ST. LOUIS, MO — The design-build team of Tarlton Corp., a St. Louis-based general contracting and construction management firm, working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), completed conversion of a Florissant, Missouri, hotel into an alternate health care facility to treat non-acute COVID-19 patients. The facility, if needed, would serve as backup for patients referred by St. Louis-area hospitals and would be staffed by members of the Missouri National Guard.

More than 100 employees from the design-build team, including 50 from Tarlton, worked on site at the Quality Inn to help USACE complete its mission in less than 100 hours. The team comprised Tarlton as design-build contractor, Ross & Baruzzini (architectural and engineering services), Rock Hill Mechanical Corp., and Guarantee Electrical Co.

Subcontractors working on the conversion included C&R Mechanical’s Plumbing Division, Collins & Hermann, Dynamic Air Solutions, Flooring Systems Inc., Jos. Ward Painting Co., Midwest Elevator, Stanley Steemer, Tech Electronics, Waterhout Construction, and Woodard Cleaning and Restoration.

“I’m proud of the quick and thorough response our team put together and executed,” said Tracy Hart, President of Tarlton. “We feel honored to be trusted by the Army Corps of Engineers for this critical project that is so important to our community.”

The project yielded more than 100 patient rooms on the four floors of the 130-room hotel. The team built a nurses’ station on each floor and turned the existing phone system into a nurse call system. Beds and furniture were moved, with extra furniture put in temporary storage; PTAC units in rooms were inspected and repaired or replaced as necessary; hardware was changed on hotel room doors and bathroom doors to disable locks; and all rooms were deep cleaned. In 13 rooms, carpet was removed and walls and ceilings were painted.

Project scope also included steps to ensure proper ventilation for a patient care facility: inspection and cleaning of HVAC units; relocation of exhaust fans within 25 feet of HVAC intakes; extension of plumbing vents within 25 feet of HVAC intakes; and construction of isolation barriers in the corridors (three per floor) to separate the elevator/nurse station areas from the three patient wings.

“This assignment came hours after we lost Bob Elsperman to COVID-19 (Robert Elsperman, Dirk and Tracy’s father, led Tarlton from 1972 to 1999)," said Dirk Elsperman, Tarlton Chief Operating Officer. "It turned into a therapeutic project for the entire Tarlton family. Our team collaborated with the Army Corps as the scope of work evolved throughout the 4.5 days of transforming a hotel into a temporary care facility we hope will not be needed."

Government, health, and hospital officials recently toured the facility, giving recognition to all by USACE Maj. Gen. R. Mark Toy. State agencies involved include the Missouri National Guard, Department of Public Safety, State Emergency Management Agency, Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Administration, and the Missouri Hospital Association, all in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.