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Northlake Star Center construction advances; contractor reports drilled piers and site utilities progressing
Summary
Contractors reported progress at the Northlake Star Center site, including deep foundation work, off-site water main completion, storm drainage installation, and early paving operations; the contractor said 127 of about 300 drilled piers were complete and the project schedule shows substantial completion in 2026 with efforts to move it earlier.
Lee Lewis Construction gave council a photographic progress briefing on the Northlake Star Center on March 13, describing foundation work, utilities installation and early site paving.
Ricky Donovan, project superintendent for Lee Lewis Construction, said subcontractors on site include Atlantic Utilities, JDS Concrete, Omega Earthworks, Braun Intertech Testing Laboratory and Maxon Drilling. Donovan reported crews averaging roughly 48 people per day and said the crew had completed about 127 of an estimated 300 drilled piers for the deep foundation, and had poured roughly 1,780 cubic yards of concrete into those piers to date.
"We're working on moisture conditioning the soil," Donovan said. "The entire building footprint has been dug out to that 10 foot and then put back, and then it gets capped with this 1 foot of select fill on top of it." He described casing techniques used to manage groundwater while drilling piers and said crews will soon begin concrete paving on the west side of the site and install site lighting conduits and irrigation sleeves.
Staff and the contractor noted constraints: the off-site water main has been completed but a portion of sanitary sewer running along Chadwick is held up by an elevation conflict with a gas line, creating localized stagnant water until the conflict is resolved. Donovan also said the team has claimed 35 weather days to date under their contract allowance and is actively working to recover schedule. Staff noted a variety of target completion dates in slides and discussion — Donovan said the working schedule showed a substantial completion in June 2026 but the contractor and staff said they are working to accelerate portions and open some elements earlier.
Council members and staff also discussed marketing and tenancy. Town staff said the Star Center team is preparing a marketing plan to bring users into the building when it opens, and the mayor reported a prospective full-service restaurant tenant under the brand Shark Club had expressed interest; staff called it a sports-bar/restaurant concept that could help attract other retail tenants to the surrounding development.
Quotations "We average roughly 48 men per day, and we're currently working on moisture conditioning the soil," Ricky Donovan said while reviewing drone photos and foundation progress.
"OSHA showed up out there on a drive by and they did a crane inspection for us and we passed with flying colors," Donovan added.
Ending Staff said work will continue on drilled piers, utilities and paving and that the town and contractor will monitor the sanitary sewer elevation conflict and weather impacts; the council received the update and did not take a separate vote on the construction briefing.
