Luke Carrick of Carrick Contracting Corporation explains what’s in store for the day. Carrick Contracting Corporation provides turnkey wireless construction services to all major carriers and tower management companies. “We’re going to be lifting a [cell] shelter onto the concrete foundation at the base of the tower. It’s going to store electrical equipment in order to operate the cell phone tower.” He continues as he points towards another fence surrounding the large tower. “The only way we can get the building set in place is to lift it up over the foundation here and put it on the concrete structure.”
Before long, Ellis and Arnold are hard at work getting ready for the lift. They busy themselves “reeving the block” with a five part line to make sure they have enough support to lift the 70,000lb cell shelter. The shelter looks more like a small house than a structure for electrical equipment.
They work on the boom, hammering pieces together where they’re needed. The 72-foot boom is readied and 44,000 lbs of counter weights are set in place, just before the rain clouds roll in. For some time, the counterweights double as a temporary umbrella as they wait out the storm. Everyone keeps a close eye on the sky for signs of lightning. Luckily on this day, lightning is not a problem and it doesn’t take long for the rain to subside.
Then it’s back to work. It’s not long before the cell shelter is rigged and in the air gently being placed at the base of the tower. But their job isn’t done yet. Next, the boom has to raise the man basket, holding electricians, to the top of the 184 foot tower. The electricians are then responsible for stringing the line through the top of the tower and attaching the wires located in the cell shelter, in order to make everything operational.
As the men work, the cows have moved in and are carrying on as they normally do. They graze in the open field as crews weave around them, working hard to get the job finished. It’s not until nightfall before the job is completed and the men head home.
