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Sometimes even the most basic jobs can run into problems along the way, as McDonald Excavating learned while working on the Hamilton Portland Yard Facility.

The four-acre site houses a 2,200-square-foot building and is predominately a gravel storage yard with a landscaped perimeter. McDonald Excavating’s $251,710 contract included clearing and grubbing; excavation; building an embankment; site grading and preparation; installing a storm drain, sanitary sewer and water service; and base rock installation.

Work on the project started in August 2008 and was completed in February 2009. During that time, the prime contractor experienced financial difficulties that threatened to derail the project schedule and cause costly delays.

However, as Hamilton Construction Co. noted in its DMWESB TopProjects nomination of McDonald Excavating, the latter company maintained its commitments as the key subcontractor and kept the project on track despite the disruption.

In addition, McDonald Excavating – founded by Mike McDonald in 1980 – proposed the use of recycled base material, capped with base rock in lieu of the planned full section base-rock requirement.

“This revision provided a greener finished product, as well as substantial monetary savings on the project,” Hamilton Construction said in the nomination.