Poet’s Pointe Artist Spotlight
After building a trusted partnership with the City of San Antonio, Keeley Construction was called upon to complete a second art installation in the city – Poet’s Pointe. The Poet’s Pointe project was designed by Luis Valderas and Kim Bishop in conjunction with the City of San Antonio Arts Department. The local community had expressed interest in a space they could enjoy with a shade structure that paid tribute to art and poetry that meant the most to them. The end result, a culmination of six years of design and work, was a small park with a concrete art wall / bench with artistic shade structures that cast inspirational messages onto the concrete. These aspects were cohesively mixed with sidewalks, grass, and trees for neighbors and visitors to enjoy.
“The professionalism from Keeley Construction was phenomenal. This was my first time working with them and they have set the standard. Any time I do another public project like this, we will be comparing our experience to this one we had with Keeley.”
-Luis Valderas, Local Artist
The Keeley Team self-performed the entire project, bringing peace of mind and a dedication to quality and safety. However, there were some challenges the team had to overcome. First, the Geotech report called for the site to be chemically injected to mitigate the existing sulphates from attacking the future concrete overtime. The team had originally planned for one round of injections but ended up having to complete three rounds before achieving the desired results. However, through meticulous planning and expertise, Keeley was able to keep the cost down and the three rounds of injections were cheaper than excavating the entire site. Secondly, the shape of the art wall / concrete bench presented a unique set of hurdles. The City’s engineering firm would not let the team pour the 90ft wall methodically, leading to more pours and more time. Team Keeley embraced this challenge and used it as an opportunity to show how their adaptability did not compromise quality.
