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Garland’s Building Project Contract Paves Way for Community Gym Remodel
“The Zone”
Sometimes, it takes a while for a building to find its purpose. Such was the case for the building generically known as “550” and located in an industrial park in Mount Prospect, IL. While the River Trails Park District (RTPD) had acquired the facility in 2003, it would take another 12 years, with lengthy dialogue and input between RTPD leaders and the community, before the building would find new life as “The Zone,” an indoor athletic training center that includes parkour, rock climbing, indoor soccer turf fields with over 7,000 square feet of turf – even a 6-foot-deep foam pit. The Zone had discovered itself at last, but the RTPD still had a challenge. Could they ensure the building’s stale EIFS (exterior insulation finishing system) façade would match the renewed energy and excitement found inside, and do so in a way that was both resistant to moisture and budget-friendly?
The Challenge
River Trails Facility Manager Tom Kearns recognized that before The Zone could get an aesthetic facelift, it would need some structural work. “A coat of paint wasn’t going to solve our problem,” Kearns said. “We had identified cracks throughout the façade and knew that we needed overall work on our building envelope – before we could give The Zone the look we wanted to achieve.” Kearns called Matt Lemere, Territory Manager for The Garland Company, to help.
Lemere quickly identified a potential solution for The Zone. “Our Tuff-Coat acrylic architectural wall coating could check all the boxes for The Zone. It can dampproof the EIFS exterior, bridging the small cracks that had been spreading across the walls. Tuff-Coat can be custom color-matched, so we were optimistic we’d find the right look to capture the excitement the community had for The Zone. And with its low-VOC formulation and ease of application, we knew we could complete the project with minimal disruption to The Zone’s day-to-day operations.”
The Solution
The project was bid in Spring 2022 for Fall work and leveraged RTPD’s membership in OMNIA Partners. Kearns knew the contract available through OMNIA Partners would help the project run smoothly. “Like thousands of other public entities, we rely on our OMNIA Partners membership to deliver the best value across literally hundreds of different kinds of purchases,” said Kearns. “Being an OMNIA Partners supplier for building projects made it really seamless to work with Garland and gave us peace of mind that we would have the best available pricing to make our budget work.”
With the contract in place, Lemere and the Garland technical team got to work matching the color and scheme for The Zone. The RTPD had selected a two-tone blue and gray scheme with sharp angles that would bring The Zone’s existing structural curves to life. While the gray was a standard offering for Tuff-Coat, the specific shade of blue would require custom color matching. RTPD provided a sample of the desired blue color, which was sent to Garland’s technical team in Cleveland for matching. The tech team was able to identify a specific shade of blue from a leading paint provider’s architectural fan deck, and formulation of “Zone Blue” began.
The Results
The new look for The Zone delivered on RTPD’s expectations for the project. Said Kearns, “It’s amazing that after having this facility in our portfolio for almost 20 years, it feels and looks brand new. We are excited that the sports and training that have finally given this site its purpose can now continue years into the future with a strong, durable exterior.”
Garland & OMNIA Partners
Garland, through OMNIA Partners, supports public agencies to save you time and money. Our contract makes it easier than ever to get the services and resources you need, with access to competitive pricing in top categories such as roofing, waterproofing, and more.
Garland/DBS, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and distributor of high-performance solutions for the commercial building envelope. Founded in 1895, the Garland organization is 100 percent employee owned, ensuring that every Garland employee is vested in the long-term performance outcomes of your building envelope projects.
OMNIA Partners is the largest and most experienced organization in procurement and supply chain management. Covering both the private and public sectors, OMNIA Partners unites industry-leading buying power and world-class suppliers to offer an extensive portfolio of sourcing solutions and partnerships. Learn more about the contracting process here.
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