas, including the famous Thunderbird on the downtown strip. Beginning in the ’60s, Del Webb introduced a new concept: large retirement communities. Today, the company’s Sun City communities throughout the Southwest are home to more than 100,000 active retirees. Webb, at one time a semipro baseball player and part owner of the New York Yankees, died in 1974. The company, however, has continued its out-of-the-ordinary course. After divesting ownership and operation of its gaming and leisure facilities in the 1980s, Del Webb broke ground on another whole new frontier. It began developing smaller, planned communities built in harmony with nature and intended for residents of all ages. The first of these was Terravita, in Scottsdale, Arizona, where prospective buyers camped outside the sales office on several occasions to buy homes. The community sold out in 1997, three years ahead of schedule. Now, Del Webb is embarking on a new evolution of master-planned living. It’s known simply as Anthem, a 6,000-acre, planned community under construction in the North Valley near Phoenix. Anthem’s innovative concept is based on a plethora of amenities for residents of all ages. Saguaro cacti, desert hills, rock formations, and wildlife are abundant at the Anthem site, and preserving the natural beauty of the area is tantamount in Del Webb’s plans. Almost 40 percent of Anthem’s acreage will be open space and set-aside recreational areas. Significant natural features of the site, including almost 300 acres that maintain pristine hillside views, have been preserved. The entire development is connected by natural and enhanced trails for lovers of the outdoors. Anthem could be called a prototype community development of the future, yet it will draw heavily on concepts from the past: friendly neighborhoods, community participation and pride, and multi-generational experiences. In addition to homes for residents of all ages, the first phase of the development will include a new school (K-8), office and retail space, a country club, and a community center with a water park, gymnasium, tennis courts, rock climbing wall, fitness center, and multi-purpose rooms. Future plans include three more schools, including a 50-acre high school, a 63-acre community park, and several smaller parks for everything from picnics to Little League baseball, soccer, and catch-and-release fishing. Just as the design of Anthem is extraordinary, so is Del Webb’s investment in the project. The developer’s $12 million gift to the Deer Valley Unified School District is unprecedented in the state. Perhaps more extraordinary is the company’s funding and building Anthem’s roads, utilities, and other off-site infrastructure at no cost to taxpayers. In the first year alone, Del Webb will spend more than $66 million for up-front infrastructure. The Phoenix Office of Sacramento, California-based design engineer Bookman-Edmonston was part of the Anthem project - originally called the Villages at Desert Hills — from the beginning. In 1994, the engineering firm had an integral part in putting together the package that resulted in a water lease agreement among the Ak-Chin Indian Community, Del Webb, and the Department of the Interior. The firm then performed a feasibility study evaluating pipeline alignments, pumping station locations, and other factors. Bookman-Edmonston also wrote the alternatives analysis for the Environmental Assessment, which resulted in a Finding of No Significant Impact and allowed the project to move forward. The firm also participated in water planning meetings and performed the final water supply design. Design specifications for the off-site water supply system included ductile iron pipe and concrete pipe material alternates. "Del Webb took competitive bids and was able to take advantage of AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe’s durability and performance abilities while not sacrificing economy," said Bookman-Edmonston’s Janet Atkinson. According to Scott Parrish, project manager for Kansas City-based general contractor Garney Companies, "The piping material was owner purchased, and from my understanding, AMERICAN’s ability to supply the complete project and meet an extremely aggressive delivery schedule was a big part of the decision on the piping material on this project." AMERICAN supplied nine miles of 30-inch Fastite ® and Flex-Ring ® Ductile Iron pipe. Atkinson notes that part of the pipeline included crossing the New River at cover depths of up to 24 feet. The engineering design for extended depths of cover in this area was accomplished by specifying different pressure classes and/or special thickness classes for different depths of cover. The use of welded-on outlets instead of fitting tees was beneficial for access man-ways on other phases of the job. Because of timely deliveries by AMERICAN, as well as the ease of installation of its piping, the biggest challenge on the job for Garney was excavating rock trenches fast enough to allow pipe installation crews to maximize their installation time. "That was overcome by the diligence of our subcontractor, H.L. Chapman, who brought in specialty equipment and worked persistently to do whatever it took to keep the trench ahead of the crew," said Garney’s Parrish. Although AMERICAN had to ship the pipe for the project across two-thirds of the country, Parrish said the company and its Customer Service Department were up to the task. "AMERICAN’s Starla Suttles’ dedication to the project and assistance with the sales order and delivery coordination were greatly appreciated," he said. "It’s my feeling that Starla’s involvement in helping manage a difficult sales order with a multitude of different classes and types of pipe epitomized the type of service and involvement that we hope to get on every project. Garney values its relationship with AMERICAN, and their commitment to meeting our needs as a contractor is a great value that reflects on our bottom line. I look forward to cultivating this relationship so that both our companies benefit and perpetuate success in the future," Parrish said.
|
Amid wild flowers and other desert vegetation, a lone saguaro cactus stands as a sentinel over Anthem’s installation route for AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe. At the heart of Anthem’s design is preserving the natural beauty of the 6,000-acre site and maintaining appreciation for it. [Photo by Mark Gwynn]
As a rainstorm looms nearby, work continues on the installation of AMERICAN pipe. Water piping for Anthem includes nine miles of AMERICAN Fastite ® and Flex-Ring ® . [Photo by Mark Gwynn]
Neatly laid-out AMERICAN Ductile Iron pipe stretches through the North Valley near Phoenix prior to installation. The installation route also traversed the New River, whose cover depths required different pressure classes and/or special thickness classes of piping. [Photo courtesy of Del Webb Corporation]
The trench is long and straight as a construction crew makes its way along the pipe installation route. The abundance of AMERICAN piping along the trench is testimony to the company’s on-time deliveries.
The Anthem project was supported by construction crews’ diligence, timely deliveries, and easy-to-install AMERICAN polyethylene-encased Ductile Iron pipe, shown here from inside the retaining wall. Garney Companies, general contractor for Anthem, had high praise for sub-contractor H.L. Chapman, who used specialty equipment to ensure fast installation.
|
Anthem’s initial phase will include a community center with a water park, gymnasium, tennis courts, rock climbing wall, meeting rooms and other amenities. Shown here is a computer-generated picture of the facility.
|
 |
| Owner: | Del Webb Corporation, Phoenix-Arizona |
| Project: | Anthem |
| Engineer: | Bookman-Edmonston Engineering, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona |
| Contractor: | Garney Companies, Kansas City, Missouri |
| Material: | 9 miles of 30" Fastite ® and Flex-Ring ® ; welded-on outlets used for air release and blow-off valves and access man-ways |
| Sales Engineers: | Mark Gwynn, Neeraj "Raj" Arora |
| Customer Service Representatives: | Ralph Moon, Starla Suttles |
© 1998 American Cast Iron Pipe Co.
