Concrete is currently being poured for the foundation caps, walls and elevator, escalator and stair shafts. According to information released Wednesday, 47,000 cubic yards of concrete will be poured for the arena. Photo by HB Meeks/Tell Us Detroit

Detroit's skilled trades, students and businesses deeply embedded in construction of events center

By Wendell Bryant/Tell Us Detroit

DETROIT (Tell Us Det) - Thursday, members of Olympia Development of Michigan led the media on a hard-hat tour of the future home of Red Wings hockey arena and events center which is currently under construction. This will serve as the epicenter for Detroit Events and Entertainment Center.

ODM reports that the center is "on time and on budget." and will be ready in time for the start of the 2017 NHL season.

From the street, as you walk along Woodward Avenue, just north of the Fox Theatre, a concrete tower can be seen peaking over the green mesh fencing which blocks the construction site from public view.

Sean Hollister, senior project manager for the construction team of Barton Malow/Hunt/White, said, “Toward the end of the year it’ll start to really look like a large structure coming up.”

According to Rochelle Collins of Heritage Development Services, little over half of the workforce so far consists of Detroit residents. The figures also reflect those who came through the apprentice training program 'Access for All'.

John Perkins, an Access For All Program student said he started working with his late father as a carpenter's helper on residential jobs in Detroit when he was 13. The arena project is by far the biggest he has ever worked on. He told the media, "After it's all said and done, I can ride by and say -- I helped build this."

"I’m just here to pick up as much as possible so I can be a well-rounded carpenter," Perkins said.

Damon Tooles, President/CEO of Tooles Contracting Group, said the arena project is important for all the Detroit-based firms that get to participate. Tooles Contracting is handling the $26-million contract for the concrete work.

Tooles said that concrete is currently being poured for the foundation caps, walls and elevator, escalator and stair shafts at an average of 1,700 cubic yards per day. According to information released to the media, 47,000 cubic yards of concrete will be poured for the arena. Nearly 20 percent of the concrete has been poured to date. It's a resume builder," he said.

The 785,000-square-foot, 20,000-seat arena will sit on a plot of land along Woodward Avenue just north of downtown Detroit, and will be accompanied by a 50-block entertainment district. According to ODM, the arena will cost $532.5 million. The entire District Detroit campus surrounding the rink and events center is estimated to raise the total project cost up to near $650 million.