Leeward Construction Inc., Honesdale, PA, is helping to make the expansion of the East Stroudsburg School District a reality.
“East Stroudsburg School District is one of the fastest growing school districts in the state of Pennsylvania,” explained Gary Linde, executive vice president of Leeward Construction Inc. “This area is growing very rapidly in response to the influx of people trying to escape the city, especially New York City.”
In response to the increase in population and the need for bigger school facilities, the East Stroudsburg School District is in the process of building a new elementary and a new intermediate school/high school. Leeward Construction Inc. is handling a large portion of the site work for the new schools, including grading, installation of utilities and earthwork, for the project’s general contractor Skepton Construction.
One of the largest parts of Leeward’s job is to clear the entire site and prepare it for the construction of the buildings, parking lots and ball fields.
“The first thing we had to do was clear more than 120 acres, all of which was completely wooded when we began,” Linde said. “And in order to begin this portion of the project, we purchased a Vermeer TG-400AL tub grinder to grind up the large volumes of tree trunks, limbs and stumps that we were going to have to remove from the site.”
Leeward purchased the tub grinder from Vermeer North Atlantic Sales and Service in Harrisburg, PA.
“One of the biggest reason that we needed a tub grinder was because our goal on this project was to remove the trees from all 120 acres and have no waste left over,” Linde explained. “In the past, cleared trees would have been burnt on site and buried. Recent government regulations have made that illegal.
“A tub grinder helps us to convert the trees into materials that can be reused, such as mulch. When we began looking at the choices out there, Vermeer’s tub grinder was our best bet.”
Mark Myers, branch manager for Vermeer North Atlantic’s Harrisburg branch, explained the many benefits that the Vermeer tub grinder has over its competition.
“With a lot of our competitors’ machines, the cab is positioned to the side, often blocking the operator’s view of material located around the grinder. With Vermeer’s grinder, the cab swings 370 degrees, allowing the operator a clear view of the materials he is handling,” Myers said. “Our tub also tilts 90 degrees, which makes it easier to replace teeth on the hammermill when necessary.”
Myers also explained that the loader is able to lift up to 1,361 kilograms (3,000 lb.) of material at its full reach of 8.2 meters (27 ft.).
Another important factor in the purchase of the machine was its numerous safety features, Linde said.
“The TG-400AL has a thrown object restraint system that reduces the quantity and distance of thrown objects. The cover deflects debris directly back down into the tub,” Linde said. “This feature dramatically reduces the chances of materials being ejected from the machine.”
Myers explained the additional safety features.
“The cab is constructed with Lexan windows. This material is stronger than plexiglass,” he said. “The cab is also protected with a intrusion guard in case of ejected materials from the tub. A falling object canopy also protects the control station, which is located close to the ground, in case anything were to fall.”
Leeward will be working on the East Stroudsburg School District project through the end of 1999.
For more information, call Vermeer at 609/267-6600.
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