Re: Please review '11.22.06Trip and Barge Analysis'

FYI. Sorry for being so long winded.

1.    Small barges can travel to and from Charlotte Amalie . The round trip to and from Charlotte Amalie is 2 1/2 hours so the number of trips per day is at least half that of going to and from Red Hook; in addition a portion of the run from Charlotte Amalie to LSJ is over the open water which can be rough especially in the winter when the Easterlies are more intense.

2.    W have assumed that 25 trips per week out of Red Hook based upon our schedule, as is shown below, and the following factors which apply in dealing with Red Hook:

a.    Containers bound for LSJ will have to be offloaded in Charlotte Amalie and then hauled through town the length of the island to get to Red Hook;

b.    there is no storage area there at the Red Hook dock to bring large numbers there in advance

c.    Each container must be pulled by one tractor, one at a time, lined up at the dock to wait for dock space since the terminal regularly receives 3 barges an hour from St. John which are large and have a priority in the space;

d.    Moreover, traffic in Red Hook harbor is further constrained by the arrival and departure every half hour of regular passenger service to St. John , passenger service to Tortola, and the arrival and departure of passenger service ferries owned by the Westin and Caneel Bay in St. John .

e.    Finally, vehicular traffic is very congested at the Port terminal compounded by the existence of a major construction project across the road which will go on for at least the next two years

3.     Concrete Demand:

a.    Concrete must be poured within 3 hours of batching; the concrete must be mixed and transported to the place of placement within that time

b.    On the average it takes 20 minutes to empty a 10 yard mixer at the site for a mass pour, more time for flatwork; more mixer time must then be consumed to get back and forth to the barge so the overall travel time for the mixer, exclusive or place ment is probably less than 1.6 hours; at the airport we cycle one mixer an hour to a site which is .6 of a mile away.

c.    Productive work requires that placements be made at the rate of 20 to 40 yards an hour depending on the type of pour

d.    This means that we should be supplying at least two mixers an hour at the point of placement

e.    That schedule simply cannot be maintained by two small barges from any point of debarkation on St. Thomas much less “stepped up;” a larger barge is needed.

f.    If we are to make the schedule the only other alternative would be to batch concrete on the island:

                                                          i.      This will entail the capital expenditure for a small batching plant and some mixers,

                                                      ii.      This would require a separate permit for the plant;

                                                  iii.      Materials storage on island for concrete is a big problem; placing the plant on island will eliminate most of the space which will be needed for storing containers and other materials required for the work thus necessitating feeding the island constantly with other materials at rates which may slow progress;

                                                      iv.      No fewer trips will be made by making concrete on LSJ because the number of trips for mixers will be equal to the number of trips required to haul stone, cement, sand and other aggregates; and

                                                          v.      Mixing on island will produce a significant demand for water on LSJ; we consume 15000 gallons of water a day for each pour at the airport; daily production of water at LSJ today is 22,000 gallons a day; the maximum capacity of the R/O plant is less than 30,000 gallons a day

                                                      vi.      Concrete operations require washout areas of some size and they produce waste which will have to be transported from the island.  

4.     Flow requirements: we are still working on advancing the dates of the schedule originally given to you as instructed by Mr. Epstein; the updating will intensify the pace of the deliveries, but here is what you should understand about the memo which I gave you:

a.    That trip analysis was based upon that schedule; the current version is attached

b.    If you look at the schedule you will see a continuous flow of activities and crews for each construction phase which goes from area to area- office to pool to library to main house without ever stopping; start with activity 52

c.    If you move down through the next numbered activities you will see that the first materials intensive flows will be for forms, reinforcing steel and then concrete; at the same time block will have to be delivered and stockpiles for the masonry walls;

d.    The roofing comes next meaning that the frames and panels will have to be delivered, stock piled and then erected; the schedule then shows closing in of the building, mechanical and electrical rough in and then finishing activities which will have to be supported with materials:

e.    The same sequence starts again with activity 94 for the library and 136 for the main house

f.    The only efficient way to deal with the materials flow is to get materials into containers or put them in lay down areas on the island in advance of the need for the materials organized in areas  accessible in the order that they will be required for construction;

g.    the only efficient way to perform the work is to buy out the materials in large quantities ahead of time so that an enormous stock pile is built up of much more material than is needed for the then current activities.

h.    As advanced to date, the schedule shows our needing 70 to 200 yards poured each week to maintain the schedule starting in early February or 7 to 20 trips a week for concrete alone

i.    The other materials flow and stockpiling must occur at the same time

j.    If you project the materials flow for the first 18 months of the schedule by moving through these activities we show at least 2000 of the projected 2,500 trips will be required or 25 trips a week, which is the number which we have been positing in our analysis which is probably too optimistic given the way things happen here.   

-----Original Message-----
From: dkiesq@aol.com [mailto:dkiesq@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, November 24, 2006 12:09 PM
To: John Amerling
Subject: Re: Please review '11.22.06Trip and Barge Analysis'

1.  Why can't small barges travel to and from charlotte amalie ?

2. Why do you assume no more than 25 trips per week?

3. Why can't trips be stepped up to even more than 10 per day on short-term basis to deal with concrete demand?

4. We asked for a trip analysis based on day to day needs in accordance with the schedule.  We wanted a detailed flow analysis using the building schedule you prepared.  Your analysis of totals does not address flow requirements.

Please revise to address these issues.

You need to better explaine or jus

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld 

-----Original Message-----

From: "John Amerling" <jamerling@rrcaribbean.com>

Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2006 09:22:16

To:" Darren Indyke " <dkiesq@aol.com>

Cc:" 'Fran Woods' " <fwoods@viaccess.net>, < wrowles@maine.rr.com >

Subject: Please review '11.22.06Trip and Barge Analysis'

Please review the attached document.