September 2003 Update Archive

Monday, 29 September

In lieu of a panorama, here are three overview pictures of the PacifiCenter work site. Stay tuned for a proper panorama later this week.

View the slide show or examine individual pictures below:

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General view, looking WNW.
(26-Sep-2003)

General view, looking west.
(26-Sep-2003)

General view, looking WSW.
(26-Sep-2003)

Thursday, 25 September

The new portal for Bldg 41A is almost completed. This building, part of the Boeing enclave near the flight line, is not included in the PacifiCenter project. It will continue to see good use for many years. Here are a couple of new photos, along with one taken during the construction (for reference).

View the slide show or examine individual pictures below:

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East side (main entrance) of Bldg 41 during remodel.
(26-Jun-2003)

New face on Bldg 41A.
(24-Sep-2003)

New portal on the east side of Bldg 41A.
(24-Sep-2003)

Monday, 22 September

As the rainy season nears, crews are setting out measures to control any water problems. Blue tarps are covering all the little wells and sandbags are being laid out to control any flooding or standing water. In addition to traditional sandbags which have been placed along fences and other perimeter areas, crew have begun laying "continuous sandbags" that look like giant sausages around the edge of the site. The tubes are filled with soil and small rocks from a hopper that is raised on a Marklift. Pretty ingenious.

View the slide show or examine individual pictures below:

Click on a picture to see a larger image:

Traditional sandbags plus a sandbag tube running inside the fence along Lakewood Blvd.
(19-Sep-2003)

Workers laying out an empty sandbag tube.
(19-Sep-2003)

A sandbag tube along Lakewood Blvd.
(19-Sep-2003)

Looking through the fence.
(19-Sep-2003)

The sandbag tube is laid out just north of Bldg 1.
(19-Sep-2003)

Superior Sandbag patented continuous sandbag system.
(19-Sep-2003)

All the little wells have been covered by blue tarps.
(19-Sep-2003)

The soil and rocks in a hopper fill the sandbag tube like a giant sausage.
(19-Sep-2003)

Friday, 19 September

It's not just Long Beach buildings that are feeling blows from an excavator. Julian Chasin snapped a few photos as the proverbial wrecking ball hit Boeing buildings 60, 61, and 62 in Torrance, California earlier this summer. The facility was not part of the main "C6" campus in Torrance, but it was home to a McDonnell Douglas/Boeing crew for nearly 10 years. (The crew moved back to Long Beach).

Located at 21000 South Normandie, the site is being prepared for the construction of over 100 townhomes. Sound familiar? Thanks again to Julian for the pictures.

View the slide show or examine individual pictures below:

Click on a picture to see a larger image:

Building 61 no more.
Photo by Chasin
(02-Jul-2003)

Building 62 in ruins.
Photo by Chasin
(09-Jul-2003)

End of an era.
Photo by Chasin
(09-Jul-2003)

Going once...
Photo by Chasin
(06-Aug-2003)

Going twice...
Photo by Chasin
(06-Aug-2003)

Going thrice...
Photo by Chasin
(18-Aug-2003)

Gone.
Photo by Chasin
(03-Sep-2003)

Wednesday, 17 September

It has been a l-o-n-g time since we have posted a movie, and for very good reason: the action at the PacifiCenter site has been so slow that moving pictures were unnecessary. But just to keep in practice, here is a little clip showing a Bobcat hauling away bits of the Turbo electric substation that has recently been dismantled. There are a few versions to choose from. They all show the same thing, but different browsers handle some formats better than others. Dialup users might want to try the MPEG-4 version first; it's a bit fuzzy but the file is MUCH smaller. (13 sec):

Pick a format:
MPEG-4 (0.6 MB)
AVI (3.7 MB)
AVI (no sound) (2.1 MB)
QuickTime (3.7 MB)

Tuesday, 16 September

As promised yesterday, here are a couple of photos showing that the electrical substation has indeed been dismantled. Also included today are two snapshots showing a little activity near the northwest corner of Bldg 13.

