Shortly after the second of two huge cranes was removed from The Villages Regional Hospital North Tower construction site, a large pile-driving rig is hard at work on location, kicking up piles of underground sand and clay.
According to the drilling rig ‘boss,’ his crew just began digging this past week. “We’re putting in steel reinforced concrete footings , down to a distance of 65 feet below ground level , as foundation reinforcement for the second construction phase.
“The power source on top of the mechanical driver turns the drill very fast,” on-site surveyor, Kyle Bradshaw, explained. “The corkscrew-like device rotates and digs into the earth a little deeper each time it drops. ” Cement is being mixed and poured to secure the new pilings in place.
Phase II of this ongoing project will double the emergency room capacity and add more operating theaters.
“This reminds me of the Johnny Cash song, ‘John Henry,’ a hospital orderly, who preferred not to be named, said. ‘The Ballad of John Henry,’ arguably the most recorded American folk song, was sung not only by Johnny Cash, but was also made famous by Tennesee Ernie Ford, Doc Watson, Woodie Guthrie and countless others as well . It is the tall tale of an African-American convict working on early American railroad construction. Legend has it the folk hero could blast through rock with sheer strength and determination faster than the steam-driven machine could do. But after beating the mechanized device, his heart gave out from exertion.
Robins & Morton Construction from Orlando, with offices in several other Southern cities, is in charge of the hospital expansion project.