The first thing you notice at the Rooms To Go construction site in Pearl River is the dirt.

More than 600,000 cubic yards of the stuff has been trucked in since work began on the site in July, and another 200,000 is expected, according to site superintendent Jess Bowling. Thick yellow dirt, called surcharge, forms the basis for the foundation and is being piled in a huge, level mound stretching across the angled lot just off Interstate 59 at Louisiana Highway 1090.

“This is extremely soft soil, and we have to build it up to allow for settlement,” said Bowling. “The current elevation is 10 or 11 feet, and the final elevation is expected to be 20 feet.”

Smoke rises in the distance as workers burn the last of the brush cleared from the site. To the right is a portion of the surcharge that has been built up to prepare for the pouring of the foundation. (Staff Photo by Anne Lautzenheiser)

In just a few short months, Bowling said the crew has gone from not being able to walk on the site to driving anywhere they need to go. A road has been cut along one edge of the property that will eventually connect with the 84 Lumber on U.S. Highway 11. Parking lots are being laid out, and berms are being built for a retention pond that will assist with drainage.

This is Bowling’s first job in Louisiana, and he has been in the business for 50 years. General contractor White-Spunner is the only company on the site at present, but Bowling said in a couple of month several others will join them.

The facility will serve Rooms To Go stores throughout the Gulf South. It is expected to be complete in August 2009, making for an extremely tight schedule for a building of this size. Still, it’s not as tight as some.

“I’ve built a lot of Home Depot stores around the area,” said Bowling. “That’s 126 days from the time the first shovel is turned to the day they open their doors.”

Construction of the facility will start on the south end and work its way north. It will be built as a “tilt-up” building, meaning the walls will be laid flat as they are poured and then levered into position, much like a barn-raising.

In addition to the new roadways, a 250,000-gallon water tank will be installed on the southeast corner of the site, and a 10-inch pipeline will connect to the Town of Pearl River water system. The new tank was necessary in order to get approval for construction from the state fire marshal, because the site is so large.

Pearl River Mayor James Lavigne, who visits the site nearly every day, said the project has brought interested developers flocking to the area. A sign near the entrance to the construction site announces a Microtel will open about the same time next year, although Lavigne said the company has yet to get its permit. A Waffle House has received its permit to begin construction on a branch of the eatery near the same location.

“I almost can’t keep up with the number of folks that have contacted me about building here,” said Lavigne. “My concern is that I have enough volume in my sewer and water systems so we don’t damage the infrastructure in the old town.”

Lavigne is more than happy about the sales tax revenue the project will bring in, saying the money is desperately needed by the town to continue making civic improvements and update existing systems.