Keeley Industrial Spotlight: Meigs County Primary Systems Operation Center

Georgetown, TN | New Construction | 147 Acres | 2023

The Keeley Construction Industrial team was called upon by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for a Design, Bid, Build phased scope of work at their Meigs County Primary Systems Operation Center in Georgetown, TN. Keeley Industrial was trusted with the fabrication and erection of structural steel and miscellaneous steel for the project.

Prior to construction, the overall site was a 147-acre greenfield. Across this 147-acre property, Keeley Construction erected six different structures:

·Systems Operations Center | Two-story structure with a 75,500 SF footprint

·Technical Support Building | Two-story structure with a 26,200 SF footprint

·Mechanical Yard C-1 & C-2 | Structure with a 18,500 SF footprint

·Mechanical Yard C-3 | Structure with a 6,000 SF footprint

·Receiving & Maintenance Building | Structure with a 7,200 SF footprint

·Security Building | Structure with a 1,500 SF footprint

Phase One of the project included the erection of the Systems Operations Center from February 2021 through May 2021. The five remaining structures were erected during Phase Two which began in April 2022 and ran through February 2023. Throughout both phases, Keeley Construction self-performed 27,600 manhours and utilized 1,600 tons of steel. 100% of the structural steel and miscellaneous steel erection was self-performed by Keeley and 704 local ironworkers, providing the team with control over the schedule, safety, and quality of the project.

Though completed successfully and to the full satisfaction of the client, there were a few challenges faced on this project. This particular area of Tennessee receives an average of 70 inches of rain per year, making some aspects of the project difficult as a majority of the work was done outside. However, Keeley Construction didn’t let the rain stop them as the project was completed on time. Construction of the Systems Operating Center utilized structural steel with a tilt up concrete panel construction around the perimeter. With the Technical Support Building and Mechanical Yards C-1, C-2, and C-3 adjacent to the Systems Operating Center by a 1-1/2” gap, installation challenges arose. Through innovative solutions, the Keeley team was able to access the anchor bolts and structural bolts in order to torque properly. Finally, within the Systems Operating Center, there was a control room that required 124’ long x 9’ deep trusses. Due to the length and logistics, each truss was sent to the jobsite in three sections. Keeley was able to pre-assemble the trusses onside prior to perfectly setting in place.

Keeley Industrial was able to complete the project on-time, on-budget, and with ZERO safety incidents!

“I don’t ever have to worry about Keeley not abiding by the safety guidelines on a project.”

-Project Partner