View the slide show or examine individual pictures below:

Click on a picture to see a larger image:

The old main electrical feed to the Westside is gone.
(12-Sep-2003)

Turbo Substation dismantled.
(12-Sep-2003)

Bldg 12 and 13 from the northwest.
(12-Sep-2003)

This crane assisted in dismantling the Stress Substation and power poles along the golf course.
(12-Sep-2003)

Monday, 15 September

The crane operators have been busy even though the dirt-pushing has been halted of late. In addition to finishing off most of the Turbo electrical substation, they were spotted last Friday on the west side of the project, adjacent to the Lakewood Country Club golf course. Hopefully, we will have some pictures to post very soon. Check back tomorrow.

Please visit our Hangar Talk Forums today! Finn has broken the ice with a nice story in the "I Remember When..." section. Replies and new posts are always appreciated. It's easy!

Editors Note: While you are looking around the forums, please take the time to vote in a couple of polls in the "Polls and Queries" section. This website has grown quite a bit over the last few months and your feedback will make it a better experience for everyone. Thanks for your time.

Finally, we have taken a few more pictures of the rigs from Precision Sampling, Inc. that were featured here in an article last week. Hopefully these new pictures will better showcase the equipment.

View the slide show or examine individual pictures below:

Click on a picture to see a larger image:

Precision Sampling, Inc. rigs.
(09-Sep-2003)

Precision Sampling, Inc. rig.
(09-Sep-2003)

Precision Sampling, Inc. rigs.
(09-Sep-2003)

Soil remediation crew.
(09-Sep-2003)

Friday, 12 September

Reader Finn tells stories about his Douglas days in the I Remember When... section of the forums. Surf on over and get a chuckle. Join in and post a reply.

All wilexa.com readers are encouraged to share their stories, questions, and suggestions in our Hangar Talk forums. Come on over and share. We want this website to be much more than a set of pictures. It should be a place for all of us to gather and share memories and hopes.

Wednesday, 10 September

The Turbo electrical substation is getting dismantled this week. Workers are using cranes, cherry pickers, and the like to remove the substation along Carson Street.

View the slide show or examine individual pictures below:

Click on a picture to see a larger image:

Crane removing electrical substation see from Lakewood Blvd.
(09-Sep-2003)

Removing electrical substation from along Carson St.
(09-Sep-2003)

Taking down the substation.
(09-Sep-2003)

Worker and two cranes at the Turbo substation.
(09-Sep-2003)

Turbo substation.
(09-Sep-2003)

Monday, 08 September

We hear that "Phase 1 is complete", whatever that means. There has been virtually no activity at Lakewood and Carson over the past couple of weeks. We also hear that bids for "Phase 2" will go out in October. If you have any insight or information, please post it to our forums or send in an email so that we can share the info. Thanks for your patience!

Friday, 05 September

Precision Sampling has had several rigs working the site for the past months (see photos below). Although the heavy duty earthmoving of Sevenson is on hiatus, the Precision Sampling pumping and sampling activities continue. According to their web site, the company offers soil, water, & soil-gas sampling as well as hydraulic & pneumatic injection. The equipment favored on the PacifiCenter site appears to be the 25 ton CPT rig "capable of pushing to depths of over 150 feet. These rigs are used for both environmental and geotechnical investigations for collecting subsurface soil, water and vapor data."

View the slide show or examine individual pictures below:

Click on a picture to see a larger image:

Precision Sampling trucks.
(04-Sep-2003)

Precision Sampling trucks.
(08-Aug-2003)

Thursday, 04 September

L-1011 Update: Dave Houle (DAC Flight Test, 1970-1998) wrote in regarding the popular L-1011 photos. According to Dave, "There is a big airplane metal salvage effort underway at the former AF base at Victorville. I was there a few months ago and some L1011's were being munched. That machine does look familar. Incidentally, there is a Boeing contingent at that airport, many of them from the old DAC FT shop department."

Thanks for the info, Dave!

Reader comments are always welcome. If anyone has more info, please send it in.

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