GE Johnson Construction topped out Switchbacks FC Stadium in downtown Colorado Springs on May 15. The 145,500-sq-ft soccer venue will serve as the permanent home of the Colorado Springs Switchbacks Football Club (FC) and as a multi-use facility for a variety of other sporting and entertainment events.

The event marked GE Johnson’s first topping-out since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project owner invited the public to participate by parking in front of the structure and remaining in their cars. Guests listened to speakers via a local radio station and “applauded” by honking their car horns. Speakers included Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers; Jim Johnson, CEO and president, GE Johnson; Ed Ragain, owner, Switchbacks; and Robert Carr, regional vice president, Weidner Apartments.

“I’ve been to a lot of groundbreakings, ribbon-cuttings, and topping-out celebrations in my five years as mayor, but I think I’m going to remember this one the most,” Suthers said. “Can you imagine 100 years from now, there’s a photo of the topping-out celebration for the stadium, and there’s going to be a bunch of guys standing around in masks?”

GE Johnson broke ground on the stadium in December, and it is scheduled for completion in spring 2021.

A team led by Pinkard Construction has been awarded a contract for the $13-million renovation of the Margaret W. Carpenter Recreation Center in Thornton, Colo. The remodeled facility will include a six-lane lap pool with adjacent aqua-exercise pool, a wave pool with a lazy river and bubble pit, an activity pool with a zero-depth entry, a play structure, geysers and sprays, two water slides and a 20-person therapeutic hydro-jet spa.

The architectural design is being provided by Denver’s Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative (OLC), which specializes in designing aquatic and recreation facilities. Pinkard and OLC will work together to create an accessible pipe galley for maintenance and repairs while allowing the city to keep the facility open during normal business hours.

“Not only will visitors experience the latest in aquatic play, instruction and exercise, but we will also be providing a much-needed universal locker room expansion to better serve the needs of families and those with special needs,” said Robert McDonald, senior principal at OLC.