Justice complex in Indybeing built 100% union

HFIAW Local 18 Indianapolis is proud to be working on the new Marion County Criminal Justice Complex project with signatory contractors Fargo Insulation and Performance Contracting (Insulation Division).

Located southeast of the city’s downtown area in a neighborhood called Twin Aire, the roughly $590 million project is being constructed in three phases. Crews broke ground in 2018 and the facility is expected to be operational by 2022.

Work on the Marion County Criminal Justice Complex will be performed solely by members of the union building trades. It is not being built under any type of employment agreement such as a Project Labor Agreement or Community Benefits Agreement, but the project owners are committed to a 100 percent union workforce.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, a long-time supporter of organized labor and Local 18, worked directly with the Indianapolis-Marion County Building Authority to ensure the courts and jails are more accessible to staff and visitors. The first nine floors will be for the county sheriff’s office and courthouse that includes six courtrooms, another two floors will be used for staff offices, and then the adult detention center with a 3,000-bed prison.

The campus also includes an assessment and intervention center and a mental health and addiction treatment center where critical root causes of detention and recidivism can be better addressed.

Fargo Insulation and Performance Contracting secured the work for insulating the HVAC and plumbing systems throughout the complex. Members of Insulators Local 18 are working with and subcontracted under United Association Local 440 and Sheet Metal Local 20.

“The opportunity to install mechanical insulation on a remarkable complex has been an honor and a privilege,” said Performance Contracting, Inc., General Manager and Insulation Contractor’s Association of Indianapolis, Inc., President Carl Schultz. “Our partnership with Local 18 allows us to meet the project schedule, provide an energy efficient facility and complete the project safely. Our partnership continues to improve the Indianapolis skyline.”

There are about a dozen Local 18 members working daily at the complex. With the current construction schedule, the peak employment will likely take place in the summer of 2021.

The complex is being built to meet all LEED specifications. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program that provides independent verification of a building’s green features, allowing for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of resource-efficient, high-performing, healthy and cost-effective buildings.

“As a member of the fiscal body of the City of Indianapolis, a project’s cost of this magnitude was not taken lightly,” said City County Council Member and IBEW Local 481 member David Ray. “With this project being completed by the Insulators Local 18 and other Building Trades, myself, fellow Council members and our constituents can rest assured our funding is being used to create a staple in our community that is LEED Certified, energy efficient, cost efficient and will last more than a lifetime.

“I am beyond excited to see the completion of this state-of-the-art facility and proud to know my fellow Union Brothers and Sisters are the ones responsible for its creation,” he added.

Local 18 Business Manager Jason Smith emphasized the need to have only highly trained and highly skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen install mechanical insulation on LEED projects.

“LEED certified projects, like this one, give us an opportunity to raise the awareness of our trade and the importance of a quality, finished product,” said Smith. “The energy savings projected to meet the LEED Certification Standards rely on the savings we provide.

“This is a very high-profile job for the Building Trades and the City Indianapolis, and I know our members working on this project will do an outstanding job,” he added.

Mechanical insulation is often times overlooked, but with help from the U.S. Green Building Council, a greater emphasis is being placed on the work our union regularly does. This is done not just for the return on investment of the mechanical systems, but for the achievement of being better for the environment and responsible with available resources.

“The completion of the Community Justice Campus has been a major priority of our administration since construction broke ground in 2018,” said Hogsett. “For the Community Justice Campus to achieve its mission of a modern, holistic, data-driven approach to the Indianapolis justice system, we need to be able to count on quality work from the contractors on the project. This includes the work of the Heat and Frost Insulators Local 18, whose longstanding reputation for dependability made them a natural fit for this important development.”

Professionally installed mechanical insulation will enhance the sustainability of the LEED-certified campus and will reduce energy costs for taxpayers, while simultaneously lowering the city’s carbon footprint.

During the construction process, numerous change orders were made to make the facility cohesive with the new need for digital and remote engagements. Several of the recently revealed plans will equip many of the courtrooms with video conferencing capabilities.

For Central States International Vice President Pat Barron, the jobs created by this project are due in part to supporting the area politicians, who in turn support issues important to the Insulators and other building trades unions.

“Local 18 has always been involved in politics within their jurisdiction. We must continue to support politicians who support us. These are the decision makers who decide when and how to spend tax payer monies putting our members to work,” he said. “Through our PAC funds and our votes, we must do everything we can to support our political friends.”