February was the month when The Courier-Journal’s new production facility in downtown Louisville, Ky., finally “came up out of the ground.” After pouring thousands of yards of concrete into the foundations, the first structural steel being erected was a welcome sight.

The southern part of the building, where administrative offices and training rooms will be housed, was the first area to be erected. After that the crew moved to the press bay to hang the building’s highest steel. Completing the highest portion early in the project will allow the crane to get in close, and will also allow the daily to have the roof on that portion in time to pour the concrete press table.

Steel framework will be used to support The Courier-Journal’s new downtown production facility.

Although the steel has been started, work continued on the grade beams.

The north building area is later on the steel erection schedule, so it was still being formed and poured as the first steel arrived. The ink tanks, a crucial milestone, were put in place during the small window between when the slab was poured and the steel went up over them.

Setting the tanks was also just the first of what will be many coordination issues between construction an equipment suppliers.

Bundle system laid out

On the equipment side, the design of the Alvey Systems Inc. bundle distribution system was finalized. Because the Alvey system is central in the packaging system, and is mostly overhead, the rest of the systems in the mailroom will be designed to fit around it.

The first column of steel used to build the newspaper’s new production facility was put into place in February. Photos: The Courier-Journal

Training is a major piece of this project, and in February The Courier-Journal locked in schedules for the initial training to be provided by both US Ink and Flint Ink. The newspaper has developed a training plan that reaches across the company to address the needs of anyone being touched by the project and it’s pretty difficult to find someone who isn’t affected.

Although the obvious training needs are in production, management will provide advertising and editorial staffers with base knowledge to help them maximize the potential of the new facility. Training classes began in February and will continue as long as necessary.

Looking ahead, the big milestone will be starting work on columns for the press table. Toward the end of March The Courier-Journal will also begin setting in place the external insulation finish system panels that clad the upper portion of the press bay.